Technical SHOCKING EXPERINCE !! HOTROD SHOCKS!!!!

Shocks on hot rod problem start with the frame fab... they get the car done then try to find shocks that fit... my RPU has friction shocks... they work fine on paved roads, and because it's so light... they are at best one notch above no shocks at all....they keep the car from bouncing is about it...

the whole idea with shocks is to keep the tires in contact with the riding surface... be it paved or dirt..

hot rods don't have wheel travel, and most at best have 2'' to "G" out, and then no rebound... wheel travel is whats needed to make suspension work on ruff surface...

 

what this video, and this will show how shocks are supposed to work.. running through the woops at the dunes..this was part of the R&D work I did for KING to set up shocks for the xp 900's

 

though to the extreme, the principle is the same for a hotrod on a washboard road.. once the tires loose contact you're done.. once they G out and no rebound you're done.. go into a washboard turn and you will experience whats called..."LOSS OF CONTROL" and go off the cliff

so to try to combat this problem, gas was added to help the shock recover with out the oil foaming and rendering them useless

 

and I'll add one more thing... coil over shocks on a hot rod are like nipple rings... useless bling...and might as well add little compact independent suspension on ford A&B fendered lowered cars...

 

anyway... getting back on track.... the problem is pretty obvious on my wifes RPU, and I caused it... every thing was fine till I talked her into swapping wheels with me... the 8.90's on the rear of my car were horrible... the car has maybe around 2'' of up travel, and add to that no rear weight,... I figured the full length bed on my wifes would give it the added weight needed to be able to run the big tires... the result are shocking....and now I listen to how bad her car rides every time she drives it.... but I am lov'n the skinny wires on my RPU..

 

I would be very interested to read any manufacturers documentation on this.

Hopefully one of the seven sets of shocks you have bought works for you.

 

Todays shocks are like todays oils , there is no comparison to the stuff from yesterday .

 

this was copy paste from the shock manufacture.. I belive it was monroe,

If you’re driving around in an older car, or you’ve recently installed new shocks, you may have noticed that your car’s ride isn’t as smooth as it used to be. You might be wondering how long it takes for new shocks to settle in and for your car’s ride to become smooth again. Here we’ll look at the factors that affect how long it takes for new shocks to settle in and what you can do to speed up the process.

On an average, it’ll take about 500 miles for new shocks to settle. During this period, the shocks will naturally break-in and the ride quality and stability will improve.

When installing new shocks it’s important to keep an eye out for any leaks, noises, and general performance. If any of these occur, it’s best to take the vehicle to a mechanic to confirm the installation was done properly.

I can't even spel thate muny wurds or punchuate

it was post #55

 

anyways... the top of the rear tire was right at the fender......put the new shocks on and there was 1.5'' gap.... drove it around, felt like the rear was solid mount....that was the So Cal shocks.... the ones now the ride hight lowered back and the ride is softer...still hoping the other shocks show up non gas...charged...we'll see

 

I know that just cause I say a grass hopper can pull a plow, doesn't mean you have to believe it... so I came up with a simple test that you and all the other kids can do, and, a simple way to test shocks...

all yoou need is a reg bath scale.... put the scale on the floor.. put the shock on the scale and compress it to half the stroke and stop.... do that and report back please... and a huge thanks for all your civil reply's

 

so I did the test, here's what I found....

I had 4 shocks sitting on the bench laying down...... never knew this, but it does something to the gas and oil... all 4 shocks were easy to compress... but after cycling them 4-5 times they stiff'ned up..

so here we go... I sat the shock on the scale (speedway) it took 35lbs to get it to start to compress, at half stroke, i stopped... it ended up at 27'lbs of residual pressure.... and stayed there....so not sure if that would be x2 on the rear of the car... so if I do the same thing on the rear of the RPU jack the car up till the scale reads 54 lbs...pretty sure it will raise it 1 1/4'',... theory not proven, but that what happened when I put them on....


nexxt I did the So cal.... took 27lbs to compress, and 22 lbs residual

also, I got the shocks standing straight up on the bench, ambient temp is 105... I waanna re test, I know I had a portable AC unit that said if you lay it on it's side it has to sit upright for 24 hrs before using...

 

more info...

shocks... speedway no gas charged T bucket short shock pt # 910-46213

it took 2lbs to compress it to half stroke.. and had residual of ZERO!!! so there's the hole in the washer shock that doesn't change ride height...

thats the shock I want...but like said even though they don't mention that they are gas charged.... they all come from china made the same way, branded for the differant companys.... even painted differant colors.... but the same shock... I got into a beef with bilstien and fox... why do they both sell replacement shocks for rv's and rzr's... and how come you can't use the fox springs from polaris on fox after market shocks.... the stock rzr shocks are metric... and made in china....the bilstien yellow junk rv shocks are also made in china...

