Shock Mounting Questions

JeepFreak21 · Mar 20, 2009

I am about to order some shocks, so I'm looking through TNT's JeepSpeed album for some inspiration on mounts and a question came up...

Which orientation is preferred; with the mounts perpendicular to the axle, or parallel? Here's a couple examples:

Perpendicular:

Parallel:

And should the upper and lower be the same or different?

Much thanks!
Billy

Jimbo_1321 · Mar 20, 2009

you want them perpendicular so that when the it flexes the bushing is spinning on the bolt instead of getting squished...
otherwise you'll go through bushings super fast

JeepFreak21 · Mar 20, 2009

Jimbo_1321 said:
you want them perpendicular so that when the it flexes the bushing is spinning on the bolt instead of getting squished...
otherwise you'll go through bushings super fast

Ooops, I should have mentioned... I'm leaning toward some shocks with the bling heim joint ends

Maybe that's why the JeepSpeed guys seem to be putting them parallel more often?

Thanks guys,
Billy

JeepFreak21 · Mar 20, 2009

JeepFreak21 said:
Ooops, I should have mentioned... I'm leaning toward some shocks with the bling heim joint ends

Maybe that's why the JeepSpeed guys seem to be putting them parallel more often?

Thanks guys,
Billy

I guess it's probably that, and the fact that their axles are drooping straight down instead of articulating one side at a time.
Billy

squirrel80 · Mar 20, 2009

I'm having the same issue with mounting my new Fox 2.0s. I decided to use this mount from RuffStuff. I will have it on in the next week so I will have pictures. I would rather run them perpendicular to put less stress on the heim.

http://www.ruffstuffspecialties.com/catalog/axle-side-mount-shock-brackets-p-210.html

crazyjim · Mar 21, 2009

You definitely want to mount perpendicular, the axle doesn't move front to back enough to warrant mounting it the other way. The heim will take up that slack. Even if it's a heim joint you still want to keep the least amount of stress possible on it, and least amount of movement = less wear. The first picture is exactly how mine are:

Rich (fordguy) helped me out and fabbed mine up. Also chopped the end of the bracket off to allow more droop without the control arm hitting.

xjjeeper19 · Mar 21, 2009

Mine are mounter just like Jims...

XJEEPER · Mar 21, 2009

Your first picture is from my rig build, if you're going to run a poly bushing then I'd recommend keeping them in a parallel plane. If you run a heim style bushing, it's not much on an issue.

MaxxXJ · Mar 21, 2009

that would be decent to setup some shocks like that on my front end... but how do you fix the top mount to make it look like the bottom? have an adaptor kind of like your quick disco's?

GrimmJeeper · Mar 21, 2009

MaxxXJ said:
that would be decent to setup some shocks like that on my front end... but how do you fix the top mount to make it look like the bottom? have an adaptor kind of like your quick disco's?

this:
http://store.jksmfg.com/merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=SHOCKCONV&Store_Code=JKS01&Category_Code=Shock

or this:
http://www.tandjperformance.com/products/barnet/xjsmc.shtml

or some other custom setup you want to come up with, but i bet at least 80% of jeepspeeders are using one of those two setups.

MaxxXJ · Mar 21, 2009

GrimmJeeper said:
this:
http://store.jksmfg.com/merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=SHOCKCONV&Store_Code=JKS01&Category_Code=Shock

or this:
http://www.tandjperformance.com/products/barnet/xjsmc.shtml

or some other custom setup you want to come up with, but i bet at least 80% of jeepspeeders are using one of those two setups.

i like the bottom one, but the top ones alot cheaper =) i'd just have to find some way to do my bottom, i still got to get over my fear of cutting stuff off my jeep.

TNT · Mar 21, 2009

If you are afraid if cutting your Jeep just ask one of the other members. There are a ton of them in your area. I like the bottom style and have some scrap steel I can cut them from. Gring them clean. Then I'll just fire up the welder and burn them in. Total cost about 5.00 for paint and the welding wirer and gasses that get used.

I have always liked XJeepers lower mounts.

JeepFreak21 · Mar 21, 2009

I picked up the JKS conversion for the top this morning, so now I just need to figure out the bottom. I am going to have to get a little more creative with it than XJeeper's setup because the coil bucket hangs too far over the control arm mount. That, and I've got to raise it up about 2" above the control arm bolt.

Anybody have any other pics or ideas?

Thanks!
Billy

XJ_ranger · Mar 21, 2009

my airshocks would bind under articulation if I had the bolt on the axle running parallel with the axle.

Make the upper mount to whatever is the easiest for you, make the lower perpendicular to the axle.

take a look at Jes' front axle build - his lower shock mounts worked pretty well.

JeepFreak21 · Mar 21, 2009

XJ_ranger said:
my airshocks would bind under articulation if I had the bolt on the axle running parallel with the axle.

Make the upper mount to whatever is the easiest for you, make the lower perpendicular to the axle.

take a look at Jes' front axle build - his lower shock mounts worked pretty well.

Here's Jes' (or maybe CRASH's) for reference...

Unfortunately, it won't work for me because my coil bucket would be hitting the shaft of the shock.

Billy

Jes · Mar 21, 2009

JeepFreak21 said:
Here's Jes' (or maybe CRASH's) for reference...

Unfortunately, it won't work for me because my coil bucket would be hitting the shaft of the shock.

Billy

That would be mine.
Just wondering, why is your coil bucket in the way? Your lower link mounts mounted farther in or forward, or your coil buckets mounted farter out or both?
Could you make longer shock tabs so that they're spaced farther out?

JeepFreak21 · Mar 21, 2009

Jes said:
That would be mine.
Just wondering, why is your coil bucket in the way? Your lower link mounts mounted farther in or forward, or your coil buckets mounted farter out or both?
Could you make longer shock tabs so that they're spaced farther out?

I'll get a picture when I get home. The coil bucket is in the way because it's dead center over the axle tube instead of being ahead of it like stock. The control arm bracket is not quite long enough to mount the tabs to. There is plenty of room to mount something similar to the second picture I posted (in the first post), but I've only seen a design like that with a parallel mounting bolt.
Thanks,
Billy

Jes · Mar 22, 2009

Just for the record, my coil buckets are centered above the axle tube and are about 37.25"s center to center.

JeepFreak21 · Mar 22, 2009

Jes said:
Just for the record, my coil buckets are centered above the axle tube and are about 37.25"s center to center.

Hmmm... well, I have a little more room than I remembered. I moved the axle back a tad.

Here are the pics. These were taken at full bump (both sides at once) and my shocks will be 16" collapsed.

The tape is not angled like the shock would be (a little at least).

What do you guys think?
Billy

TNT · Mar 22, 2009

Like this??

Shock Mounting Questions

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