TheSamba.com :: View topic

Tue Oct 12, 2010 1:24 pm

The dropped spindles are the way to lower the car and not change spring rate, travel, shocks etc. When you lower by cut and weld or adjusters you lose travel and usually start bottoming out due to the shock travel i.e. compressed length is too long. If you put on shorter shocks of the same stiffness you will ride pretty good on small bumps ,but bottom out on something else on the big ones. (Fenders, ball joints, tie rods etc. ) you can raise fenders, turn your tie rod ends upsidedown and get ball joints with more angular travel. OR you can get stiffer shocks and ride a little stiffer on the small bumps and not bottom out on the big ones. There are after market bottoming rubbers you can put on your shocks to keep from banging when you do bottom out.
Bottom line is: when you reduce travel you have to stiffen the ride to have some semblance of give in the suspension.
Incidently, all shocks are oil filled, the gas charged just have some air under pressure inside which gives you a little lift. the valving(stiffness) can be exacty the same. The gas charged shock is a way to get back a little lift if you lowered it too much at first. (I did)
Bottoming out = very rough ride!
Air ride (like a greyhound) is better than spring ride(like a stagecoach)
Opinions by Chuck

Tue Oct 12, 2010 8:25 pm

Tomarse wrote: I used to run with Austin Mini shocks. Short, oil filled and super soft. :D

At Minimania, it says that the GSA388 has a "open" length of 13" and "closed" of 8". Guessing that the difference between the 388 and the 389 is just the top mount, I think the GSA389, (rear shock) would mount like a ball joint beetle shock does.

Would this be what you might have used? Looks like it might just be the ticket.

Dan

Thu Jan 20, 2011 1:25 pm

I am still looking for short oil only shocks. I just adjusted my beam up & left shocks hanging, have plenty of travel (bounce too). I have monroes that I hadda order, hell, they are just as hard as the kyb that cost me $90. Monroes are gas over oil too, I want oil only!!!!!! Surely someone on this planet knows where to aquire what we need to fix our cars. I am too old to ride a effin lumber wagon, my ford tractor rides smoother than my Ghia. Hep me, hep me now, pleeze.

Thu Jan 20, 2011 2:08 pm

gimpy60 wrote: I am still looking for short oil only shocks. I just adjusted my beam up & left shocks hanging, have plenty of travel (bounce too). I have monroes that I hadda order, hell, they are just as hard as the kyb that cost me $90. Monroes are gas over oil too, I want oil only!!!!!! Surely someone on this planet knows where to aquire what we need to fix our cars. I am too old to ride a effin lumber wagon, my ford tractor rides smoother than my Ghia. Hep me, hep me now, pleeze.

How low do you want the front end to be? Stock shocks will work if you lower the front just a little. Are you running dropped spindles?

Thu Jan 20, 2011 3:16 pm

stock spindles, stock width beam. just set it up about an inch. so that put me around three low. I clocked the adjusters at about two inches in the up position. springs like crazy without the shox hooked up, but with 'em I gotta have extra polident & a kidney belt just to make a beer run. I am waitin thanx