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Re: Shock purchasing & tuning strategy? W video [Re: Cab_Burge] #2677657
07/15/19 01:47 PM
07/15/19 01:47 PM
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I posted on the streetrod build thread but I’ll put this here to keep the conversation going until I resolve this problem.

I went underneath the truck with a tape measure. At my preferred ride height with the airbags- the height I used when I welded the perches to set pinion angle- I have 3” of compression available, getting into the progressively resistant wedge of the stock rubber bump stop after 2”. The video shows around 2” of seperation at launch so I need 5” of travel. On a lowered pickup I think I can live with a little stiffer ride and 27psi in a DOT drag radial should already ride softer than 38 psi in a nitto summer tire which is what I started with.

I only have a couple hundred miles on the rig so far and my plan was to kind of let it tell me what it wanted when the time came to upgrade shocks. I didn’t get a lot of direction concerning which shocks would work well for me in this thread but it was super helpful to know that the coming shock swap would need a simultaneous re-working of at least the top mounts.

I did a lot of searching on jegs summit speedway and here. Different vendors have different ways to narrow the choices and it can be daunting to find something that will fit, have eyelets top & bottom, and is not spec’d for dirt track or something specific. I was looking for at least single adjustable with 5”+ of travel and a ride height length of 12”-15”. Double adjustables were out of my price range.

After talking to a tech at Qa1 he agreed that unless I needed more travel and wanted to extend my bottom shock mount down closer to the scrub line so I could run a longer overall shock that a 5” travel star stocker 18 way single adjustable would work fine for what I’m trying to do. I went with the ts504 which is an 11” to 16.35” length eyelet to eyelet shock. They were on sale at $160 each which is cheap but hopefully not ‘these suck and now good money has to follow bad’ cheap.

The wimpy cheap stock replacement shocks that are laid back in there now are just enough to keep the empty bed from bouncing after a bump and with the stock sprung bench seat it’s not obvious that the shocks are way inadequate. I drove around 500lbs of music gear to a local show my band did (no highway) and the truck did awesome but showed early signs of squirrely handling around 50mph. This was my first longer trip with the DOT drag radials but they were not aired down for launching and I had them balanced ao I’m blaming the shocks and shock angle. It previously felt great hitting 80mph with nitto summer tires and an empty bed. The single adjustable shocks might not yield my combo’s ultimate 60’ but I hope they make the truck more versitile nimble and quick from a dig.

Hopefully testing will begin in a week or so!

I’m not sure how the brackets will end up but I’m considering making them bolt on the frame instead of pulling the bed and efi computer again in this heat for chassis welding. I have some ideas but it’ll talk to me after the shocks are mocked up off the bottom ears.

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Re: Shock purchasing & tuning strategy? W video [Re: radar] #2678331
07/17/19 02:47 PM
07/17/19 02:47 PM
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Rear shocks came in! TS504 stocker star QA1 single adjustables. I mocked them up at ride height and they still need a little angle but I think they will work much much better. I have some double adjustables coming for the fronts too. I’m hoping to be able to adjust a compromise between launching and handling for street duty and have some adjustablity for the track if I ever get her down the 1/4.

I’m waiting on a set of bolt in eyelet mounting pins in the mail and I can fab up some upper brackets.

You can see the old shock hanging by the top mount in the picture- it’s way back there!

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Re: Shock purchasing & tuning strategy? W video [Re: radar] #2678628
07/18/19 11:43 AM
07/18/19 11:43 AM
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 19,237
north of coder
moparx Online content
"Butt Crack Bob"
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is that a new lower bracket ? looks good. however, i would add a boxing tab from the rear housing to where it starts the curve to the eye of the mount.
approximately 1 1/2" [?]. that little bit of extra material will help a lot with the strength of the mount. [my opinion]
beer

Re: Shock purchasing & tuning strategy? W video [Re: moparx] #2678820
07/18/19 07:13 PM
07/18/19 07:13 PM
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Those are the lower ears I put on when I built it. Boxing in the mount is not a bad idea with the amount of stiffness I can get with the qa1 adjustables

Re: Shock purchasing & tuning strategy? W video [Re: radar] #2681439
07/25/19 11:07 PM
07/25/19 11:07 PM
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Got the bed pulled, extended the 3/16” frame boxing plates back farther, and welded in a CE coilover crossmember to relocate my upper rear shock ears about 6” forward. They still lean back around 20° but I’m thinking that’ll be just fine with the much stiffer shocks. I got the bed back on but have to button up the mounts, wires, & fuel system. I am also going to install the front double adjustables. I am looking at splitting the difference between drag racing and mild street handling settings as a starting place for the knobs- like 10 compression 2 extension. I don’t mind a little stiff but I’ll have to see if it’s awkward and stays nose up after a little dip like the comp 90/10s were.

I really didn’t want to pull the bed in this heat let alone do all the fabrication work but it wasn’t too bad now that that heat wave let up some.

I can’t wait to feel the difference in handling and hopefully the launch will transfer weight a little better or at least take off a little smoother. I’m already loving these M&H racemasters.

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Re: Shock purchasing & tuning strategy? W video [Re: radar] #2681823
07/27/19 02:47 PM
07/27/19 02:47 PM
Joined: Jul 2007
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The front shocks required a little whittling on the lower control arms so the knobs would fit up into the spring pocket but it was no big deal with a little carbide burr.

I have all four shocks in now. I started the rear single adjustables at 10 clicks and set the fronts to 10 compression 5 rebound. Now to get some seat time and mess with them once I get a feel for how they act.

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