Thread: aldan eagle shock question

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okay one other thing is that when I have the car at the height I want it from upper mount to lower mount is 13 inches so would the 758 shocks be too long?

simon

Those take a 15.3 center to center mount height so you would have to redo the mounts.....Which wouldn't be a bad idea.... As Tech mentioned, coilovers mounted in double shear would be a better plan....

I wouldn't mind it being a couple of inches higher either, okay here is a thought... I know it isn't the right way, but I am paying for a honey moon and wedding stuff right now so money is a little tight... what if I was to get 180lb spring 12" and raise the car by two inches, would that make the ride a little "better" until I can get the new shocks? with the wieght of the car my springs now are compressed to about 7" I am not sure how much they compress with the car on them, does 5 inches sound about right, for a 12 inch spring to compress? would it be worth while at all to just try raise the car a few inches by adjusting the shocks and see if the changes anything? I know that the coils are very close together but is it possible that when I hit a bump at highway speeds that the shocks are bottoming out giving me that rough feeling making it feel as if it is being lauched in the air?

I would call Aldan tomorrow and talk to one of their tech people. Otherwise you might spend hundreds of dollars and still not have ones that will work.

Don

Raising the car brings other considerations concerning the control arm heights, pinion angle, etc.... What kind of bar setup does the rearend have, and are they adjustable for bar height and length to keep the pinion angle correct.....

Originally Posted by Dave Severson

Raising the car brings other considerations concerning the control arm heights, pinion angle, etc.... What kind of bar setup does the rearend have, and are they adjustable for bar height and length to keep the pinion angle correct.....

yes my lower arms are adjustable at the ends that mount to the frame, do you think that lifting it a couple of inches to give the shocks a little more travel will help for the time being till more funds are avalible? I only really need to drive it next month for the wedding.

As long as you can keep the lower arms parallel with the ground and maintain an acceptable pinion angle, you should be ok for a temporary fix till downtime and funds will permit a proper fix.....

Originally Posted by Dave Severson

As long as you can keep the lower arms parallel with the ground and maintain an acceptable pinion angle, you should be ok for a temporary fix till downtime and funds will permit a proper fix.....

okay I looked under the car and the drive shaft shouldn't be a problem it is pretty deep in the trans... almost looks as if the car use to be higher with how deep it is... and my rear joint is pretty straight so I will try to raise it a couple of inches in the next day or so and see how my shaft and angle looks and that my lower arms are parallel with the ground... then see how it feels hopefully it will be a little better for the ride to the wedding.... or I will be like one of those guys going 45mph on the highway with there 4 ways on and everyone blowing there horns at them LOL... Dave thanks for the help and everyone else that has chimed in here it is nice to know that there are so many helpful people out there!!!! thanks everyone

simon

Originally Posted by Itoldyouso

I would call Aldan tomorrow and talk to one of their tech people. Otherwise you might spend hundreds of dollars and still not have ones that will work.

Don

Exactly Don, I wouldn't expect anyone to take my word on this, spending 600 bucks for new coilovers and doing extensive re-work for bracketry, although I do have extensive experience in fabrication just as you do and did consult the Aldan website for dimensions. I've used Aldan Eagles in other builds also, so I'm not totally unfamiliar with them.

Aldan recommends layin' in the units at 30 degrees from vertical and I calculated the 15.3" center to center install length at 66% of travel from compressed just as recommended by Aldan on a 12"-17", 5" travel shock.

Multiplying the 175# spring rate by .75 (30 degrees from vertical) as shown in the chart posted by Dave results in an effective spring rate of 131 lbs, pretty close to what Dave recommended in post #7. I feel that this would be close to right also, taking into consideration the light weight of the rear end of the sedan, relative to the front end weight. Of course, if Simon knows the weight on the rear tires, he can give that info to Aldan and get a professional opinion.

