RCD Classic Cars

shockmeasurezi

Here is a easy way to check shock travel on shocks with exposed shaft or if it has a plastic boot dust cover (boot) that can be slid down to the top of the body. We are using a straight axle front suspension as an example, but this can also be used on rear applications.

INSTALL ZIP TIE

With the wheels on the ground, take a small zip tie and tighten it around the shock rod, should be snug, so it will not slide down the rod without pressure being applied.

Carefully cut the excess tie off.

Slide the zip tie down to where it comes in contact with the top of the body.
Now it's time for a test drive.
If you have been having a problem with the suspension bottoming out, try to drive over the same conditions to duplicate.

Back from the test drive, lets go over a couple of different possibilities.

Check the position of the zip tie, if it appears like the picture to the left and you felt the car bottoming out on the test drive, chances are it is not the shock and we need to look in other areas. Check around any parts that might come in contact with the frame, spring etc. and look for chipped paint.
If the tie is smashed or not there anymore, see below

This can be caused by a few different things

The shock could be too long
Shock could be defective and not controlling the suspension movements.
The car could be too low, often times when cars are sold new owners decide the car is sitting too high and lower it to get a better stance. Usually paying little or no attention to the shock length! This can often be fixed by either raising the vehicle, sometimes as little as .5" or getting a shorter shock. But also check to make sure there is adequate space around spring, axle, etc.

Another problem that can be little harder to find, but can still cause problems is the shock could be too short and topping out when the suspension is unloaded. This can occur when going over a dip and rather than the suspension compressing it extends. Examine shock mounts looking for stress cracks at the weld or in the paint. Also, by removing the shock and examining the top of bushing checking for ob longed hole.

As with all of our tips, they are meant to give you ideas and items to check when looking at shock related problems. If you have questions or need further assistance give us a call or send an email.