Thread: aldan eagle shock question

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Originally Posted by Itoldyouso

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

Don

thanks Don,
I will call aldan eagle again today and see what they have to say... I took all kinds of measurments so I have everything I need when I talk to them except the weight of the car.. the old shocks are history.. I can't turn the adusting ring but maybe one turn on one and two on the other shock.. I can spin the spring by hand.. and then I tried to pull hard to get them to tighten and now I can't even loosen them... so I will just buy new ones, and then in the spring make my new mounts for them... for now I will put them on so I can have my wedding ride...

thanks
for the help
simon

aldan eagle wants me to get measurments of my full suspension travel to get the right length shocks.... my question is how do I do this as far as the up most travel ?

thanks,
simon

My .02 worth.

I'm not sure what chassis you have but one picture makes me believe that it's a TCI or a clone. For whatever reason, TCI likes to supply too heavy a set of springs on their Aldens. So far TCI have paid the shot to replace my fronts and since I've been so long building the car, I'll probably have to change the rears out on my buck. They supplied 300# fronts(now have 250# and might need 200#) and 250# rears - and for an 'A' roadster. I'm just finishing it off now, but there is NO downward movement, even with the almost full '32 style gas tank in the rear when I get in the car, so that leads me to believe that I'll be spending my $45 or so each soon for something like a 150-175.

As a suggestion, when you pull the coil overs off, you might try to disassemble them on the bench, cleaning up the threads and lubing the adjuster (you did loosen the lock ring?). It might just save you a few (a lot!) bucks. Mine are assembled with anti seize (I hope you have the right spanner wrench to use)

I dont mean to sound ignorant but...

Could someone please explain what a "double shear mount" is as opposed to other mounts?

thanks
Jeff

**edit** Ok, I just figured it out. I wasnt ignorant after all. Just didnt know it by that terminology.

Originally Posted by Evolvo

IC2,
If we add your .02 to my .02 we almost have a nickel! I noticed your comment about using anti-seize on your shock adjuster threads. My .02's says this is a bad idea. Think of all the dust, dirt & grit coming off the road as you drive by. A lot of this stuff will wind up stuck to the anti-seize left (no matter how much cleaning you do) on the adjuster threads and will ball up and form a wedge that gets driven between the ring and threads when you attempt to make a ride height change. This causes galling and can destroy a shock in short order. Anti-seize is great stuff and using it like you did seems like a good idea at first, especially with new shocks in a (sorta) clean shop environment. The initial adjustments would be easy in these conditions. Its adjustments after the car has been on the dirty road I would worry about.
So IMO (we have our $.05 now) the correct way to install coil overs is with no lube on the threads. And to make adjustments you need to jack the loaded wheels off the ground to unload the spring as much as possible, clean the threads as well as you can and then adjust ride height. More of a PITA, but safer for the equipment in the long run.

E - I guess you and I will have to agree to disagree - but no big thing - I can disagree with my DW and really have a 'fun time'. Now, for a nickles worth of why I use anti sieze:

To a point - yes, you are correct, but in my neck of the woods, regardless of the time of year there is some level of sodium chloride (deicing salt!!) coming out of the road surface and we all know what happens to aluminum with salt - that dreaded word, corrosion (rust on steel). Now, when I say use anti seize, I don't mean grab that big can of silver stuff and your favorite 4" house paint brush, I mean put a very light film on - just enough to stop corrosion. I know, more is better, lots more is best in many cases, but here, the least amount that covers is where you want to be. I had a very stiff front adjuster - and it was because the big lock nut had started to gall. I pulled the entire coil over, cleaned up my galled spot, then took the assembly apart. It wasn't dirt but poor assembly by TCI.

Now in a few more exchanges we MIGHT have enough for a Starbucks regular coffee (none of that $5 latte crap)

Originally Posted by IC2

My .02 worth.