 

Try the Pete and Jakes shocks, did those on my 34 with good results.
Part #1084 Rod Shocks (pair) - Pete & Jakes Hot Rod Parts (peteandjakes.com)

I normally go with the SM500 from speedway also as a go to for hydraulic shocks.
Pro Shocks® SM500 Pro Street Rod Shock, 12 Inch Ride Height (speedwaymotors.com)

Both these are my go to for hydraulic shocks for light vehicles.

 

the speedways are compressed max 10'' too tall for me... they say 10 to 14 .. and mount at 12... thats not much, seems you would constant bottom them out...but... most street rods don't like bumps in the road..

 

In all the old hotrods I've built I always did the same thing for shocks. I go to Monroe's online shock application catalog and it shows shocks by type of ends, open and compressed lengths, and diameters of hardware for attachment.
Once I find one that has the right parameters I write down the part numbers, and then do another search of the part numbers to see what the application is so I know if it's similar weight to what I'm building.
Once I have the application and shock I want I can search all the major makers, or go ahead and buy the Monroe shock. It doesn't take long, and saves me dealing with the counter people, or lack of stock most parts stores carry also.

 

This has all been a very shocking revelation for me
good stuff

 

more data.... just got the monroes #5752 they are gas shocks...same test... took 45 lbs to compress 1/*2 the stroke..... but the longer I held them the more the scale dropped..... ended at 10 lbs.... so... hate to say maybe they need to brake in????.... any way.... could be the go to shock,,, no matter, I have a lift at the house and the gotta know is gonna win

 

I call it like I see it and here is my best advice.
If they are mounted at an angle as you stated before, shock travel is not what actual rear end vertical travel would be. Basic trigonometry would get you to the exacts with the right angle of shock to determine true travel of rear end vs the shock length. So, you can search and search for a bolt on solution and be irritated with the lackluster performance or results or approach it differently. You can dial a buggy spring suspension in by using drop shackles or lift shackles, Sometimes using shorter shock in application but using a drop shackle will get you right in the sweet spot.

1st option..... buy the speedway 10-14 shocks, if they ride like you want, but bottom out, then change the mount of one end of the shock for better length to get you 2.5-3" down travel and 1-1.5" up travel. That way you know what you're getting and like it before committing to a change on the vehicle.

2nd option.... Friction shocks or stock Houdalie shocks.

Last option. Mount either type of shock to the wishbone for added travel if really wanted for offroad capabilities.

 

Gas charged will always ride like hell, you need a 3k lb vehicle to make any gas shock work worth a damn.

 

next, I have a 2000 lb scale..... put it on the floor jack under the 3rd member, jacked it up till both tires was off the ground...weighed right at 800 lbs.... so figure 400 per side for tire carrying weight.... the 8.90's are rated at 2500 lb's each.... i'm running them at 16 psi now... could probley go to 12 psi, .... as of now , .... they show no signs of being low air pressure

 

next test... put the jack and scale at the very rear cross member.... took 22 lbs to raise the rear 1-1/2''

 

I highly doubt you have or will read this whole thread... so here's the reader digest version... that is exact what I've been try'n to do... find a shock that is not gas charged... seem that they all went to that because they all come from china gas charged... the monroe 5752 that were oil shocks now are gas charged...

 

what a guy needs is shocks that you can take apart and change the valving... then you could tune to the weight and terrain the cars gonna run... a friend of mine makes FOA shocks... probley have to have him make me a set... valving make springs work... if they G out you can slow the spring down with valving or go the other way if the ride is too stiff

 

"st option..... buy the speedway 10-14 shocks, if they ride like you want, but bottom out, then change the mount of one end of the shock for better length to get you 2.5-3" down travel and 1-1.5" up travel. That way you know what you're getting and like it before committing to a change on the vehicle."



why not just buy the shorter shocks like I did..??? how long the shock is is not the problem... it's that they are too stiff..

 

Last option. Mount either type of shock to the wishbone for added travel if really wanted for offroad capabilities.


now you're talking..... a 1929 RPU trophy truck to take to the dunes and desert race...... I could cut holes in the bed with a shock hoop and run some 4'rs... boy won't get'm going at the cars and coffee on sundays...

 

Hello,


My first 1940 Flathead sedan delivery had regular tube shocks as the guy who built it was a good hot rod guy and he did not want those old Houdaille Shocks, so he had new Monroe shocks installed. They looked nice and handled quite well. It was a well set up sedan delivery. The shocks were heavy duty as it was originally set up to hold a 348 motor. The 348 was in there when I saw the sedan delivery for the first time. but, by the time we bartered to sell me the sedan delivery, it was a lower price, but no 348 c.i. motor.


