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Willys Forum / Winshield/window gaskets for 52 Willys Aero Lark

« on: October 14, 2014, 05:49:45 PM »

After finally getting all the work I can do to my '52 Willys Aero Lark to get it in good mechanical shape, it's now getting the body and paint work done.  Upholstery work will follow.

My question:

Does anyone know a source for the windshield, rear side window, and rear window gaskets, and for the gasket that goes around the door?  Kaiser-Willys Auto Supply lists some  gaskets, but not for the Aero - for a Station Wagon, I think - are these perhaps the same as the Aero gaskets? 

This car does have the split windshield; the windshield and rear window glass are in pretty good shape, the driver and passenger windows are cracked and need to be replaced, but I have a source for the glass.

Steele Rubber Products lists some windshield and window gasket material that can be purchased by the foot (not cheap, but at least it's available).

The body shop guy wants to take the windows out so as to do a first-class job of the prep and painting.  The original gaskets are (needless to say) "hard as a rock", and will probably have to be cut out.  New gaskets would be a necessity.

Any help would be appreciated.

Dave E
Madison, MS 

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Willys Forum / 52 Willys Aero Lark front shock absorbers

« on: February 24, 2014, 11:13:16 AM »

The shocks on my recently-acquired 52 Willys Aero Lark were apparently original - they had "The Monroe Shock Absorber Company" stamped on them.  They were completely worn out.

The rear shocks were easy to find - Monroe 31094.  They're listed in the Monroe cross-reference, and fit fine.  Do NOT lose the hardware in/on the old shocks - the new ones do not come with bolts, steel bushings, or anything else that you can use.  The upper bolts have "thin" nuts that are a bit hard to get started, but nothing unusual about changing the rear ones.

The front ones, on the other hand, are not listed anywhere.  After looking through the complete Monroe e-catalog, I decided that the best candidate is Monroe 32267 shocks - they're a bit longer and fatter than the original, but have similar compressed and extended dimensions.  They have a "loop" bottom end, and a "stem" top end, like the original.  The other nearest candidate was a Monroe 5753 "Sensa'Trac", but it's about an inch longer than the 32267, and it's not a "Monroe-Matic", like the 32267 is.

The 32267 has a dust shield on it; no way it will fit through the upper wishbone.  Application of a 4" grinder with cut-off wheel to the dust shield will cut it loose from the shock shaft.  A bit of grinding with a bench grinder and application of a bit of paint fixes that end; use of a bench grinder on the rubber part of the loop (to make it the same thickness as the steel spacer in the bottom of the old shock) will make that end fit.

As stated before, do NOT lose any of the old parts; you will need some of them, especially the steel spacers.

The bottom bolts on the front shocks were thoroughly rusted into the wishbone arm, and to the lower shock spacer - I could get the nut off, but the bolt would not turn or budge.  Everything I had (socket wrench, impact wrench, heat, solvent, etc.) had no effect.  Fortunately, my son has an air hammer with associated tools; hitting the bolt with about 15 strokes a second will make pretty much anything turn loose!  Make sure you have one of these available if the shocks appear to be original.  I replaced the bolts with 7/16" Grade 8 bolts from Lowe's - that's the only type they had that were 7/16".

Once you perform all the modifications, and get the lower bolts to come out, the new shocks go back in easily.

Just thought I'd post this in case some other Aero owner is looking for front shocks, and what it takes to replace them.  Apparently, some of the other Aero's use loop-loop front shocks (like the ones on the rear of my Aero); mine uses loop-stem shocks on the front. 

Just looked back in my paperwork - a couple of other Monroe numbers that would probably work are 32235 and 31029.

Dave E
Madison, MS