Thread: Front coil-overs

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Coilovers are spec'd at their actual extended and retracted length.... I would suggest checking the specs on the one's you're interested in and make a solid strut of some sort to simulate the coilover at ride height, 50% to 60% of it's length depending on which school of thought you endorse, and use this mockup height to determine the exact angle and length for you coilovers.....

Thanks for the reply's!

I have everything finished except, to weld the bottom shock mounts to the front lower A arms. At ride height I can fit anything from a 8" to a 13" long shock, but the more they tip over the stronger the springs, rate shocks I'll need to get, to the rate on the shocks I need.
I was wrong on what I wrote that 10" shocks sit at 17.5 degs, they are at 27degs. I don't think I want 12" shocks because they will lean to much.

I machined all the parts and 5 left & 5 right hand jigs to hold the A arm parts, so that I could weld them correctly the first time!
I also built a frame jig, everything is right on & square!!!

On my Coupe, I was going to buy a Chassis Works rear frame clip for my Coupe, (I had gotten a frame from some one had, that they change theirs out for a different one, I see why now) but now I'm going to build a complete whole new frame myself, I already have it drawn up on MasterCad, I'm building everything myself, F&R 4 link bars and mounts, Watt's link, the rear-end is already 9" shorten to 41.5" with plates.
After doing everything the right way on the Sedan frame/chassis , I know that I can redo my Coupe frame & chassis myself.

Pat

I want that motor- stuffed between the rails of a Deuce!

First off, there is nothing to keep you from fabricating more than one mounting point on the frame. Visualize the mounting brackets on a 4-link. The bracket could include holes for mounting the shock at 5, 10, 15 and 20 degrees for instance. You'd want the adjustable bracket on the frame instead of the control arm.

Determine how much wheel travel you will have in bump and droop and install your bump stops accordingly. Let's say you have 4" in bump and 4" in droop from the "at rest" position. Now, measure from the hat where the wheel bolts up to the pivot point on the lower control arm. Let's say that is 16". Now let's say you find a shock with a travel of 4". You now know that the shock will have to be installed at a distance of 8" from the pivot point of the lower control arm in order to use the shock's full 4" of travel at vertical (no lean). The more you lean the shock, the less travel it will have, so you have a built-in safety factor to keep from tearing the shock apart or bottoming it out when you install it at an angle.

When I talked to Aldan about shock mounting, they suggested 55% in bump and 45% in droop. I had shocks with a 4" range, so multiplying 4 times .55 told me to install them at 2.2" extended from their mid-travel point, leaving 1.8" for droop. I don't think it makes a lot of difference if you use 50% or 55% or whatever, just as long as you have your bump stops set correctly to keep from destroying the shocks.