coilover or 2 shocks?

[rookieshooter]

I need to replace my badly rusted shock towers. I was thinking of the new Duff twin shock towers with a new springs and new shocks versus one coilover per side. Is there an advantage to using the coilovers? I'v never had coilovers. How much are good coilovers? By the time I buy the Duff towers, shocks 4 and new springs I would have a bundle tied up there. I know that the coilovers would need custom mounts. Long radius arms installed no matter which set-up. This is going on the B11, not hard core off-roading but daily driver and a lot of trial riding. Personaly I really like the looks of the coilovers on the front. Need some input please

 

[mitch]

i too like the idea of coil-overs but i dont know how they would work on the ttb, also like u said after u add up the cost of the new buckets, shocks, etc. u would probaly spind as much as u would for the coilovers, but if you could do the work yourself with the co's i think u would be much more happier than with the james duff setup. more fex, articulation, looks better, etc

 

[rookieshooter]

Thanks mitch, I think you and I are in the same ballgame, maybe that TTB might throw me a curve ball. Maybe someone knows about the TTB and the use of coilovers?

 

[CodePoet]

For the ttb and normal trail riding i personally think coil overs are overkill. If you are building prerunner then maybe but there would quite abit of fab required to make the upper and lower mounts...not worth it in my opinion. Dual shocks would work really good for what your doing though.

cp

 

[rookieshooter]

The more I think about the ttb I really don't see a conflict. I might be wrong here mitch, I think the inherent way a ttb pivots it would just make the bottom mount of the coilover make more of an arc path up and down, then a straight axel viewed from the front. The TTB has a shorter beams and thus a more pronouced arc the the longer straight axel.

 

[BigDave!!!]

i like coilovers too and they work very well on TTB trucks, as far as ive seen with prerunners and race trucks, they also give you the choice of being able to adjust the ride height up and down, i dont think you can go wrong with a set of C/O's.

 

[rookieshooter]

I was wondering also about the overkill and that is going to play a roll in the desion. Thanks for your input. Like I said before its guys like you that have helped me so much in my project. I have been around 4 wheels ever since 73 but only casually. This project would be way over my head if it wasn't for this site. Thanks CodePoet

 

[rookieshooter]

Big Dave, thats another consideration on the adustabilty. But I don't know what spring to use over the shock. This may sound dumb, but do you have to weigh the front of the B11, this has a 302 in it but the whole thing is going to be a great deal lighter then a standard B11 with a v8 it has been chopped and all kinds of things tossed out

 

[410Fortune]

Coilovers have another advantage not pointed out in this thread.
A single pivot point.
With a shock or dual shocks and coil spring you have multiple pivot points, this restricts travel.

I have seen coilovers mounted in front of, directly on top of, and behind the beams on TTB setups.
They may very well be overkill for alot of trucks, but my truck will have them for sure, the less binding and the more adjsutability you get fromt he TTB the better it handles and articulates

 

[mitch]

come to think of it they might not be that hard to fab a lower mounting bracket for the coilovers. The stock shock hoop could be used for the top of the coilovers (little modification of course to make work) but i think u could do it rookieshooter

 

[rookieshooter]

Mitch thanks for the vote of confidence. I was hoping 410 would chime in with his knowledge of TTB's and he did point out things that I never thought of. I think the scale is tipping towards the coilovers.

 

[410Fortune]

Stock shock mount and coil bucket = GONE.

Tabs on the beam/ radius arm to pick up the bottom shaft of the CO is simple.
Alot of TTB guys use the front sway bar mount location or this, it also puts the coilover further forward (in front of the beam) to help clear the brake booster and heater box.
You will want to build some sort of simple hoop to pick up the top of the CO, the next step is to tie them together with a brace over the engine for strength. Camburg makes a kit for your truck that does all this but thats $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ and you can fab it yourself or with the help of local shops much cheaper.

ALOT of thought must be put into the angles you mount everythig at, and everythig that is welded to the frame should be gussetted and also large plates at the ends of any tubes to distribute the loads.

A 12" Coilover can cycle like 16" when mounted at the right angle and location, so it does take alot of reserach before you jsut buyt some and start welding (although this approach has been sucessful for years in garages too, trial and error)

Jefe has a nice simple coilover setup, even though his truck is solid axle the upper cage he built and hoops fits the ex well and is simple in design, he even used square stock instead of bending tube.

 

[mitch]

rookieshooter if you do put coilovers on your ttb you better do a write up of how you did it (im starting to want to do it to my x) and lots of pics

 

[mitch]

410 are there any pics im curious as to how he did that

 

[410Fortune]

Pics of what? There are TONS of TTB pics out there, long travel, heimed arms, swing set steering, engine cages, coilover mounts, everything.....
the desert boards are full of em

 

[rookieshooter]

410. that ironic you said that about the crossover between shocks. I just left the Camburg site checking raduis rods when I saw the pic of what your talking about. Yea with the help of the race car shop down the road who bent my cage, it would be a piece of cake for them to do the crossover. In fact they do it on their late model dirt stock cars, and they use coilovers. Thanks 410 for all your time and careful explanations on how to. Don't worry mitch I plan to good or bad.

 

[BigDave!!!]

check out race-dezert.com and dezertrangers.com and just look through some threads, they have a TON of info on what coilovers to use what springs to buy and different ways of mounting them.

 

[BigDave!!!]

correct me if im wrong 410 but a simple lift coilover for trail use(non-dual rate) would not require him to have to fab an engine cage, just a new hoop for mounting right?

 

[rookieshooter]

Thanks Dave I know that I'm just another guy that wants to do this, and there has been a ton of guys before me that has done this. I read a post on this site that said he was the first to do this... What ever it was i forgot thank God. Man did he get blasted. Each project is speacal to that person. and makes it unique, I don't care what it is, from putting a chip in to setting the backlash in a ring and pinion. The help I get.......... Means more to me then the finished product.

 

[rookieshooter]

correct me if im wrong 410 but a simple lift coilover for trail use(non-dual rate) would not require him to have to fab an engine cage, just a new hoop for mounting right?

I still think it would be a good idea, I have been known to get a little wild off-road.