× 1-800-946-2642 Home My Account Social / Forum Articles Contact My Cart
Shop Now
Select Your Car Type Sale Items Clearance Items New Items
   Forum Width:     Forum Type: 

 Posted: Feb 7, 2020 08:34AM
Total posts: 438
Last post: Nov 13, 2022
Member since:Mar 27, 2002
Cars in Garage: 0
Photos: 15
WorkBench Posts: 0
CA
Thanks Al, will do...

 

Cool

 Posted: Feb 7, 2020 05:57AM
Total posts: 2515
Last post: Dec 14, 2021
Member since:May 28, 2012
Cars in Garage: 0
Photos: 0
WorkBench Posts: 0
CA
Tagus, check with Amanda Moke in OZ, they have all of the specs on Moke dampers etc


Big AL

[email protected]

Niagara Ontario Canada

 Posted: Jan 30, 2020 09:33AM
Total posts: 438
Last post: Nov 13, 2022
Member since:Mar 27, 2002
Cars in Garage: 0
Photos: 15
WorkBench Posts: 0
CA
This information is timely for another reason. I recently had my Moke inspected post restoration and it failed for a few reasons but one was that the ebrake cable was touching the side of the hole through the rear subframe. I told the inspector it was only because the arms were hanging down while on the hoist and doesn't represent normal use. He wants me to grind the holes larger! I'm looking for a shorter stroke shock...

 

Cool

 Posted: Jan 28, 2020 07:57AM
Total posts: 3
Last post: Jan 28, 2020
Member since:Jan 26, 2020
Cars in Garage: 0
Photos: 0
WorkBench Posts: 0

The black “x” I measured on the car are the distances between mounting points on the shocks with the car sitting on its tires (not jacked up).  You can measure this with the shocks on or off; shocks do not change the ride height.

Ian’s explanation is more comprehensive since he’s looking at the actual travel up and down, which I’ve just short-handed at 40% / 60%.  But it makes sense that the critical issues on a lowered car are:
1) avoiding bottoming out the shock in the front (i.e. make sure it’s not too long when fully compressed).
2) making sure the rear suspension doesn’t come apart in full rebound (i.e. make sure the shock is not too long when fully extended).


 Posted: Jan 27, 2020 10:46PM
Total posts: 1716
Last post: Oct 18, 2020
Member since:Oct 18, 2011
Cars in Garage: 0
Photos: 0
WorkBench Posts: 0
IMHO there are two important dimensions; one for the front and one for the back.

In front you need to ensure that the shock is NOT fully compressed when the upper arm has the bump stop fully compressed.  Other wise you’ll stand a good chance of snapping the bottom shock mount off (BTDT 

At the rear there doesn’t seem to be much chance of bottoming out the shock ...but when fully extended you don’t want the strut to come out of the cone so its the extension from “normal” that’s important.

If you’re not up for “suck it and see” then the only procedure I can come up with is to measure the (a?) shock at chosen ride height, remove the rubber cone, and measure the distance between shock mounting points with the upper arm as far up as it will go (+ a bit for bumpstop compression).   Do the math.  IME you can’t jack the hub up as far as it will go when you hit a bad bump (pot hole edge  with the cone in place.

Dougman’s dimension diagram will help to see which shock might work.

The other solution (when lowering) is to use raised top shock mounts (available from the usual suspects) with standard shocks.

Cheers, Ian

 Posted: Jan 27, 2020 07:58PM
Total posts: 2523
Last post: Mar 24, 2024
Member since:Dec 1, 2002
Cars in Garage: 0
Photos: 0
WorkBench Posts: 0
US
I will be at the point of picking shocks soon (I hope).

So what exactly did you measure? Distance between upper and lower mounts with no shock mounted or???

"How can anything bigger be mini?"

 Posted: Jan 27, 2020 07:01PM
Total posts: 3
Last post: Jan 28, 2020
Member since:Jan 26, 2020
Cars in Garage: 0
Photos: 0
WorkBench Posts: 0
Sorry 'bout that; should now be visible.

 Posted: Jan 27, 2020 09:53AM
Total posts: 2100
Last post: Oct 22, 2023
Member since:May 1, 2007
Cars in Garage: 1
Photos: 220
WorkBench Posts: 0
US
That Dropbox link doesn't work. You might have to try uploading it directly.

 Posted: Jan 26, 2020 12:29PM
 Edited:  Jan 27, 2020 07:01PM
Total posts: 3
Last post: Jan 28, 2020
Member since:Jan 26, 2020
Cars in Garage: 0
Photos: 0
WorkBench Posts: 0
After some frustration on my own part I made a graphical depiction of the damper lengths available from the most popular manufacturers, both standard and “lowered” versions.  Of course the dampers do not lower the car, but they need to be properly matched to the suspension travel so they don’t bottom or top out.

The black “X” is where my car sits (unloaded) for damper lengths.  So I can then easily see how much travel up and down I will get for any of the choices.  If you assume it’s desirable to have about 40% of your travel up (jounce) and 60% in rebound, then the obvious choice for my car is Spax, the lowered versions.  I originally bought the Gaz shocks and will now need to return them.  Interestingly, the Gaz lowered models really don’t collapse to a much shorter length; most of their reduction is in rebound travel, which I guess is for people who will lose contact between trumpet and cone if the shock does not end up limiting travel.

I hope this is useful to some of you folks.