Custom shocks

i_taz

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Hey all,

Anyone familiar with these guys...? They rebuild or even customize a shock to fit.
I put the KYB gas-adjust on the front and it's still pretty bouncy. Afraid of it bottoming out.

Maybe when I get the rear on it will help but there turning out to be harder than the front...!

Jack

 
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Just curious . . . is the front end at the factory spec ride height??? Or has it been dropped a bit for "attitude"??? Reason I ask is that as the torsion bar is "de-adjusted" down, for a lower ride height, it also lowers the spring rate, which can make it "bottom out" easier. Just as <32psi tire pressures allow a softer ride than 35psi does. But even with a "police suspension" calibration, with good HD shocks (from back then), trying to drive too fast for the road condition can still allow for "bouncing" to happen, I suspect.

BEFORE you might spend that kind of money on shocks, BE SURE to inquire about their Return Policy.

Back when my '77 Camaro had about 50K miles on it, I figured I needed to upgrade the F41-option shocks. Not wanting to kill the ride and handling, I opted for Delco Big-D shocks. One notch above normal HD shocks. When installed, it was firmer and tighter, but every Interstate highway expansion joint now caused the front end sheet metal to shake. They were too stiff. The felt like they would be about right at 100mph, rather than 70mph, for example. The good thing was that one night I drove through a dip at speeds I should not have . . . and they didn't bottom out. It went through with no drama at all. I was impressued, but still didn't like that hard ride while cruising around. Swapped them for a set of KONIs from a friend's Z-28 he was getting ready to trade-in. MUCH better!

As much GREAT handling dynamics which were designed into Chrysler Products back then, there WILL be times when discretion is the better part of valor, by observation. Finding that sweet spot might be a bit elusive sometimes, though. Trying to make them do something they were not designed to do can't be fixed easily, by observation.

Shock absorber damping rates need to be matched with spring rates, for best results. HD shocks will have a stiffer valving, with more emphasis on rebound than compression. Letting the spring rate help resist compression, as the heavier spring will need more control on the rebound side, usually.

Be sure, too, that ALL of the rubber bumpers on the suspension are in good shape.

Be safe and respect the equipment.
CBODY67
 
I think you need to do some Googling on Mopar Torsion Bar Suspension to familiarize yourself with it. Absolutely no need for custom shocks for these cars. Plenty of off the shelf shocks available
 
I get enjoyment out of the old mind mentality on here. lol.
Best shock is an adjustable shock, but most have their eyes on the wallet instead of spending the proper money. Those custom shocks are pricey but the lower money choices are poor at best. KYB's & monroes are for cheap people and be advised when kyb's get hot they act funny. That's from some one who has used kyb's in the past in more than one type of application and wised up quickly. No monroe junk on anything. As far as lowering the front a tad will make the car bottom out due to loss of spring rate....well loss of suspension travel along with poor t bar and shock choice will make that happen not mysterious loss of spring rate. Can you post the math? That would be a calculus type mathematical calculation.
 
As these cars get older and more out of the normal replacement shock realm, choices have diminished, unfortunately. I put some Gabriel Striders on the front of our '66 Newport back in the middle 1970s. Adjusting them one notch firm worked great with the Monroe Super 500 shocks (which came from Chrysler Parts, back then) on the back. I could bound through the many dips in Lubbock, TX at 30mph with no problems. I liked that. BUT those shocks only were sold for a couple of years. I liked the adjustability of them.

In the later 1970s, I had a friend with KONIs on his '78 Z/28. Rode much better than my Delco Big Ds did. I went in that direction have not looked back. Once, while money was tight, I put some Gabriels on the front and the suspension seemed to always be moving on the smooth Interstate. Yet the same shock also showed to be for '55 Chevys and other normal cars. As soon as finances would permit, I went back to KONIs and just choked a bit at the price. YES, I'm frugal and balked, but that was temporary, considering their lifetime warranty (as long as critters don't eat the sales invoice, or the heat print fades away).

On the KONIs, tire choice matters, too. I put some Pirelli P77s on the Camaro and it rode nicer, but the KONIs lost their gutsy feel, no matter how stiff I had them adjusted. Going back to BFG Radial T/As and their stiffer sidewall got that feel back. BUT finding some KONIs for the older Chryslers now seems to be impossible. Personally, I don't see what makes QA-1s worth the money I've seen them advertised for, compared to what KONIs (for other cars) sell for.

Back in 1977, CAR AND DRIVER did a shock test on a '76 Corvette. Even showed the shock dyno resistance curves, which was interesting. Lots of differences between brands, back then. But I suspect current shocks are pretty much the same in the same price point (what you call "cheap"). So we make do with what seems to work, pretty much. Unfortunately, it's not 1968-'78 any more, fwiw.

Just my observations and experiences, your might vary,
CBODY67
 
We are talking a '77 so I went with the KYB primarily because there the only mono tube I found. I recently had to take my beloved Edelbrock IAS mono tube's off my F150 and went with Monroe-matics and the difference was night and day. Twin tube just don't offer the firmness yet, at least with the IAS, a smooth comfortable ride and excellent handling but apparently not enough other people thought the Edelbrocks were as great as I did....

I'm not sure of the life expectancy of torsion bars. However, the upper controls arms are
just about resting on the new bump stops but the car doesn't seem like it's riding lower
than it should be. There's a few post's on here that a Porsche 356 shock is very similar to
the original Koni's and that might be something this outfit can retrofit...?

I'm coming around to the realities of these cars characteristics compared to modern vehicle dynamics
but there's room for improvement. Unfortunately I'm also facing the reality that the 74-78 are
orphans. i.e. no tubular control arms and relatively limited shocks...

Jack

 
The shock update is positive now that I put the rear shocks on. It balanced everything out.
I had the blue Monroe matics which were still good except for the front left was leaking.
 
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