As far as mounting, hanging a shock absorber off studs is ok, because the only force applied to the stud is the resistance of the fluid in the shock housing to the piston moving up and down. But when you are using a coilover, you have the entire weight of the rear of the car applied to the studs and they just are not up to the task of handling it. It's poor engineering. You need to mount coilovers in double shear with, like I said, man-sized bracketry.

Simon, I know it's easy for me to spend your money on a forum such as this, but you need to get your head wrapped around new double shear brackets. Use the coilovers I suggested (after talking with Aldan) and fabricate new brackets to install the coilovers on 15.3" centers (or whatever Aldan suggests). Chock up the body on blocks, remove the old coilovers and brackets, raise the body to the desired ride height with the rear tires on the floor and build brackets to bolt the coilovers on at 15.3" (or whatever Aldan suggests). Then it's only a matter of installing the coilovers and threading the spring rings up on the body of the shock to get the ride height correct, just when the spring begins lifting the body off the blocks. Done. Then it's just a matter of driving the car and adjusting the bump and droop knobs on the top and bottom of the shocks until you're happy with the results.

Originally Posted by atichargr

and that my lower arms are parallel with the ground...

Depending on whether you have a 4-bar or 4-link, you don't necessarily have to have the lower control arms parallel with the ground. On a 4-link system, you would want the lower arm to angle up towards the front a certain amount to intersect with the line drawn through the upper arms to establish your squat/anti-squat point. What arrangement do you have as far as the upper arm(s). Is there any adjustment in the front placement of the pivot point on the arms?

I will check when I get home tonight and see what if the upper bars are adjustable... I am not sure I do know the bottoms are... I assume I could buy new upper and lower mounts? I assume when you are saying 15.3 inches off the center of the diff... or is that from top center of shock to top center of shock .if that is from the diff it would put them on a higher part of the frame where it bumps up for the center of the diff... also I have never welded anything that thick I guess it would be the same as the roof etc.. just more heat and adjusted till you get the nice bacon sounding sizzle? I am sure after my wedding next month there won't be a whole lot of driving of the car so I can probably get to work on it then... I just need it for one more drive this year... I will try adjust the ones on there for now to get a little more shock travel for the "wedding ride" then I will be out of the woods and I will look in to new brackets, 758's and springs... Thanks Dave.. I will look and see what the upper arms look like when I get home this evening

simon

well I called aldan about my shock situation today... and they suggested before doing anything to adjust the shocks I have... they say who ever put them on may of read ready to install and just thrown them on there... so they rec adjusting them by getting the car at the height I want it then place stands under the frame then adjust the springs till it just lifts off the stands.. then see how they feel the said just cause the coils are close doesn't mean much ... they want me to try that first.. I guess they are being honest since they wern't tring to just take my money on a new pair of coil overs... and they said If I still don't like the way it rides they will try figure out what I have and see if they can work with that or if I need to change my whole setup... well I am at the very least going to get some stronger upper mounts that is for sure... so we will see what happens when I get a chance to get out there and raise it up... thanks for all the help guys!!!!

evolvo,
Funny I Never thought of that ..... I will try that and see... the guy at Aldan was acutally asking me if there was another mounting point to gain more travel.. I have been so focused on the body and getting it painted that I didn't pay much attention to the suspension till I finally got it on the road.. I wil try and see what happens...

Simon

techinspector1
I tried adjusting those shocks on my car... they are done.. they will not adjust the threads must be knurled... so I have to get new shocks... I jacked the car up and found it to be about 14.5 inches from center bolt to center bolt... so I have to get new coil overs... I was thinking you mentioned the 758's raising the car one more inch to the 15.3 would be fine... then I will make new mounts after the wedding... now my question is this do I go with 140lbs springs or 120lbs.. say if I went with the 120's would the adjusters of the shock make enough difference to stiffen it if it is too soft? I have no expirence with the adjustments

simon

I think 140's would be the best, but that is just my opinion.

Don