Cut down, not cut off

Vanapplebomb · Posted: Sun Sep 18, 2011 11:38 am Post subject: Cut down, not cut off

Alright, so I have been doing some thinking. This past spring I removed the rubber from the stop on my link pin front end. Then I sat around thinking about what I should do to increase my travel. I planned on just hacking off the bump stop all together. I have seen a lot of people that have gone this way to free up some extra swing. My problem is that I would like to retain the stock shock towers just for convenience. This requires that I have some sort of a stop to keep the shocks from bottoming and toping out. So, I came up with this in a brain storm. In stead of cutting the metal stop arm off completely, I'm considering simply cutting it back a little. This would take the preload off of it which is good cause I'm going to use it in my rail build, and at the rate its wound up it will not have hardly any drop to it. Cutting it back an inch or so would allow the lower arm to travel up farther before it hits the metal stop arm. If I use slightly longer shocks that will support the travel, I see no problem in doing this.

I thought I would run this by the samba community to see what you think. Does anyone see any problems that I am overlooking?

I would really appreciate your input.

Thanks!

AZ-BUG · Posted: Sun Sep 18, 2011 12:11 pm Post subject:

More travel requires longer shocks, and longer shocks will require new mounts... otherwise the shock will be compressed when mounted to the original tower mount and will probably give you less travel than the stock shock.

motorbreath53 · Posted: Sun Sep 18, 2011 12:45 pm Post subject:

As long as your steering won't bind it should be fine. You might consider ditching the stock stop all together, and adding a hook stop kit.

Hook stop kits are pretty cheap, and it would allow you to stop the travel just before anything was to bind.
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..."cut n' turn in progress"...

Vanapplebomb · Posted: Sun Sep 18, 2011 1:13 pm Post subject:

Hmmm. I have heard it said that the stock towers are not tall enough for shocks with enough travel. I was hoping that since the locating pin for the shocks on the lower trailing arm is only about halfway down the length of the arm it wouldn't need to compress much more than 4-5 inches, which I know the kyb gr2's are capable of.

What is the advantage of a hook stop over cutting the inner stop back a bit?

Another note, if I took the time to modify the beam any, I would probably convert to a drag link steering set up to get rid of the short drivers side tie rod.

Instead of buying new shock towers, would it be enough to weld a couple pieces of steel on either side of the tower to extend it up and put a shock boss between the plates?...or am I going to have to buy the kit for extended towers? Id rather stick with something I can easily fab up.

ZARJDR · Posted: Sun Sep 18, 2011 4:43 pm Post subject:

This is mine
Image may have been reduced in size. Click image to view fullscreen.

two oversized sections on the outside with a center section on top of existing shock tower. Each piece was added, welded, ground, then the next added. I am running Gabriel F150 gas shocks in this photo. The piece over the top is som that I can run either a shock with an eyelet or a shock with threaded stud. I have enough travel that I routinely bend the stock bump stops
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92 F-150 4x4 92 KX250 83 IT490 92 LT250 06 Raptor DP1600 Sandrail

Vanapplebomb · Posted: Mon Sep 19, 2011 2:50 pm Post subject:

Your still limited to 5.5" of travel with those stops in there... why the extended towers?

ZARJDR · Posted: Mon Sep 19, 2011 7:29 pm Post subject:

I kept killing the shocks, my guess would be "overheating", so I wanted to run heavier and higher quality shock absorbers. I am on my second set of F150 pick up truck donor shocks
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92 F-150 4x4 92 KX250 83 IT490 92 LT250 06 Raptor DP1600 Sandrail

Vanapplebomb · Posted: Tue Sep 20, 2011 9:06 am Post subject:

Oh, gotcha. That makes a lot of sense.

How much further did you extend the mounting point for the shocks you are running now? I know I asked this in a different thread a while back but did get a response but, how much do you think I should extend mine for my situation?

ZARJDR · Posted: Tue Sep 20, 2011 3:37 pm Post subject:

I measured the length of my donor shocks stroke, the length of the shock itself, cut the stroke in half(mid-point of stroke) calculated the difference of length of factory take off shock, and wound up adding 4" to centerpoint of mount. My shock towers are about 6" longer than factory, so if I ever get around to limit straps or a hook and loop system I can still add another 1' to 1 1/2 of total shock length over the F150 shocks.
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92 F-150 4x4 92 KX250 83 IT490 92 LT250 06 Raptor DP1600 Sandrail

VW Habit · Posted: Tue Sep 20, 2011 4:11 pm Post subject:

Dont forget the tie rods may hit the tunnel at full droop.
Consider this when setting up your shock length and hook and loop stops.

Gary Massin-Ball · Samba Member Joined: March 10, 2004 Posts: 343

Your Idea to shorten the stop horns is a good one I think Cheap and easy.

You may have to fine tune the length and maybe grind flats top and bottom for the trailing arms to hit. Great cost saving idea for sure.

Have a look at my poor mans rack and pinion set up....vary cheap and easy and works very well! No more bent tie rods or steering arms!!

Image may have been reduced in size. Click image to view fullscreen.

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Warrior sand rail:
2276cc 82x94
Engle FK-41 with 1.25:1 street style rockers
40x35.5 stock cast single port heads
Single 40mm Kadron w/32vent
Equalizer 5lb pulley
Stock lifters
Stock aluminum pushrods
26mm aluminum oil pump full flow
*Poor mans rack and pinion up front*

dustymojave · Posted: Mon Oct 03, 2011 4:53 pm Post subject:

My original stops modified + 8" shocks + original arms = 10-1/4" wheel travel.
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Richard
A.R.T.S. Tech Inspection MORE/MDR
Bajas, Fiberglass Buggies and Rails built in the Mojave Desert
SoCalBajas Member

ZARJDR · Posted: Mon Oct 03, 2011 5:49 pm Post subject:

Dusty I am totally stealing your design! Thanks for posting the pic, as I have been wanting to change up my stops for some time now.
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92 F-150 4x4 92 KX250 83 IT490 92 LT250 06 Raptor DP1600 Sandrail

Vanapplebomb · Posted: Tue Oct 04, 2011 9:58 am Post subject:

Gary, that is an awesome rig you got there. I have seen a few older pickup trucks that have that same basic set up. It looks like a winner to me. Talk about good use of the long passenger side tie rods, even longer than the rack and pinion tie rods! How has the tie rod end on the pit arm held up so far? Seams like it would wear out fast because it would have twice the load it normally would have had on it.

Dusty, those arms look like they have really been cranked around quite a bit. How much did you turn your front end anyways? Is there any preload on the arms or did you just weld that angle iron on where they rest when there is no weight on them?

Vanapplebomb · Posted: Thu Jan 19, 2012 11:01 am Post subject:

Vanapplebomb · Posted: Fri Mar 30, 2012 9:31 am Post subject:

Something like this? What do you think?

Image may have been reduced in size. Click image to view fullscreen.

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Berrien 295

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