Hi there,

So I am looking into this coil conversion because I notice a bit of leaking in the front both sides, and MAYBE a little in the rear, but not sure. After sitting all night, I see that the front has dropped considerably, to where the tops of the tires are beginning to disappear into the fender wells. When I turn the key, door closed, the compressor comes on for several seconds and jacks the front end up to where it is supposed to be. After it hits the proper height, it seems like it lowers it a tiny bit again, but that could be where it is inflating the rears a little to compensate for the adjusted front height. Not sure about that one though. I do know though, that my gas shocks in the rear are leaking and need replacement.

I am unsure about how much the compressor activates while I am driving. I live in southern AZ and it is hot enough here now that I have the AC on all the time so the compressor is hard to hear. I have had the car less than a week.

Anyway, I am trying to figure out how to save up the money right now for this coil conversion, and in the mean time I am doing my research. Of course I have found cheaper kits, but let's just say I am apprehensive about the quality of these kits. The American Air Suspension kit clearly seems to be top rated so I want to go with it. I know that I want to do an all around conversion because it looks as though it will be necessary at some point. My car has 80,000 easy miles on it, but I understand that these air ride systems tend to go around that time whether the miles were easy or not. The car has been in this particularly hot and dry climate its entire life, so I don't trust that the bags haven't developed cracks, contrary to the soapy water test a mechanic recently performed on them.

I basically want to make sure I am allotting for everything I will need. I want to do the full 4-wheel kit, 1.5 inch lowering, and the Sensatrack rear shocks and mounts. As far as the 4-wheel kit goes, how can I tell if I will need to include the option of the upper control arms? I would obviously prefer to save the money if I don't need them, and I don't see why I would just do one or the other if only one actually needed to be replaced. Seems like it would make more sense to do both. Any tips on what to look for that might indicate a need for replacement?

Another question I have is whether this 4-wheel kit and the shocks/mounts are all I really need to get this done. Are there other parts I am overlooking? I'm planning on having it professionally installed because I don't want to trust my mechanical skills when it comes to something as important and abused as suspension.

Once the conversion is done, do ALL the old suspension parts come out or is it easier to leave things like the compressor, solenoids, etc? If they come out is there a market for the used parts? Selling these to someone who might be able to use them could certainly be helpful to me in paying for this conversion.

Lastly, it is obvious that I will lose the features exclusive to the air ride, which I don't really mind. I'm curious as to others' experiences with ride comfort after conversion. I don't mind a stiffer ride, and I don't mind feeling the road. It is a Lincoln though, so I would prefer a ride that is a little bit cushy compared to other vehicles I have owned. I don't want it to feel like some slammed, stiff and bouncy ricer. Any input on all this would be GREATLY appreciated!

1998 Pearl Lincoln Mark VIII LSC purchased 4/24/12 with ~80k miles

2005 Yamaha FZ6

Being an old front end & suspension guy, I learned to put good replacement parts on a car to begin with. Even if they're a tad bit higher than others, you'll be better in the long run. In your case, your not only paying for the part....your paying the labor also. Getting the right stuff on now WILL save you money later on!

The Mark VIII is hard on upper control arms. If your car has anywhere around 100K on the clock, most likely they're toast. If you don't know if they're bad, have them checked beforehand so they'll have them for the conversion install.

The reason to find out now BEFORE the conversion kit is ordered is not only a discount, but mainly because the struts have to be removed to replace the upper control arms, so its overlapping in labor(make sure your shop knows YOU know that).

Leaving the parts on the car is an option, but keep in mind we'd be interested in buying back some old parts or you could put the old stuff on ebay or something.

You should put allot of thought into the height of the conversion kit. What is your priority?.....Handling?....Ride quality?....The look?
If the priority is the best ride, you should go with the standard height and probably the sensatrac shock option.
If the priority is handling and/or you like the low look, get the lowered kit and probably the Monroe Matic shock option.

REMEMBER, everything is a compromise. Although it looks better to most, the ride of the lowered kit will be a little more harsh than a normal sprung Mark VIII.

BTW, there's a pretty big following for the Mark VIII. Do the world a favor and let your installer know to disconnect stuff....rather than cut! Later on in life, it'll make someones life much easier if they ever want to go back to air.

Eddie Spinks
Ford/Lincoln Certified Air Susp. Expert
www.americanairsuspension.com
866-211-7531

Thank you for your reply. I totally agree about getting the right parts. I see too many things that are made in certain areas of the world these days that are scaring me based on their low quality, and I steer FAR away from that stuff.

I suppose I will take my car in for an inspection before going for the new UCAs. It sure couldn't hurt to take a look.

