I've been looking into coil over shocks, however I'm finding out that they are very expensive. As budget option I've seen the sleeve kits that will turn a normal street shock into a coil over, but the shock has to have a groove for a snap ring or you have to get creative with keeping the sleeve in place. Also, I'm not sure that the mounts at each end of a normal shock were really designed to support the weight of the vehicle. Then I found these: http://www.firstchoicech***is.com/economy-coil-over-kit.html That setup looks easy enough to make at home. I like the fact that the spring is supported by the mounting bolts only, and that the shock is just along for the ride. Of course you lose the ability to quickly adjust the ride height or change the dampening characteristics, but honestly once the ride height is set I can't see wanting to change it often, and if you use a shock absorber meant for the car then it should be OK as is. This seems like a great option for a street cruiser where you don't need race car like adjustability. Has anyone here ever built or run a setup like this?
Yes i have built some you adjust the ride height with the multihole bracket just as fast as or faster than the nuts on a true coilover ....but buying springs and shocks and building brackets not much cheaper than true coilovers
Lindblad Ch***is in Northbridge M***. has coilovers for $120 each, I have a pair on the back of my rod.
heres a set of coilovers that a friend let me look at, they are made by someone, looks like some plate and pipe, they just fit over shocks, the coils have been cut and are no longer any good, pretty simple design.
You guys got a good point about cost. Good parts store shock - $30 Coil over spring - $50-$60 Metal, bolts, hardware - ~$10 Could easily get to $100 each. I already have a good set of shocks to build around to so it would be around $70 each turn them into coil overs which makes it still appealing price wise. Hard to put a price on the fab time but it's certainly worth something. I'll check out the Lindblad shocks, that's a good price.
heres an older thread on coil overs http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?p=7174713&posted=1#post7174713
A regular shock was never designed to support the weight of a vehicle. The weak link is the size of the shaft and the mounts, which are only tack welded on. If you want coil overs , buy ones designed for that purpose.
These shocks are very good. I have used them on several projects with great results. The folks at Lindblad were helpful in determing what spring rate to use. If you plan on more than one car you can buy four of 'em for a hundred bucks each. I tried to build a set for a pro streeted vehicle, and wound up with some serious safety issues. Thought I was smarter than I actually am........... not. If you can get away with painted shocks instead of polished whatever, I would reccomend 'em. Norm
You can beat that price even more! I went to a local wrecking yard that deals in British cars, and bought a nice pair of coilovers from a Jaguar sedan for $20 ea. They had tons of them sitting on shelves and told me to pick any pair I wanted! Check your local wrecking yard or Craigslist for Jaguar sedans.
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