shock/suspension travel help please!

[jtb]

Hi,

OK, maybe this should be in the racer's forum, but I thought I'd try here:

I have converted my car to all coil-over suspension, including a BMW IRS rear end. It all works fine, BUT all the fluid from my shocks has leaked out. This started happening before the car was even on the road! The only reason for this that I can guess is that I am using the shock as the limiter for suspension droop. (In other words, if you jack up the car, the shock is what stops the travel of the lower swing or A arm). I'm using AFCO 1553 small body shocks, perhaps they can't handle this? I noticed in the Koni catalog they actually encourage this type of installation for their shocks.
So my questions are: - has anybody encountered shock leaking problems like this? and - What would be a good way to limit the downward suspension travel? Some sort of metal bracket with a rubber bumper? A piece of cable?
BTW I have new afco shocks to replace the leaking ones, I just don't want a repeat of the leaking problem. I'd love to run Konis, but my budget wouldn't like it. Also, I do have upper bump stops, I'm not bottomming out on the shocks.

Thanks in advance,

jtb

[RallyBob]

Part of the issue is probably because the small-body shocks are generally made for sprint cars and micro-midgets. Cars that weigh 900-1100 lbs!

But if the shocks are not designed to be used as droop limiters, then can certainly be damaged by doing so. You can use limit straps for 4 x 4 trucks very effectively. I do this on race cars that would otherwise drop their springs from the spring buckets. Almost any 4 x 4 shop can get them, but I have had real good luck dealing with M & R Safety, they will make custom ones and only take a few day's lead-time.

PS, you can get steel-bodied 2" Koni (circle track) shocks for about $125 each. When you get into the multi-adjustable aluminum shocks...yes they are very pricey! However the Koni Model 30 are often used as 'budget' road-racing shocks as well.

HTH,
Bob

[jtb]

Thanks for the speedy reply!

Yes, I realize that these shocks are intended for smaller cars (what? something is smaller than a GT?) These were not my choice, but recommended by the guy who built my rotary engine and builds/races RX7s. Perhaps he underestimates the weight of the GT...

I have looked at the Koni 30 series, but I think that they are just different enough that I could not use my existing coils. The afco's are 1.65" diameter, bilsteins are 36mm (1.417"), and the konis are 2". I have also looked at some other shocks (QA1, strange, bilstein) but they have different diameters too (42mm for example). I'm not sure how interchangeable coil-over kits are, if at all. So I'll have to save up my pennies for a whole shock and coil setup, or make some adapters for the bilsteins? The afco shocks were dirt cheap, they are clearing them out at $33 each right now, so I decided it was a good short-term solution until I can afford some 'real' suspension.

Thanks for the tip on the limiting straps, looks like a good solution for this.

Cheers,

jtb

[baz]

MG used to use a small thick leather belts as drop limits

any saddler/leather worker should be able to make you a pair to the size you need

[Sparky73]

Wow man, that is a ridiculously clean car.. . VERY nice.