Back when I was a kid with my new Mustang, the 'jacked up' look with the 'bigs and littles' was what everyone wanted. I jacked up my car by putting a pair of the infamous "Monroe Hi-Jacker" air shocks on the rear.
The tail was up in the air, and big meaty "Formula One Super Stock" L-50s went on.
Beautiful!
But...the ride was TERRIBLE!
Harsh and stiff, handled like crap. And kept sliding forward off the front of the seat.
I soon figured out that the car should be supported by the springs...not the shocks.
Now, of course...I am back to the 'stock' look.
What the hell were we thinking back then?
The lower shock absorber mounts were the first things to break. Saw lots of that happen.
Go back to what you learned a long time ago. "I soon figured out that the car should be supported by the springs...not the shocks."
Best Regards,
Mike
Mine had air shocks when I first got it - you can just make them out in the pic:
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attachment=11152]
They had bashed the shock pockets horribly, causing me to graft-in some shock pockets from a '69-'70 cross member. Fortunately for others, Dynacorn has come out with a repop cross member (too late for me, but cool nonetheless).
Here's another idea that didn't work. Remember the extra long rear spring shackles, to jack one up? I had a friend Brian who had a 70'ish Nova. The rear shackles looked to be 12" long. He came out of the school parking lot sideways, and the shackles folded over and landed the body way off to the right side and over the top of the tires. I'm not sure what else failed as the front of the springs should have held it straight. But it was hilarious as heck to watch, and humiliating as hell waiting for the tow truck to come and get it. Especially right in front of the school with a hundred plus people watching. Definitely a what was he thinking moment. JTS 71 Mach1
The forward spring eyes actually provide for a good bit of lateral movement - sure the bolt goes all the way through and is anchored on each side, but the bushings provide for the movement. The more pliable the bushings, the more lateral movement (and is exacerbated by worn out, rotten, and/or oil-soaked rubber that breaks down over time).
The longer spring shackles are also only good for up to half their length, depending on how long the springs are, and they actually have double the lateral movement because of 2 of the very same kind of pivot points found in the forward spring eyes (bushings top and bottom of each shackle).
That lateral movement is one reason why off road vehicles with front leaf springs and solid axles tend to wander around when they have larger tires and more lift - they came from the factory with the shackles up front. My Jeep, for instance, has some pretty big tires and 4" of leaf spring lift. I look like a drunk driver on the freeway at night, it gets so bad sometimes. The fix action is to perform a shackle reversal (putting the fixed spring-eye up front, and relocate the shackles to where the frame-mounted spring-eye came from the factory) which helps immensely... but the lateral movement is still there, just not as pronounced.
The air shocks when aired up become so rigid, they just bounce up and down in the mounts when the bushings wear out, creating a jack-hammer effect on the upper mounts, which is what happened to mine. Well, that, and based on all the other damage to the underside, I'm pretty sure the previous owners tried to out-do the Duke Boys.
(06-07-2015, 02:46 PM)Mister 4x4 Wrote: [ -> ]The forward spring eyes actually provide for a good bit of lateral movement - sure the bolt goes all the way through and is anchored on each side, but the bushings provide for the movement. The more pliable the bushings, the more lateral movement (and is exacerbated by worn out, rotten, and/or oil-soaked rubber that breaks down over time).
The longer spring shackles are also only good for up to half their length, depending on how long the springs are, and they actually have double the lateral movement because of 2 of the very same kind of pivot points found in the forward spring eyes (bushings top and bottom of each shackle).
That lateral movement is one reason why off road vehicles with front leaf springs and solid axles tend to wander around when they have larger tires and more lift - they came from the factory with the shackles up front. My Jeep, for instance, has some pretty big tires and 4" of leaf spring lift. I look like a drunk driver on the freeway at night, it gets so bad sometimes. The fix action is to perform a shackle reversal (putting the fixed spring-eye up front, and relocate the shackles to where the frame-mounted spring-eye came from the factory) which helps immensely... but the lateral movement is still there, just not as pronounced.
The air shocks when aired up become so rigid, they just bounce up and down in the mounts when the bushings wear out, creating a jack-hammer effect on the upper mounts, which is what happened to mine. Well, that, and based on all the other damage to the underside, I'm pretty sure the previous owners tried to out-do the Duke Boys.
Dang Eric. Where the add rep button?
(06-07-2015, 09:20 AM)Mister 4x4 Wrote: [ -> ]Mine had air shocks when I first got it - you can just make them out in the pic:
I definitely recognize those air shocks in your pic...for some crazy reason air shocks always remind me of the Michelin Man:
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attachment=11156]
