How to: Install Coil-Overs and ditch T-bars

[Joel Altman]

wondering if anyone that has ditched the torsion bars and have gone coil over, has anyone ditched the factory upper shock/coil over mount and went with a taller hoop mount to add a longer coil over? Is there any travel to be gained by going with a longer coil over?
Im wanting to do the 5" Rough Country Ranger lift and convert to coil over.... and was thinking.... If the top shock mount was moved up and a longer coil over was used, do the suspesnion/axle geometry allow with more wheel travel or nI ditched my

wondering if anyone that has ditched the torsion bars and have gone coil over, has anyone ditched the factory upper shock/coil over mount and went with a taller hoop mount to add a longer coil over? Is there any travel to be gained by going with a longer coil over?
Im wanting to do the 5" Rough Country Ranger lift and convert to coil over.... and was thinking.... If the top shock mount was moved up and a longer coil over was used, do the suspesnion/axle geometry allow with more wheel travel or not?

I didn't wan't to go long travel so on my 2wd 5.0 Expo I went with the BFT upper control arms (UCA) and had @jbfabworks build some simple hoops with a cross-over brace and tabs on the stock lowers. I went with Sway-A-Way 10"x2" coil overs whit the Eibach 650lb coil. I couldn't tell you the travel numbers but it's not much escpecially since I don't have much droop before the UCA will hit the frame. My next purchase will be a set of Maxtrac lift spindles and then I will be able to adjust the setup a little better. Of course the rear will be after that with some Deavers and some Sway-A-Way remote reservoir shocks. I am running 35" BFG's so it will rub if I go hard on the upper front fenderwell under compression.

 

[WormsExplorer]

I like how your Ex looks.

 

[Joel Altman]

I like how your Ex looks.

Thanks.

Of course it's a work in progress. My Son just got his Woodward tubing bender so once he gets familiar with it I want to build a safari style rack for the roof, redo the front bumper and then a rear shock hoop inside for some remote resi shocks. The last item will have to wait until I can buy the Deaver leaf springs and shocks so it will be a little while.

 

[Godzilla2y]

I hope there's no harm in opening up an old thread like this one.

I still have lots to learn about these Explorers and cars in general, and so I'm curious: what makes the coilovers better than the stock torsion bars?

Also, of the people that have done this, what have your long term results been with the swap? Better alignment? Improved handling? Easier maintenance?

 

[gmanpaint]

I hope there's no harm in opening up an old thread like this one.

I still have lots to learn about these Explorers and cars in general, and so I'm curious: what makes the coilovers better than the stock torsion bars?

Also, of the people that have done this, what have your long term results been with the swap? Better alignment? Improved handling? Easier maintenance?

Depends on perspective and use.

What are you going to use the vehicle for? Slow speed off road, fast speed off road, drag racing, track racing, plain old daily driver? For a daily driver on the road, these are not needed. A good quality shock, combined with a good tire, and quality suspension componants, will be sufficient.

They do not affect alignment at all, good or bad. It's when you go to a much larger tire, that effects the camber, from the upper control arm length. That's a different thing altogether.

With a good set of shocks, there is no maintenance to speak of, other than adjustments on how they perform. Spring rates, valving, etc... Safe to say that if your going to the expense and effort for this conversion, you will be upgrading or replacing anything worn out anyways.

Now, the handling is greatly improved. This is where they shine over stock torsion bars.

The coil springs replace the torsion bars, and the quality of shock choice is greater. Both can be had in different configurations.

These float over bumps or holes, compared to a torsion spring in constant twist. Cornering is improved. Steering is improved. Therefore the quality of performance is improved.

Rebound & extension rates are increased, and tunable. Your options for a better ride is increased massively, with all the combinations available. You can fine tune this setup to your specific vehicle's needs/use.

 

[dezertranger]

With a good set of shocks, there is no maintenance to speak of, other than adjustments on how they perform. Spring rates, valving, etc... Safe to say that if your going to the expense and effort for this conversion, you will be upgrading or replacing anything worn out anyways.

this is a common misconception but I need to say, with quality shocks like these, fox, and king there is absolutely maintenance involved.
first off the shocks are pressurized with nitrogen to keep the fluid under compression to keep it from cavitating. fluid cavitation = a 0% effective shock just a free floating piston in air infused oil. the nitrogen is filled via Schrader valve on the resi and we all know those valves leak. you need to check and keep them pressurized to 200-150 psi.
here is a really cool video on that using a plexiglass shock


second is the oil. it gets hot and over time gets dirty and loses viscosity.

the shock has a metric **** ton of seals, o rings, and wear bands inside. all this needs to be kept fresh to keep the shock from leaking and operating properly.
then theres the bearings (uniball, Monoball, theres many names for them) on each end where the mounting bolts go through. these uniballs will wear out and get sloppy and cause metal on metal clunking. they are replaced by removing a c clip and pressing them out/in.

 

[gmanpaint]

@dezertranger I was speaking in general terms to the person who asked, not the major off road community.

I agree with your comment 100% but, not many abuses the crap out of shocks on a minimally modified Explorer. A hardcore user/builder knows & understands what you stated, before going into this.

For the moderate user, the maintenance is very low. Keeping PSI set, is something anyone can do, or figure out simply. Valving or rebuilding is not. That takes education, and experience. What are the chances a person is going to buy a set of $2k Kings for a stock rig? I own a full set of Fox/resi, hang with a group that has way more expensive setups, and know all this, but sometimes keeping it in layman's terms helps more than overwhelming a person, who is just starting out. If they come back with more questions, then more detail can be given.

 

[dezertranger]

i was just replying to your statement saying there's no maintenance to speak of. There's plenty to speak of. and this doesnt only apply to king. it applies to icon, swayaway, fox, all those types of aftermarket shocks.
I think everyone should know exactly what they're getting themselves into before making a big purchase like that regardless of skill level and application.
uniballs will wear out on any truck regardless of use.
given that he lives in a state that sees snow, his shock shafs will rust and become pitted and they will kill the shaft wiper seal much faster than any offroad abuse my truck sees.

 

[SenseiJ]

nothing in automotive is truly maintenance free.
especially something so close to the ground.
it's exposed to evveerryytthhing.

do you HAVE to perform maintenance on it all, of course not.

 

[Afrojoe1449]

What I'm most curious about and I think I already know the answer, is do we need to use different coilovers for a nonlifted truck compared to a Superlift truck. That is the only reason I haven't assembled the brackets I have and purchased coilovers yet. I wouldn't want to have to purchase another set of coilovers after installing a lift kit. I assume it would require a different length at rest and a longer max extension length.

 

[gmanpaint]

Short answer Joe, is yes. Stock uses a 5-6" travel shock, and a 4" bracket lift uses an 8" travel shock I believe.

Compression and rebound measures matter as long as both are close to what's needed in your articulation measure. Limit straps and bump stops will take care of any extra factions of an inch.