What were the factory struts on a 72T

Shuie · 10-21-2003, 04:22 PM

Im trying to find out what struts came from the factory on a 72T. The car looks to have no S options or factory upgrades anywhere. The calipers are not S, so Im assuming the struts have the 3" ears. The car is also US spec if it helps.

I remember from one of my books that the Boge Hydorneumatic struts were still an option on the E's in '72. Was this suspension ever standard on a T? I havent seen the car in person yet, and Ive never seen a set of the pneumatic struts. The owner says the struts are black, so Im guessing they are Boges. How do I tell if it has the hydroneumatic struts? What was the fatcory front strut setup for a T in '72?

Any help is appreciated.

Rot 911 · 10-21-2003, 05:03 PM

Boge were standard with Koni and Bilstein as options. If you have torsion bars in the front you have struts. The hydroneumatic struts were optional on the T, E and S

Shuie · 05:21 PM

Thanks Kurt.

If they are black, they are Boges right? Were all of the Boges hydroneumatic, or were some of them conventional? What are the chances that the original hydoneumatic units have lasted since '72? Also, were the struts alone offered as an option, or would they have been part of a more extensive option package? If they were part of a package, does anyone know what else might have been included?

Questions about the hydorneumatic struts:
Did they still use the A-arms, just without t-bars? Is it a simple conversion to go from the hydroneumatic setup to a conventional macpherson strut if you have a set of t-bars and the struts? Are the suspension pickup points different on the cars that came with the hydroneumatic setup?

Thanks again guys.

nigel911 · nigel911's Garage

Black = Boge

Don't know enough about the hydroneumatic struts, but believe most of the Boge struts were conventional. Good because you can fit whatever inserts you like.

Reckon most hydroneumatic cars would have been retrofitted with regular struts by now.

Rot 911 · 10-21-2003, 05:33 PM

Shuie you need regular strut a-arms, regular struts, torsion bars and associated brackets. The hydropneumatic struts were not a popular option and I doubt someone who bought a "T" would have ordered that option. Most of the original hydropneumatic struts have been changed out over the years. Black is just the color for Boge, regular or hydropneumatic. I have Boge front struts and they are black on my '86.

Shuie · 10-21-2003, 05:39 PM

Thanks guys!

Early_S_Man · 10-21-2003, 06:32 PM

Shuie,

The definitive ID for self-leveling struts is the presence of a bellows between the body and the top of the dust cover on the front strut!

FA-18C · 10-22-2003, 03:43 AM

Even if you have the hydro struts, it is very doubtful that they survived without being modified to accept regular inserts. (That's what mine have). So you could have black hydropneumatic shocks with the bellows at the top and still have normal shocks...the nice thing there is that these also had S brakes with 3.5" spacing. Having said that, you more than likely have M caliper Boges.