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"Shaved" Front Upper Shock Mount

RoccoK5

RoccoK5

1/2 ton status
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Dec 8, 2019
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Location
Phoenix, AZ
I'm considering my options for extending the front shock mounts. I'll be running a 4" spring with a zero rate, and the goal is to run a 12-14" travel shock. I'd also like to maintain the same geometry/shock angle as stock, or better, move the mounts forward on the frame to get the shocks more vertical. However, the way the frame is formed for the stock mount gets in the way and limits my options. Removing the riveted bracket is easy enough; the bulge and dimple in the frame is what I am referring to -- this gets in the way of placing my new mount in a more vertical position:

upper-shock-mount.jpg

I've seen some creative ways around this (https://ck5.com/forums/threads/ford-towers.313713/page-3#post-3401147), but curious if anyone has modified the frame in this area to effectively remove/shave the stock mount? I'm thinking of doing this by cutting out this section of frame and welding in a piece of 3/16" flat stock to give me a flat mounting surface for some new extended mounts (either the Ford towers or something similar). Basically cut out this area:

upper-shock-mount2.jpg

And patch in a flat section, so I'm left with a flat frame:

upper-shock-mount3.jpg

Regardless of the mounts I end up using (Ford towers, stock front quad shock, fab my own, etc), I think this will make whatever I end up doing easier and cleaner in the long run. My K5 is currently torn down to the frame, so this should be pretty easy to do. Any thoughts on this approach, or other ideas I should consider?
 
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only 2 pics i got .

blazer mid 80's m1009 build i did . ford stamped steel towers and longer shocks with 4" tuff country HD front and 1.5" forward zero rate on a dana 60 front .

0514191652a.jpg

0514191556a.jpg
 
Actually you don’t want the shocks vertical, you want them in the direction the axle will travel which would be rearward when it goes up and forward when it goes down due to the rear shackle. Making it vertical will not make full use of the shock.
 
rampage said:
Actually you don’t want the shocks vertical, you want them in the direction the axle will travel which would be rearward when it goes up and forward when it goes down due to the rear shackle. Making it vertical will not make full use of the shock.
Click to expand...

Ah, that make sense. So in that case, seems like my best bet would be to maintain the same geometry as stock?
 
With a lift (or raising the upper shock mount bracket like the Ford towers do) it’ll change to a little more vertical, but I’d need to do some calculations to see how much.
 
What you need is the second front shock mount bracket. It was mounted in front of that dimple. Bolt on item for the dual shock mounted trucks,
 
frankin5 said:
What you need is the second front shock mount bracket. It was mounted in front of that dimple. Bolt on item for the dual shock mounted trucks,
Click to expand...

Yeah, been looking for those. May need to source some from a junk yard. I'd need to modify them to get the travel I'm after, but I think the angle on those factory quad shock brackets would be better than the ones on the ford towers.

Edit: found some in the classifieds section!
 
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them ford stamped towers get half cut off and added 4" of longer shock mounting point over stock on the blazer i did .
 
I like the idea of getting rid of the bump from the factory shock mounts.
Let me tell you that my '90 has Ford towers holding the top of 14" travel Bilstiens. It has about 4" lift springs and a 1" body lift. I had to push the top to just under the A/C box and the steering column to attempt to get the shocks centered in their stroke. I can't get my finger over the top of the right shock at the A/C box.
So I would suggest to wait to mount them until you get the body set on to check things.
 
Yeah, I was wondering about clearance issues... Wish I'd thought of this before tearing everything down to the bare frame. I'm planning on having the frame powdercoated, which means no more welding for me after that. :doah: I'll probably end up cutting and filling the frame to remove the stock shock mount, getting the frame coated, and then waiting until after I get the body back on and some assembly done in order to mock up and mount some bolt-on shock towers. Either that, or paint the frame instead so I can more easily grind/weld/repaint down the line? :thinking:
 
I would say that the choice of paint vs powder coat depends on what you will be doing with the truck because of possible modifications or coating damage from use.
How much welding could you do to it in the future?
Price and facilities could be a thought, too.
 
6872xtc said:
I like the idea of getting rid of the bump from the factory shock mounts.
Let me tell you that my '90 has Ford towers holding the top of 14" travel Bilstiens. It has about 4" lift springs and a 1" body lift. I had to push the top to just under the A/C box and the steering column to attempt to get the shocks centered in their stroke. I can't get my finger over the top of the right shock at the A/C box.
So I would suggest to wait to mount them until you get the body set on to check things.
Click to expand...

^^this^^
I was running 5” lift 52’s up front with a 14”stroke bilstein and this is where the top shock mount was.
D4407221-6AAD-4C42-B4A9-94577092710D.jpeg
 
@Fastereddie -- love the hoops...although you'll need to cut them up if you ever need to yank the engine? :)

@Rick Capito , super clean! Also looks like the placement is forward enough to easily clear the A/C box. How's the clearance for the steering shaft?
 
It does clear the A/C box but not by a lot and this is with a 1'' body lift but you can set it to suit your needs, the steering is no problem. I also cut the lower part of the towers to move them in board a bit.

kOpje2FESYGIFmN1SVP52w.jpg

lmrYo8muR6ekYU6F5havjA.jpg
 
RoccoK5 said:
@Fastereddie -- love the hoops...although you'll need to cut them up if you ever need to yank the engine? :)

Haha, yeah already been done.

@Rick Capito , super clean! Also looks like the placement is forward enough to easily clear the A/C box. How's the clearance for the steering shaft?
Click to expand...
 
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