I would definitely consider removing the old parts, especially if you guys would buy them. I know this leaves me with no option to put it back to stock at a later date without going completely all out, but I am doubting that I would ever do that anyway. Any idea what all that stuff might be worth?

I really appreciate the info about priorities on the conversion kit. I have given this some thought, and while I do like the smooth cloud-like ride, just judging from my past experience with cars, handling is probably my highest priority. When I imagine myself in this car, I do like a sportier feel over the luxurious floaty feel. I also really like that lowered look, which really fits the Mark VIII in my opinion. I think I am definitely leaning towards the lowered kit, but what can you tell me about the difference between the two shocks with the lowered kit? Specifically, why would you recommend the Monroe Matics over the Sensatrac? If I wanted straight up handling, would the Matics be better? Would I actually get a combination of handling and comfort on the Sensatracs?

1998 Pearl Lincoln Mark VIII LSC purchased 4/24/12 with ~80k miles

2005 Yamaha FZ6

In your future decisions related to ride/performance, you should also consider if it involves 17-18 inch wheels and/or lower sidewall performance tires as both will make the ride/performance change and should influence your conversion decisions!!!!!!

Good point. However, I doubt I will actually change from the stock wheels, and even though I like the lowered look, I'm not too much into the look of the low profile tires, especially coupled with larger wheels. I know lots of people are going with that larger wheel look these days, but I really don't like it personally.

I am definitely still going to weigh all my options about ride height, stiffness/softness, etc before making the actual purchase. I have a good idea about how I want to go right now, but things could change. I'm loving all this great info I am getting to help make the decision though!

1998 Pearl Lincoln Mark VIII LSC purchased 4/24/12 with ~80k miles

2005 Yamaha FZ6

Hello,

Just some personal experience. I did the conversion to spring with Eddie's stuff a year or two ago. Car is trouble free and rides fine. With the stock height kit it probably handles better than one on air at highway speeds. You might be thinking "handling at highway speeds sounds dangerous". When I notice it is when decelerating from the Interstate to a slower ramp, maybe a little on the two lane black top. The car is just more consistent.

In defense of air ride
- I could throw more in the trunk and count on the car to level itself out.
- Especially the rear bags were EASY EASY EASY to get off. Easier than our oil filters.

So either way. If you want to lower the car now is your chance. IMO air ride gets a bad rap but it is a more complicated system than necessary and if you have anything more complicated than leaky bags or another reason to want to change I understand.

Good luck, and whatever you decide, start spraying the penetrating oil now to loosen some of them bolts!

98 black 193,000 mile sprung LSC

That's all good info. I did actually do my conversion last September by myself with no previous experience, on a gravel driveway in 100 degree temps. It was hard at times, but if I can do this successfully, ANYONE should be able to which will save $hundreds in labor. My findings are consistent with yours so far. I went with Eddie too, and he is definitely the best. My kit was from Strutmasters (struts, rear springs and shocks). I decided to stick with the standard ride height (mainly because AZ roads are like trails on the moon), and I'm perfectly fine with it. I had a problem with one of the struts which was not Eddie's fault (manufacturing defect), but he made sure it was rectified by Strutmasters beyond my satisfaction. Since my car as been in AZ all its life, the LCA bolts weren't rusted at all. They were still hard as hell to get off, but the penetrating oil helped. The biggest problem was the (I think) 180 ft lbs of torque on them, and the fact that they had never come off before. I did it alone though and was successful. I feel for those who have northern cars!

I wouldn't say that it is the BEST handling setup, but I wasn't out to make it like a Corvette. It wasn't a twisty carver with air ride anyway. It floats nicely on the highway, and handles confidently on in-town stop/go roads. I have no problems at all, it rides nice, and I luckily rarely have trunk cargo or passengers. I actually left everything hooked up and tucked safely away in case I ever want to return to air ride, but I doubt I will.

The only safety issue I created during installation was when the right front strut was disconnected on top, but still connected to the LCA. As I knelt down holding it in place, I lost my balance a little, let go of it, and it fell outward smacking me in the head. Knocked back, I tried to catch myself and dislocated my shoulder! Granted, I have prior shoulder issues too. My neighbors thought I was having a Tourette's fit and a seizure as I pounded my shoulder back into place in the gravel. I would say that the job benefits from brute strength mixed carefully with patience, but profanity from at least two different languages (and even some made up words) seems to help loosen bolts and set parts into place.

1998 Pearl Lincoln Mark VIII LSC purchased 4/24/12 with ~80k miles

2005 Yamaha FZ6