Rear KYB-KG5530 shocks too short

[vwwestyman]

I installed shocks ordered from the FLAPS for the rear of my '78 just a few weeks earlier than when this thread appeared.

I had to jack up the bearing housing to attach the shock because they were too short, and I too thought this seemed odd. I must not have broken them internally yet, because the spring plate does not contact the stop with the bus lifted.

I've decided to get the "Chevy" shocks mentioned in the thread, and indeed the inserts are too long to thread in the bolts.

Could I just cut the inserts a bit, or do I need to go buy new bolts?

Is one much more preferable than another?
_________________
Dave Cook

President, Wild Westerner Club

1978 Champagne Edition Westy, repowered to '97 Jetta TDI
1973 Wild Westerner
My Thing

[Joey]

[vwwestyman]

The inserts extend out of the rubber bushing about 10 mm on either side. So I just cut one of them off on each end flush with the bushing.

Here is something weird, though. On the passenger side, the shock, fully extended, reached just a couple mm past where the bolt would easily pass through on the lower mount. So I had to compress the shock slightly to get the bolt in.

On the driver side, the shock, fully extended, is roughly the same amount short! So I might have to jack the lower mount up a couple mm to bolt it up.

WTF is up with that? Is that enough to be worried about?
_________________
Dave Cook

President, Wild Westerner Club

1978 Champagne Edition Westy, repowered to '97 Jetta TDI
1973 Wild Westerner
My Thing

[Tcash]

[stwesty]

Just in case anyone else runs across this thread... I just installed the KYB 344082 rear shocks on my 1974 and they were both a couple of mm too short. Easy enough to get on by jacking up the car a tiny bit though.

The metal part of the bushings were also too wide. They stick out from the main rubber sleeve by about a centimetre on each side making them about 1cm too wide, so I hack-sawed off one half on the top as well as the bottom. I'll report back if this causes any obvious issues.
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1974 Westfalia, automatic, dual-carb

[GTV]

[Terminatez]

[billo]

Wish I'd seen this thread before buying shocks for my '76 Transporter. Net: even though the last post here was years ago, KYB has apparently not corrected their catalog and still lists the 344045 shocks as a fit for my year/model. They are, as before, too short by 1/2-3/4". Also, the sleeves provided in the kit for the bushings are too short by about 1/4" and don't go all the way through, so when bolting the shocks on, the bolt torque is on the rubber bushing, not on the steel sleeve. Bought these from an on-line outfit (will not mention name here in case it's a violation of this forum's policies), but they are simply pointing to the KYB catalog and suggesting I'm doing something wrong. They're reluctantly willing to take back the shocks IF I can package as original and IF I pay the shipping costs. Still leaves me with two useless sleeve kits, as I got them from another source (first was out of stock). Oh for the day of real, local auto parts stores with old guys who are actually familiar with cars/parts.

[Shonandb]

[billo]

Thanks. Yeah, really don't want to go through all that. Think I'll just get some Sachs brand replacements for the old ones that were on there, so I know they'll fit. Really bad that KYB doesn't just correct their catalog and stop showing their 344045 shocks as a fit.

[billo]

Update on this: customer support at KYB turned out to be very helpful. They suggested their KYB Excel-G 344090 shocks would have the same load/dampening capabilities and, more importantly, would be the right length. The 344090 shocks indeed proved to be exactly the same fully-extended length as the old Sachs shocks that had been on the bus and fit correctly, albeit still requiring the KYB sleeve kit. On the issue of the sleeves not going all the way through the rubber bushings (short by about 3-4mm), the KYB people said that's ok.