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Mon Aug 26, 2019 3:47 pm

I have a 68 swing axle that I just did a transmission swap on and for the life of me I cannot get the axle tubes shock mounts to line up right. I have swapped them from side to the other and the shock mounts still end up behind the axle instead of in front. There're are only 2 ways they can bolt up left or right side and neither one works.

Mon Aug 26, 2019 4:08 pm

I think you have the axles on the wrong side. Is that possible?

The bottom shock attachment point should point down and forward towards the spring plate not backward.

Mon Aug 26, 2019 4:10 pm

It goes like this.

Mon Aug 26, 2019 4:14 pm

It’s just clocked wrong. Rotate it one bolt hole. The shock should mount in FRONT of the axle tube.

Mon Aug 26, 2019 4:26 pm

I have swapped the tubes from one side to the other several times and the shock mount always ends up on the wrong side. This shouldn't be this difficult. I'm just flabbergasted I can't get this right This is not my first car or buggy.

Mon Aug 26, 2019 4:39 pm

Actually, they are on the wrong sides of the car. If you turn them to the next bolt hole, the brake line bracket will be wrong. Swap the tubes side to side, and make sure the shock mount faces forward and down. The shocks will mount to them on the FRONT of the axle tube.

Mon Aug 26, 2019 4:40 pm

It shouldn't be difficult. The axle tube should rotate to the correct orientation.

Remove the bolts on the brake backing plate, then rotate the axle tube to the correct orientation then redo. There should be 4 different variations possible.

Mon Aug 26, 2019 4:46 pm

viiking wrote: It shouldn't be difficult. The axle tube should rotate to the correct orientation.

Remove the bolts on the brake backing plate, then rotate the axle tube to the correct orientation then redo. There should be 4 different variations possible.

I thought that too, but then the brake line bracket will be down instead of up.

Unfortunately, they need to be swapped side to side.

Mon Aug 26, 2019 4:47 pm

Paul Windisch wrote: Actually, they are on the wrong sides of the car. If you turn them to the next bolt hole, the brake line bracket will be wrong. Swap the tubes side to side, and make sure the shock mount faces forward and down. The shocks will mount to them on the FRONT of the axle tube.

That's what I said in my first post but the OP said he'd swapped them from side to side.

On mine the brake bracket is facing forward in a horizontal plane.

Mon Aug 26, 2019 4:53 pm

The key to figuring this out is the brake line brackets should be facing straight forward toward the front of the car. As noted, the axle tubes are currently on the wrong sides of the trans.

How they should be oriented:

Mon Aug 26, 2019 5:00 pm

Really dumb dumb question.

When you say you did a transmission swap did you use any existing parts or parts from the new transmission?

Is it possible you have two "right" hand or two "left" hand parts which you accidentally mixed up?

Edit: The two should be mirror images of each other not identical.

Mon Aug 26, 2019 5:34 pm

I have swapped them from side to side and the shock mount still ends up in the wrong place{behind the axle. The brake mounting tabs are welded on. I can't see how I can rotate the bolt holes, there are only 3, and there is only one way all 3 will line up. Here is a picture of both tubes side by side on the left side.

Mon Aug 26, 2019 5:54 pm

flabuggy wrote: I have swapped them from side to side and the shock mount still ends up in the wrong place{behind the axle. The brake mounting tabs are welded on. I can't see how I can rotate the bolt holes, there are only 3, and there is only one way all 3 will line up. Here is a picture of both tubes side by side on the left side.

In this picture, your brake line bracket is facing the rear of the car. If you take that tube off and put it on the right side, that brake line bracket will be facing the front of the car, the shock mount will be pointing forward and down, and the shock will mount FORWARD of the axle tube. Q-dog’s pic shows the proper orientation of the shock mounts and shocks, mukluk’s pic shows the orientation of the brake line brackets. Note that these pics are taken facing opposite directions, so make sure FRONT is FRONT!

Mon Aug 26, 2019 6:14 pm

Just to be sure, the swing axle plate has 3 holes, one forward and 2 back top and bottom. Isn't there only one way they will bolt up? I've swapped them side to side several times and when bolted up the shock mount is still on the wrong side. Here is the correct photo showing both axle tubes together. These are the axle tubes off the old transmission on the newer, Used transmission.

Mon Aug 26, 2019 6:24 pm

They will index in more than one position.

Mon Aug 26, 2019 6:34 pm

Maybe this where I'm getting lost. Looking at this I have 3 holes in my plate and 3 in my axle tube. How is there more than one way to bolt them up?

Mon Aug 26, 2019 6:36 pm

I have a Euro '68 with swing axle but it should be identical. I always thought US '68's came with IRS?

I went and checked the orientation of the bolts on my axle.

When looking at it (LHS) towards the brake drum from the transmission the bolt aligns as approx 11, 3, 7 o'clock.

The right one should therefore be 1,5 and 9 o'clock.

The rear facing bolts line up (11,7 and 1,5) whilst the single bolt faces forward (3,9).

Any other orientation you have a problem elsewhere or they are the wrong axle tubes.

Edited to be 5 o'clock from 4.

Mon Aug 26, 2019 6:41 pm

If you blow up the section below it might help with the orientation. Not sure if your axle tubes are like mine. Hard to tell.

Mon Aug 26, 2019 6:46 pm

The 3 bolt holes on the plate are as you described. I have swapped side to side several times and with all 3 bolts in the tube to the plate the shock mount still ends up back of the tube instead of in front. There is only one way they can bolt on, correct?

Mon Aug 26, 2019 6:51 pm

I would say yes. Only way.

Only thing I can say is that you have the wrong part????