Jump up many years after college. My wife and I were looking for a station wagon or sedan delivery for our business. Up pops a 327 powered 40 Ford Sedan Delivery, painted almost like my high school Flathead Sedan Delivery, but a little bit darker orange-red mixture.

It was more powerful, but, it was a project to be sold. It drove ok, heading for our small apartment, but at least it was running. By the time we got it home, I could see it needed a lot of work to get it safe for us to drive it daily and for our planned long distance road trips ahead. My wife liked the sedan delivery and it allowed us some privacy if we went camping or to the beach. So, it was a good buy for the two of us.

She tried driving it down the coastal highway and only got down 15 miles. We had to turn around and go back to our little apartment. The front end was shaking and doing other things, drifting back and forth and bottoming out on the slightest of bumps.

The handling needed a lot of work and I tried, but we needed expert help. So a friend who was responsible for setting up our 1965 El Camino for balancing and alignment had just moved to the OC and his shop was close by. Upon seeing what was what, the owner took the front end apart and started his technique.

The first to go were the Houdaille Shocks. They were ok, but bottomed out with the extra weight or were just old and worn. The shop owner chuckled at the sight of those old shocks. We should have kept on for a coffee table conversation starter.

Jnaki

He had our 327 powered 40 Ford Sedan Delivery for several weeks and went through the complete front end for repairs, replacement, mostly replacement of parts and took his time setting up the whole front suspension set up. That was the key as we got new tires shaved, balanced and mounted, so that part was ready.

With his whole front end replacement and fix, the brakes were completely cleaned, spun and replaced for stopping power. The shocks were changed over to tube shocks and handled so much better overall.

We drove it for thousands of miles together and my wife drove it many times by herself to various places. She loved the sedan delivery. It certainly had more power than her old Corvair that we gave away to her uncle, who was in need of a car. Once the old Corvair bit the dust, I could not keep my wife from taking off in the 327 powered sedan delivery for short errands, long trips to shopping and visiting friends. She wanted to drive it, not just sit in the passenger seat.

So, yes, we were old car fanatics, but there are some things that just needed replacing for a better build and safety for all. It was like driving around in a brand new car, straight off of the showroom floor from a local dealer. (In this case, it was straight off of the repair shop floor and on the coastal roads...) YRMV
For my wife, it was nothing to drive an hour and a half away to our old house in the Westside of Long Beach for a visit and free meal(s). Why buy a new car off of the showroom floor? Ours took a while, but the project turned into one of the most fun hot rods we had ever owned and drove all over So Cal. Reliable? Turn the key and drive on down the road... ha! What fun!

 

Napa used to be good when I had my '59 Apache 3200 we put a 69 firebird 350 and turbo 400 we went to napa got motor mounts in stock for the firebird and wheel cylinders all in stock put the motor in welded the mounts to the cross member and used the firebird trans cross member 2 of the 4 holes lined up just to drill 2 new ones and get a driveshaft made it was all in in a day.ah back when things were simple

 

Almost all shocks that contain oil will have a space for gas or air. Back in the day it was always air, and zero pressure with the shock extended. When the shock is compressed, the oil has to go somewhere - into the reservoir, compressing the air.
One of the problems was air bubbles cause by rapid movement, and oxidation . The solution for new cars was the monotube shock, with all the chambers in line, and a floating piston separating oil and gas (usually nitrogen). These were the original 'gas' shocks. As the manufacturers now had nitrogen gas filling ability on tap, it was a simple step to replace air with gas on the old style multi tube style shocks we know and love. Some went further, and put "gas" on the box in big letters. Later seal technology, as used on your trunk lid struts, enabled a higher pressure gas fill. All this makes the whole deal confusing.
As well as the length and mounting, some of the catalogs list the valve settings making enough combinations to keep you busy for a week. Where possible choose shocks from a vehicle of similar weight.
I happen to favour VW Beetle shocks when I can use them.

 

I just discovered a broken rear shock on my '30 coupster when I was driving home from work a couple of days ago. I had no idea what kind they were since they were on the car when I got it so I pulled the unbroken one to measure the extended and collapsed lengths. Turns out they're Monroe-Matics #33076, made for the front of '70s 1/2 ton through 1 ton Chevy vans, obviously much heavier vehicles than the Model A. It wasn't particularly difficult to compress but it still had enough pressure to fully extend itself. After scouring the interwebs I ordered a set of Pete & Jake's #1086 rear shocks from Summit. They are not gas charged and very close to the same measurements as the Monroes at 9.25" and 14.25". $79 a pair plus shipping. I'm expecting a much better ride out of these.
Pete and Jake's Hot Rod Parts 1086 Pete and Jake's Covered Rod Shocks | Summit Racing

 

So @2FORCEFULL did you find a happy spot ?