Need help with front lower shock mounts!

Chingon619

Chingon619

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Ok fellas, need some help here. I can't figure this one out. I'm adding bypasses to my new car but using old arms from another car. Turned out, the builder moved the upper shock mount location leaving me looking for a new position and I buggered them all up. Found a home for single shock location (got me through the season) and now need the 2nd location for the bypass. The new frame has a beautiful bulkhead with the bypass about an 1.5" higher and about 4.5" space between the two shocks. 

Do I need to place the bottom mounts side by side? Makes sense as the bypass ext to compressed is a little more than an inch longer than coilover. Problem I'm having is, there's no space! 😖 why is this racking my brain? I've done a lot by myself but building new arms is out of the question. Check it out and would love to see others bottom shock mounts and how they are done. Check out my pic and any advice is welcomed. 

Stuff I'm wondering, if I moved them more inward where there is more space, do I just back off the collars at the top of the shock? Isn't this collapsing my shock more at ride height? I don't know, but I've gotta figure something out. 

20240224_164615.jpg

 
Chingon619 said:
if I moved them more inward where there is more space, do I just back off the collars at the top of the shock
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Moving them inwards will put more load on the shock (leverage) so imo you would need to increase the spring rate by turning the collars down, putting more load on the spring.

 
You would probably need a shorter coilover if you moved it in. 

 
Pics of the whole set up would help. Moving the lower coil over  mounting point inward . Would reduce up travel and could over extend droop if your uniballs or rod ends are limiting factor .

Usually if the coil and bypass are moubt like how your arm is . The bypass is 2 inches longer 

 
You can play with what you have now. Remove lower shock bolt and put a long pin through then move shock in where you want it and see what it does to ride height. You can also adjust spring load and see changes. From what I see I think you have enough spring to accommodate the move. Again just play with it. 

 
Should add, vice gripes on the arm on the wheel side of the pin to keep where you want it.

 
Let the gas out of the shocks, remove the coils, compress the shocks. 

Then put your suspension at maximum bump. 

Move shock ends over to the arm where they should be and determine where the mount needs to be. 

 
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So here is what I was thinking. Adding another plate (yellow line) that goes from the boxing plate, resting over the bottom tubes to the other side boxing plate. My concerns are, the shocks will not be exactly parallel, there will be some slight angle into eachother since the spacing up top is 4.5" and bottom will be about 3.75" to 4". I'm also worried about the strength of one side tab sitting on the box plate it seems, or over the flat plate on the box plate etc. It's only 1/8 I believe. This might be my only way it seems. 

20240224_164615.jpg

 
Chingon619 said:
So here is what I was thinking. Adding another plate (yellow line) that goes from the boxing plate, resting over the bottom tubes to the other side boxing plate. My concerns are, the shocks will not be exactly parallel, there will be some slight angle into eachother since the spacing up top is 4.5" and bottom will be about 3.75" to 4". I'm also worried about the strength of one side tab sitting on the box plate it seems, or over the flat plate on the box plate etc. It's only 1/8 I believe. This might be my only way it seems. 

View attachment 97207
Click to expand...
Looks like they have had some modifications done over time?

 
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richard h said:
Looks like they have had some modifications done over time?
Click to expand...
That was my fault, my first 2 seater frame these fit perfect into the slot down center. So on this new frame, I was left with trying to find the perfect place for the new position. I had added a cross tube across the top, with a support tube at bottom. Well, it jacked my car up so high, obviously a fail... so it left me cutting it all off and finding this low somewhat mid height position.

 
I'm not sure if the out of parallel will matter or not. Your weight is supported by the shock with springs on them. The bypass will also have some with the dampening. Any way to build a mount that gets both lowers at 4.5", then placing this on the arms, removing all the current mount brackets?

. 

 
Just looked at the other build thread and pic of the rear shock set up is not parallel on that car.

 
Adding a plate there will pull the plate on the sides inward over time. Really needs a tube to land on.

 
richard h said:
Any way to build a mount that gets both lowers at 4.5", then placing this on the arms, removing all the current mount brackets?
Click to expand...
I wish it were that easy. I would need to go inward too much. Even getting the bolts in is going to be a challenge. Thought about cutting a window in the box plate for that but damn. This shouldn't be that hard on my only brain cell. 

 
Rockwood said:
Adding a plate there will pull the plate on the sides inward over time. Really needs a tube to land on.
Click to expand...
Not sure I got any other choice. I'll try and land the tab over the tube as much as possible. I will obviously throw some weld on the underside of the plate. Hope it lands where it needs to go 😆

 
Just take it to a local fab shop.

If you're in the 619, take it to Dustin at AG Sandcars.

With your concerns about tab thickness, plus the arms being butchered. why not have new arms built?

With new arms, the geometry could be corrected. 

 
Maybe use 3/16th plate on the bottom. Gusset off the tube to the plate for added support. 

 
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