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Shock tower design

GsxrMike

GsxrMike

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So i've been looking at old threads trying to get an idea of how I am going to install shocks on my blazer. I could put the shocks in the stock location in the front but it is going to be very close to bottoming out and over extending the shock so I don't want to do that. I want to have good travel front and rear so I was think about cutting the floor in the rear and fabing up some towers and welding on some mounts to the top of the axle tube. Anybody have pics of something similar? for the front I want to do the same thing and then run a crossmember over the engine for support. My local speed shop sells shock mounts that weld up to round tubing so I could get a bender and make them how ever I wanted but I need to get some ideas first. Any pics would be great.

I know about the superduty towers but I don't see the point when I can just make my own. I think I am going to redo my bump stops so I can incorperate the shock towers into it. TIA!
 
Having run the 250 towers and cracked the frame, I'd recommend a better solution. Sounds like you are on the right track.
 
didn't we just have a thread on this?

it seems the ideal method would be to integrate the bumpstops and a tiebar over the motor.. thats my plan anyway...
 
GsxrMike said:
I've heard alot of people have cracked the frame running superduty towers.
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It happens alot, I've cracked and repaired shock mounts several times. I wouldn't be surprised to find frame cracks behind my current shock mounts.

ryoken said:
didn't we just have a thread on this?

it seems the ideal method would be to integrate the bumpstops and a tiebar over the motor.. thats my plan anyway...
Click to expand...

Well, the "ideal" method would be to use something more substantial than the K5 frame. The c-channel stuff simply flexes too much. More crossemembers (like the aforementioned tie-bar over the motor) and/or boxing the frame makes all the difference in the world.
 
sad when your frame is the weak point... :doah:

I have a pretty good design I feel... the only thing in not sure of is if I can wrap the bottom of it under the frame with the ORD x-member in there as it will on the top...

I am also going to try to run a backing plate on the other side of the frame (behind those "clamshellish" brackets)..
 
Yeah I think ive got the front figured out okay. My main question was if anyone had pics of there rear suspension if they ran it as I described.
 
PM Greg72, he did this on Zakks rig years ago and probably still has pics tucked away somewhere. IIRC he just made up some shock hoops and welded them to the frame and brought them up through the floor just inboard of the wheel tubs.
 
I have a set of original Rancho Suspension triple shock hoops in the storage shed. Will go over after work and get them out for pics.
 
BGKYK5 said:
Take a look at MrK5's write up here.
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This is exactly what I was looking for, thank you! And thanks to everyone else as well. Does anybody see a reason I shouldn't go with the rancho xl9000 shocks with the 9 adjustments? Any other suggestions on shocks? Thanks again guys!
 
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Mike,

If you have a cage, try to mount the rear shock hoops in a way that you can tie them to the cagework. The hoops I built for Zakk (and the ones in MrK5's thread) were only tied together but not to the cage....it was amazing how much those hoops moved under actual use (one wheel up, one wheel down). Nothing beats the power of a triangle....not even a parallelogram. :)


:usaflag:
 
Well I don't have a cage yet. Do you think the way mrk5 ran the bar across at the top will work well enough not to crack the frame? I plan on doing the same think in the front as well.
 
I came across the trailmaster hoop this am. Looks like it would need bracing across the bay as well..

DS65.jpg
 
GsxrMike said:
Well I don't have a cage yet. Do you think the way mrk5 ran the bar across at the top will work well enough not to crack the frame? I plan on doing the same think in the front as well.
Click to expand...

I wouldn't trust it....here's the one I did for Zakk all those years ago

In_Process_Shot.jpg


If you somehow triangulated from the upper shock mount diagonally across to the opposite side, or to some kind of floor-mounted thick plate you'd probably achieve the stiffness you'd need.

I never liked the spreader bar between the shock hoops (even as I built it)... but the customer is always right. :wink1: It really ruins the ability to walk around in the back area, and I tripped over it enough times during the cage assembly to convince myself that I'd never build my own truck that way.

Life is choices... :deal:


:usaflag:
 
38377k5 said:
Scott (mrk5) recently found cracks in the frame caused by those shock mounts.
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BUMMER! What if i build it like mrk5 but instead of running one bar I run two in the shape of an X going from the top of one to the bottom of the other and vise versa and attach them in the middle?
 
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