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Wed Jan 13, 2010 9:26 am

I have a set of 12" Fox coilovers that are 2" too long for my beam front end. Since I already own these and don't want to buy new right now, is it possible to order springs for a 10" travel shock and run the shocks I have?

Wed Jan 13, 2010 9:29 am

Is the closed length short enough that you aren't going to be bottoming out on the shock all the time?

If so, just run some shorter main springs with some helpers.

If not, bang them in a lathe and shorten them.

Wed Jan 13, 2010 9:34 am

The compressed length is the issue. If it limited your travel, then it is a bad idea to run them IMHO. Unless you are willing to build new CO mounts for your front end. If the compressed length is not an issue and they are just too long on extension, then you are golden..

Wed Jan 13, 2010 10:20 am

you will probably have to build new upper shock mounts.. there should be no reason to buy shorter springs.

Wed Jan 13, 2010 9:46 pm

I finally took the time to measure the shocks and they are actually 10" travel. When attached to the upper mount and lower trailing arm, the shocks are compressed about 2.5".

As you can see, the mounts are pretty solid and I don't want to replace them. If it came to replacing the mounts, the entire 10" over beam would be removed and the car would be turned into a 1-1600 car.

About the car:

It is an early 90's Chenowth that was raced in MORE and then it was converted to a stadium car. The guy I bought it from gave me a picture of the car for its desert racing days. It was raced by Richard Burnworth at one time because his name was on the hood in big letters. Does anyone know him? I'd like to get more information and history on the car.

My plan is to build up a single seat Class 12ish car for racing in the Sportsman class. I have a well built 1914 (illegal for a Class 12) and an 002 trans. Front suspension will be coilover with 1 3/4 x 3/4 trailing arms. Rear is torsion bar with 2.5 x 2.5 trailing arms. Brakes are drums on all four and steering is a Saco rack. I have all of the body panels seen in the photo. I should probably start a build thread.

Thu Jan 14, 2010 9:40 am

doesn't look too shabby from that picture.. remove that spring and cycle it. I'm guessing the beam will hit the ground (with the tires mounted) before that shock bottoms out..

Mon Apr 05, 2010 4:33 pm

When fabbing coilover mounts, do you want all of the travel of the shock available for compression or should a portion of the travel be reserved for negative (extension) travel?

i.e. With a 10" shock is it best to have all 10" for compression or should ~3" be saved for extension and 7" used for compression?

Mon Apr 05, 2010 5:17 pm

you should asemble the front end complete first, when you put the hub on the another 1" to 1 1/2" which makes that right shock for you front end.

Mon Apr 05, 2010 8:36 pm

I've heard have about 1/3 of the travel available for droop.

Mon Apr 05, 2010 9:52 pm

Whats the wheelbase?

Tue Apr 06, 2010 6:16 am

Wheelbase is 100"

Tue Apr 06, 2010 6:20 am

I want one!

Tue Apr 06, 2010 8:09 pm

Are you going to drill out your arms and run thru rods?

Wed Apr 07, 2010 10:16 am

The arms have been drilled and thru rods have been installed. Combo spindles and front brakes are also in place. Currently the car has drums front & rear, but those will be changed out for discs in the near future. I am trying to build up the car as a Class 12, but will initially race in the sportsman class due to the 1915 motor that will be run. The front arms are 2.5 X 1 and the rears are 2.5 x 2.5, so the suspension will not be competitive in Class 12 and will also need to be changed out. I will try to get some recent photos posted tonight.

Wed Apr 28, 2010 9:17 pm

It's time to start thinking about springs for the front coilovers. Is it better to go with a dual-rate spring setup or would single-rate be fine? I'm leaning towards dual but welcome suggestions.

Can anyone explain the rates for the springs I currently have. They have the following markings:

Top:
Eibach 37/98
ERS 1000.250.150

Bottom:
Eibach 36/98
1000.250.0250

These seem really stiff. I bought them used from a guy at Camberg and he told me they were on the front of a 4 seat beam car. I was originally planning on using them on a baja, so I figured the valving/ springs would be about right. Now that they are going on a light Class 12, I'm guessing they will need to be reworked. Any and all suggestions will be appreciated.

Here are some more build pics. Progress has been pretty slow, but I'm chipping away at it. Like everyone else on here, what I really need is just a little more $$$$. Then I'd make some serious progress.

The rear trailing arms are installed. Still using torsions in the rear until I can afford some coilovers. The holes for the torsion caps were all hosed up and needed helicoils. When I was installing the first helicoil, the tap broke off in the hole (hit a weld and it got stuck) and ruined my day. Was able to plasma the tap out and weld a nut onto the back side.

Fabbed up some pivot bolt retainers. The hole is sized for a 1/4" bolt.

The front end is together except for the coilovers. After measuring the distance between the mounts at full droop, 10" shocks are the correct length.

Wed Apr 28, 2010 9:26 pm

Nice work! That's going to be sharp!

Thu Apr 29, 2010 8:23 pm

The rear of your car can get more travel with some fab work done!!!

Thu Apr 29, 2010 9:48 pm

The front springs 10 in. length, 2.5 in. dia., 150lb spring rate. The rear are the same dimensions, 250lb spring rate. I have a 2 seat Chenowth, 100 in. wheelbase. My front springs are 100lb over 250lb. Your's may be a little stiff. I would run it first, you may like it the way it is.

Thu Apr 29, 2010 11:46 pm

im by experience with street race cars at full droop you should not have to compress the coilover to get it installed, in other words at full droop the shock should be fully extended, someone correct me if im wrong but thats the way we set up street cars

Fri Apr 30, 2010 5:41 am

Off roaders tend to be running a lot softer springs and a lot more preload though, along with less rebound damping, hence the need for a different limiting system to prevent the damper getting worn/damaged internally.