Technical Can someone explain to me how these friction shocks work?

Picked 'em up from Ron Pope Motorsports. I thought there'd be some sort of rebound spring, or something inside. It's just a couple of pieces of barstock, rubber washers and a bolt! If I knew they were that simple, I would've made my own! How can these possibly have a rebound effect? Someone please explain!

 

All they do is rely on friction.

 

some ,a little more sophisticated ,have a spring to keep a reasonable amount of pressure. I would probably take a longer bolt and some old valve springs and retainers and soup em up a little.

 

Any pics?

 

Friction and resistance. They are ok, but good hydraulic tube shocks are so much better and require no constant tightening.

Don

 

So, I just tighten down that bolt really good? The only place I can mount 'em is on the side of the frame rails and run a bolt thru the 'bones.

 

Those pretty much don't work. There is not enough friction area to do much and when you finally get enough pressure to do anything you might as well bolt the suspension tight so it won't move. A proper friction shock will have multiple and larger friction areas with a spring to adjust the friction (tune the shock). More like these.

 

Are you sure they didn't send you a hinge? Lol

They rubber as friction pads I wouldn't trust. My personal experience with rubber is, eighter they do to much or to little. Not easy to tune.
You will need a better friction material, and that one little bolt looks to small.
And by the time you fixed that, you will hav spend the same amount of times as starting over.
Just my two cents.

 

Really old friction shocks used leather pads instead of rubber. Friction shocks were designed for fairly slow speeds and when driven past the limit the heat buildup negates the dampening, that's how hydraulic shocks were invented.

 

Friction shocks look real good, tube shocks work real good!

 

Throw them as far as you can, they aren't even built right so both washers will work...ford houdailles would be way better...

 

Don and Aboner are correct. I have friction shocks on my cabrio and I am tweaking them routinely.

 

Friction shocks work ok at best when on a light car like a light t bucket. However, those look like poorly designed garbage, with not enough friction area,,,, but I bet they were cheap,lol.

 

so thats what that material was , on the farm they turned hard like bakelite from the years . we just put them back together and ran them , but they were on the hay and corn wagons not on any power vehicles they do stop excessive bouncing from the springs when loaded , but are real stiff often it was like running with a solid suspension when empty

 

Yeah, I agree. Pretty much junk! There really isn't any room to run tube shocks. Maybe I'll keep my eye out for some MG rear shocks.
The motor weighs maybe 300 lbs and the whole car 1200 lbs, soaking wet. '38 spring w/5 leaves.
Do I really need to run front shocks?

 

Those look like some kind of static-display fake shock, not something actually intended for road use.

The real thing:

http://www.andrehartfordltd.co.uk/main.htm

Note multiple friction elements, the tensioning spiders for the friction stack, etc. They claim all kinds of improvements but this is still the basic design from the '20s.

Still not as effective as something (or at least most things) hydraulic, but period.

 

http://www.eztbucket.com/Friction-Shock-Kit-5005.htm

$80?????? For those??????

 

If it wasn't for that air cleaner thing you would have room for tube shocks, or just use some ''quality'' friction shocks. JW

 

Looks like they were welded up in 7th grade shop class. Poor excuse for a shock absorber.

 

Actually, $40. Still!!!
Thanks JEM for that link. Anyone else have any links to some quality friction shocks??

 

I don't have any pictures,I just made about the same thing only used a longer bolt with a old stock chevy valve spring and retainer. Put the bolt thru it and tighten it down to where you want it.
No I wouldn't go to the trouble to do it again, Camaro shocks on sale ( Rock Auto has them for $8.50 each) are only slightly more than the materials to build these, and they work.

 

Says $80 on his website on that link.. Still, a turd at $40 is still a turd.

I dont have any links (as I make my own), but what you want to look for is more than a poorly cut washer to spread the load. If you think about the design of the ones you bought, as you tighten down the bolt the washer isnt going to put the same pressure out on the ends of the washer as it will where the bolt is. Thats why you see those "spring" type pieces. If you look closely at them, they arent flat, but rather inverted to add pressure outward and spread the load.

 

Looks like they are more for show use,,,should be chromed at that price. Anyone ever used a knee action shock up there?

 

Hollywood Hot Rods, I think..............very nice.

 

One of the FIRST things old time rodders did was to mount "airplane" shocks as they were called back the, and threw away those frictions.

 

Couldn't find 'em on Hollywood Hot Rods site. Any more info? Those are some nice lookin' shocks!

 

Really not meaning to rain on your weight parade, but that car is a lot nearer 2,000 pounds than you think...a fookin' Gold Wing is 1,000 pounds...my last 'T' was 1,900 lbs, and had less bodywork than yours...
Cosmo

 

Friction shocks used on 20's dirt trackers used hard wood discs soaked in linseed oil. With the finger spring, they were very adjustable.

 

I used friction material from Mc Master Carr and Bellville washers for tension. Purchased a couple of different washers so I could play with tension.

 

This is where you find the parts.