Torsion/Coilover Conversion

[MountaineerGreen]

I plan to build a shock tower brace if I ever do this- it'd force the weight of the suspension against each other. It'd have to be carefully bent and removable for engine work of course.

The alternative would be cutting off the stock shock tower and replacing it with a heavy gauge shock tower.

 

[carlover]

I plan to build a shock tower brace if I ever do this- it'd force the weight of the suspension against each other. It'd have to be carefully bent and removable for engine work of course.

The alternative would be cutting off the stock shock tower and replacing it with a heavy gauge shock tower.

Yeah the friend of mine who builds desert suspensions suggested that. He actually has the shock tower pieces already cut out sitting in his garage.

 

[IZwack]

Any ideas on the tower brace? Cauz I dont see an easy way of putting one with the engine shooting up another foot and a half.

 

[MountaineerGreen]

Well, it is a theory and hasn't actually been measured, tested or even been seriously contemplated.

Anything is possible if you are willing to modify though.

 

[Hartman]

Someone on here had a strut tower brace...I think it might have been JDraper.

 

[dman726749]

jefe had one in his sas explorer

 

[Lefy]

subscribing this is the type of project i really enjoy.

 

[Hartman]

jefe had one in his sas explorer

Yeah that's who I was thinkin of.

 

[IZwack]

jefe had one in his sas explorer

Thats a bit different. Because of the SAS (via coil over, air shocks, etc..), the vehicle is forced to have tall shock towers which makes clearing the engine very easy (mine). But for smaller shocks, its a bit difficult becauase they only go up a few inches above the frame rail. But thats why I asked because maybe someone had figured something out .

Anyways, sorry for the hijack!

 

[carlover]

Its been done with an 8" coilover, ill see if i can dig up some pictures. For 4x4 and crawling stuff the RCD gussets might be fine. But ive seen the desert guys snap off that upper mount the first time out with no cross brace.

 

[chad551]

Here are a couple of photos from my Sport Trac. RCD top and bottom mounts, RCD gussets and RCD upper shock mount spacer. FOX 2.0 X 6.5" shocks with 300lbs of nitrogen. And 800lb Hypercoil Springs. It also worked VERY well in Moab this year to.

This pic looks like the springs rubbed the axle, that was during installation. There is about 1/2"-3/4" of clearance.

 

[GJarrett]

I used the RCD shock tower gussets (like Chad just posted) and welded them on with 7018 rod, then spray painted with black Rustoleum for a quality finish :

I'm a rockcrawler-style offroader: I will never jump dunes or "Baja" this thing so I do not anticipate any problems using the RCD shock tower gussets.

 

[Dannyboy]

Hmm, not sure if this helps or matters, but my autofab setup has a real simple engine crossmember, I don't deny the fact that beat my truck like it owes me money, and it works great. I know R.J. was folding up his coil buckets when running his truck hard in the dunes, I have been lucky this far. Not the most bling, but very effective and easy to remove. It supports the coil which is not much higher than where your coilover is mounted.

 

[Brian1]

well I wasnt going to say anything but this is bugging me....Chad is that no-grade hardware and no locking nut or lock washer on those bolts? For something as critical as holding up the front of the vehicle it should at least be Grade 5, 8 would be better and it should definately have a nylock nut or other locking nut or lock washer. (Maybe it is just an old picture or your mock up pictures?)

 

[IZwack]

is that no-grade hardware and no locking nut or lock washer on those bolts?

I think its stainless steel -- which have no grade marks on the head.

 

[chad551]

They were SS nuts and bolts. But I have since replaced all the SS bolts with new grade 8 bolts, and lock nuts. And they now have lock nuts on them. But I did use locktight on them, and it took my impact to remove the nut.

 

[GJarrett]

Update:

Last week I drove Herc nearly 800 miles on a vacation to Carolina Beach NC. The 800 lb coil worked well but I do think it may be slightly stiff - it did ride like a 1 ton pickup truck. That's okay with me but maybe not for others looking for a softer ride. Remember that I have permanently removed my anti-swaybars, and the 800 lb coil on my left side seemed stiff enough that on right hand turns I almost wouldn't need an anti-swaybar at all. I don't know how much the coil will "settle" and loosen up over time though.

One reason I went all the way to 800 lbs is that I have read posts from some of you that tried 700 lb coils and they seem to have settled down over time, and the posts I've found seemed to suggest that those with 700 lbs wish they had gone higher. My vehicle is heavy and a 4x4 so I knew that 700 would be too light for me. Also I was planning to install a winch which would have resulted in even more weight up front. Because of other needs I cannot budget a winch now so that is put on the back burner. After all this is considered, I think the smart thing for me to do is split the difference between the 700 lb some of you have tried and the 800 lb I just did try, and go for 750 lb coils on mine and see how that pans out over time.

Also, as I mentioned in an earlier post on this thread, I now believe that the 14" long QA1 shock is slightly short and this trip sort of confirmed that. I did spend a couple of days at the 4x4 sand dune area north of Carolina Beach and got some good bounce and wheel travel to feel out the shock length, leaving me with the impression that I wish I had gotten the 15" shock.

I'll make my decision in a few days, but at this time (now that I've tested my original guesstimated setup) I believe that I'll permanently install 15" QA1 shocks with 12" 750lb coils.

 

[Hartman]

Wow, nice findings. Perhaps you'll get a better overall feel for the spring stiffness once you've installed the coilovers on both sides.

 

[IZwack]

Dunno if your shocks are rebuildable but if it is, maybe you can play with the valve plate stack and configure them for a softer ride.

 

[chad551]

The springs will settle. Mine rode pretty rough for a while, and now it is sweet..