I am looking for suggestions (and hopefully some pictures) for front upper tube shock mounts. I bought a kit that is quite common but I don’t like the upper mount (like Speedway’s 91636001) it seems awkward when angled to match the laid back shock that the 4” drop axle causes (I may not be making any sense at all but I’m trying). I like the look etc of the F-1 type mount such as Speedway’s 91036006 but am unclear if that will work with fenders? It seems to me that that type of mount should work well if it was bent enough to clear the fender. Pictures of different ***emblies are hard to find and looking at a one dimensional picture on a website is not a lot of help either.
Yeah those should work. I believe @IronTrap most recent video has them putting a similar style shock mount onto the front of their 32 Tudor project which also has fenders. It’s gonna take some heating and bending but should work just fine!
Tim, if you could post a link to that video I would appreciate it, I can’t seem to locate it. I did find a video that shows them installing original F1 mounts on a RPU but there are no menders on that one.
There ya go. It’s the first thing after the intro. It’s not exactly what you’re doing but it’s close enough to get the general idea of the space avalible and work required.
Socal (and possibly Roadster Supply) do F1 style mounts designed to work with fenders. Stainless and plain steel variants too. Not at Speedway pricing I'm sure! Chris
Those ones from So Cal look like maybe just what I’m looking for. That basic mount is available from several sources (I referenced the Speedway version) but it seems that only SoCal offers a version with the greater bend to allow for fenders. More money than the ones from Speedway but not so much if you factor in what would be required to modify them for fenders. I did a little digging and it’s not generally a good idea to heat and bend SS material as it weakens it significantly.
Roadster supply F1 shock mount for fendered rod. https://www.roadstersupply.com/Hi-Boy-F1-Fendered-Shock-Mounts-Unpolished-p/soc-60653.htm https://www.roadstersupply.com/Hi-Boy-Fendered-F1-Shock-Mounts-Polished-p/soc-60650.htm
I'd be interested in learning more about that weakening, said the man who not a month ago heated and bent his stainless pitman arm! Well, it's not broken yet! Chris
I just Googled “can you heat and bend stainless steel” and it came up (a****st other things). What I read said it weakened it 2/3. Something to do with annealing it I believe.
It matters what type of Stainless you have. Some (17-4) get harder and some (3**) get softer. Heat can also diminish the corrosion resistance. Metallurgy matters. Do your homework if your life hangs in the balance.
Original F-1 brackets are made out of good old Henry Ford forged steel and are easy to heat and bend with no concerns. Should cost less than the aftermarket stuff too. Last A; I used some aftermarket mounts, cut off the mount plate and welded them directly to the frame. This way they didn't bother the fender brackets. Upper mounts didn't show one the fenders were on anyway; would have looked better; but my buddies kid had to paint the shocks silver.
Pete & Jakes welded in front upper tabs but they interfered with the fender brackets on my '29AA so I cut them and changed the angle slightly to eliminate the interference. Works just fine. Pete & Jakes did a wonderful job setting up the 351W motor mounts, AOD crossmember support and 4-bar w/mustang box mount. When I put it all together, half inch fan clearance, headers tight to the block yet didn't interfere with the motor mounts, just enough room for a compact starter. Fits like a glove!
On the thread of my full fender '28 RPU build about half way down this page there's what I did on the F1 front shock mount. https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/my-first-hot-rod-28-a.1300093/page-2
I bought a set from Ray at Roadster Supply, I talked to Ray about heating them. He and I both think it will be no problem. I haven't done them yet probably a few weeks away.
There's a good number of designs around. Back in the late 1950s, when I was first doing my own 1928A. Most of us broke $ teens.made something. The alum cast aftermarket shock tower had just come out,plus there was a new alum headlight stand for some $. =But that was too high $ for me. I had stripped a front axle an as many parts as I could out of 48 Ford;for better brakes n a lower front end ,48 stock Ford axle is a factory 3in drop that I liked ,that had been junked in the woods near my home. I used the 48 Ford shock towers,drilled them for ***y look. Added them to the 28A frame.
The back of the shock mount is tapered for fitment in the wishbone. I made the tab, and used a hole saw to create a hole that dimensionally fit over the taper. I positioned the tab so it ran parallel with the frame and welded it to the shock mount on the back side.. The shock mount has a hole in it that measures (I forget exactly) 5/8 or so. I found a short piece of steel tube that measured 5/8 on the OD, but was 3/8 on the ID. I used a 3/8 inch grade 8 bolt, and drilled the ch***is and tightened it down.. The tab has a 5/16 ****on head Allen to keep it all from rotating. Later, and unseen in the photo, I made a filler for the big hole in the shock mount. I cut it to fit, and put a dab of JB weld on the back where it buts up to the grade 8 hold down bolt. Easy, shemezy.
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