Weed Levelizer Shocks

[190bear]

Does anyone know anything about these cable shocks. They are on a 26 Chrysler Model 60 coupe

[viv w]

Many years ago I rebuilt a Chrysler 52 from the remains of 2 cars, a Model 50 and a 52 that had both been stripped. Amongst the parts that came in my pile were 3 of these Weed levelizers still attached to the mounting brackets. 

As I only had 3 in poor condition, I never got around to rebuilding them, but I did open one and it had from memory a couple of heavy duty springs inside with an internal drum with some lining. I can't tell you much more about them but if it helps, I am sure those were probably correct for your car.

 In the 48 years that I have been owning and restoring Chryslers, I found no info on these shocks, yours are the first other ones I have come across in all those years.

[1912Staver]

My guess is that they probably are an aftermarket accessory. Weed also made acessory bumpers and tire chains.

[viv w]

It is very possible that Weed may have been an aftermarket item, however the 2 cars I picked up in pieces were taken off the road in 1938. So maybe the original shocks were replaced during the 10 years the cars were used, but who knows.

[wayne sheldon]

I am fairly sure that Weed sold these shock absorbers both after-market and direct to manufacturers. My 1927 Paige 6-45 sedan has them (slightly different variation, mostly on the labeling), as have four other Paige 6-45s I have seen over the years. 

Interesting to note, that the 6-45 Paige for 1927 was originally intended to be the Jewett model for that year.. As Paige wound down to selling the company due to the retirement of the company leaders, they changed the badging of the 6-45 to become the small Paige. Some years back when I was able for a short while to work on the car's restoration, I found that the four shock absorbers all had paper labels on them proclaiming that the shock absorbers were for a "Jewett"! When I was working on the restoration, I carefully and accurately duplicated the original paper labels and affixed them onto the shock absorbers exactly as the originals had been.

In addition to that, the "Weed Levelizer System" as it was called takes nearly half a page in the original parts book I have for my car. 

I don't have the correct owner's manual for my 6-45. However, the 6-72 and 8-85 owners manuals I do have show chassis diagrams with the shock absorbers on the chassis. And the 6-65 manual I have has a nice picture of how to bleed the brakes also showing the Weed Levelizer in place. 

So, clearly, they were factory equipment on at least Paige. And I would suspect there should be a number of others, perhaps maybe Chrysler?

They cannot have been very common though. In all the years this poor car has been sitting, and all the swap meets I have searched through? I very rarely ever have seen Weed Levelizers available. Fortunately, if I should ever be able to finish restoring my Paige, it is a very low mileage car, with very little wear anywhere other than the transmission and clutch which the original owner managed to destroy. (And I already repaired or replaced.) My Weed Levelizers appeared to be in good condition, and functional. But I would have liked to find and get a couple extras anyway. But I never found any to buy.