Toronado.org

Just curious, has anyone replaced the horizontal shocks in the back of their Toro? I’ve heard that they prevent wheel hop, but new ones are ridiculously expensive: about $150 a pair! Do they really make a difference in handling?

Where did you find the $150 ones? Fusick?

Yes, they are necessary for proper handling. Mine were the originals and offered no resistance.

Look in the parts section of this forum. I posted the part numbers of all six shocks that I bought for my car. The horizontal ones matched up to some used on a VW or somethings.

They were $20 or so.

Gabriel 82139
Marty, St. Louis, MO

Thanks! So looked for those shocks (Gabriel 82139), but they’re sold out on RockAuto, Walmart, Summit Racing, and Amazon (only 1 left but I need a pair). Would probably have to get it from TruckSpring.com or eBay. It says that it fits a Triumph Spitfire, but it’s small enough to fit in that slot for the Toro? Cause in that case, that’s a steal compared to the originals haha

Yes, the ones that I saw were Fusick and they’re ridiculously expensive! I thought that was my only choice haha

Otto, I also noticed that you mentioned a steering damper in your thread, but on RockAuto it only shows it for the 66 Toronado. Does my 69 also have one? What is the purpose of it? My Toro has a good amount of play in the steering wheel, but I don’t know if that would be the case.

I don't know if your car has a damper. Look in the shop manual in the steering section. I thought all First Gens were pretty much the same.

The purpose of the damper is to minimize torque steer when you romp on the gas.

The first thing I'd check on your steering is the rag joint (steering coupler). A worn out rag joint is a common cause of excessive play in the steering.

I just looked it up in the Olds Master Parts Book and no damper is listed. Only '66, '71, and '72 have one. Later ones probably do, too but the Master book is a 1972 publication.

You should download it. It's a lot of help when looking for oddball parts. Original GM part numbers are handy for NAPA or whomever to cross reference.

http://wildaboutcarsonline.com/cgi-bin/ ... splayed=50

Thanks Otto! I will definitely check that book out. For now I’ll get those shocks you mentioned and will probably address the steering a bit later.

Thanks guys! This really helped me out!