Raising a bar pin upper shock mount...

[jsmoriss]

I replaced my shocks recently, and find my rear shocks are just a _tad_ too long when compressed. I've been wondering how I could move the top shock mount a little higher -- bolting it on top of the mount instead of under it, for example.

Here's a shot of the mount:

Has anyone modified their rear upper shock mounts? Maybe you could share what you've done (or seen) to give me some ideas?

Thanks,
js.

 

[angusdevil]

What you're looking for is a shock tower. Basically you cut the bucket open so that the shock can travel through it and bolt the tower ontop of it. Doesn't look like you have much room though. Here is a picture off of my roommate's dodge that has shock towers installed. His shock goes through the coil but its the same concept. Another alternative is to get taller bump stops. A one inch spacer might be the way to go.

 

[jsmoriss]

What you're looking for is a shock tower. Basically you cut the bucket open so that the shock can travel through it and bolt the tower ontop of it. Doesn't look like you have much room though. Here is a picture off of my roommate's dodge that has shock towers installed. His shock goes through the coil but its the same concept. Another alternative is to get taller bump stops. A one inch spacer might be the way to go.

Wow. Is that carpet I see on the ground? :coffeedrink:

js.

 

[Eric S.]

If you have a welder could just cut the bracket off one move it up. Otherwise looks like you could flip the mount to the top with some spacers or just replace the bar pin with a couple angle brackets to get the required height but looks like you might have to cut about of the bracket for sock clearance especially around the airline and fitting.

 

[angusdevil]

Wow. Is that carpet I see on the ground? :coffeedrink:

js.

Ha, yes, it is indeed carpet. His Carli suspension was put on EARLY on a December morning and the concrete was a wee bit cold. Even though its Arizona, no one likes rolling around on cold concrete for a few hours.

 

[jagular7]

THe space above the crossmember has limited accessibility to it. The floor also puts a limit on the height. The shock mount on the axle is angled laterally and longitudinally.

For a fix, couple of options but they require weld work.
- Replace the crossmember with a tube bent to be close to the floor as possible. Place it so the shocks mount as high as possible. Redo the axle mount to work with the new angle of the shock. You'll tilt the shock laterally, keeping the shock parallel to the axle center line. This puts a longitudinal mount on the axle mount for the shock. But you'll have to be concerned with the rotation of the axle during suspension cycling.
- Relocate the shock to face rearward. Weld in a Ford shock tower into the frame. Relocate the axle mount farther outward on the axle, basically behind the lower control arm.
- Relocate the shock on the front portion of the frame similarly to the rear side mounting. The shock won't have to be as long when compared to the rearward facing shock setup.

Cheapest option is to use the bump stop risers and longer bump stops to control the compression of the shock. But all this really depends on the control arms you have. Long travel shocks don't work well as a component of short arm suspensions. Short arms tend to bring the axles underneath the vehicle rather than push/pulling it and driving the vehicle up obstacles.

 

[John90XJ]

Define a "tad" too long.

The easiest is to do as mentioned and get a bumpstop properly placed on both sides. Another option would be some shock bumpstops like Daystar's compression bumps that fit on the shock piston rod itself.

http://www.daystarweb.com/productdetail.php?productID=679

Otherwise, maybe consider getting the right length shock if a "tad" is more than an inch or so.