I'm not sure what chassis you have but one picture makes me believe that it's a TCI or a clone. For whatever reason, TCI likes to supply too heavy a set of springs on their Aldens. So far TCI have paid the shot to replace my fronts and since I've been so long building the car, I'll probably have to change the rears out on my buck. They supplied 300# fronts(now have 250# and might need 200#) and 250# rears - and for an 'A' roadster. I'm just finishing it off now, but there is NO downward movement, even with the almost full '32 style gas tank in the rear when I get in the car, so that leads me to believe that I'll be spending my $45 or so each soon for something like a 150-175.

As a suggestion, when you pull the coil overs off, you might try to disassemble them on the bench, cleaning up the threads and lubing the adjuster (you did loosen the lock ring?). It might just save you a few (a lot!) bucks. Mine are assembled with anti seize (I hope you have the right spanner wrench to use)

thanks for your .02 cents... so you think that these shocks acutally may have come with the frame.. never thought of that.. well as far as the shocks go I do have the correct spanner wrench (I havn't heard that in years I am English and since I moved out of my parents house havn't heard that ) and I don't think I can't even budge the aduster on one shock and the other only turns about 2 turns... I am sure the threads are done! I know how aluminum threads tend to get destroyed pretty easily... A/c lines are the worst.. anyway I will try to figure out how to get my up most travel measurments..

thanks
simon

Originally Posted by Evolvo

A friend of mine used to build custom bicycle frames, he called them "Redbush Bikes". When I asked how he came up with that name he showed me a photo of his red headed wife. What's your story?

Well, Tina Turner wrote a song long ago called Nutbush City. A dear friend and mentor of mine and I were out at Whiterock Lake in Dallas years ago in his 65 fuelie and that song came on the radio. Only it was the Bob Segar version. We had such a good time watching the topless sunbathing girls, I started calling him Nutbush. He passed away from cancer in 1981. I use the name online because he was the person responsible for teaching me about Corvette restoration. He's been gone a long time, I miss him.

Simon - that's the only wrench that I use the word spanner for as it really does span a distance. I actually do have a working knowledge of English English after having a couple of projects there as well as having had a daughter live there for several years. As far as messing up a/c threads - not yet, but probably....soon (except I pulled mine out for just a Vintage Air heater - which uses the same kind of fittings)

Evolvo - we totally agree on coffee. I've never drink anything but good ol' black, caffeinated, strongest you can get without being bitter, coffee. I've even shocked Brazilians drinking their tar that way. Never had a latte, probably never will

Okay I did the mearsurments that aldan told me to take... they told me the car should compress the spring about an inch... that is what I get with the weight of the car... they are 220# 10" springs... I think they are 655 extended 15" compressed 11.3" travel of 3.7 ".. so if those shocks were adjusted for the proper ride height they probably would of worked，but now I can't adjust them I　think I have to replace them... does a 12 inch spring make any differecne as far as ride quality vs a 10 spring... becuase I was thinking of may be going with the 658 they extend to 16.5" compressed to 11.5" travel 5 inches.. so If I mount them at 14.5" that should be correct and that is the height I want them to be at anyway... and the 5 inches of travel should be a nicer ride correct?? any input on this would be appriciated since I plan on ordering them tomorrow

thanks,
simon

Originally Posted by Evolvo

atichargr,
Have you asked Aldan if they might be able to repair your shocks. Since you say the shocks would have worked if adjusted correctly. I'm sure your galled set will not be the first ones they have ever seen. Cutting the jammed rings off and cleaning the damaged threads is certainly doable, save you some money for the honeymooooon!!
Alan

Yes I asked them and they said they could do that , and to be honest I could do it as well I have plenty of tread files at work... but when I talked with aldan today they mentioned that a 5 inch travel makes a pretty big difference in the way the car rides... and a one inch longer shock would probably get my ride height where I want it... they also told me the best way to adjust there shocks is to turn the spring up 1 inch, then put "antiseize on the threads and adjust them down from there.. they said turning them up one inch should put them higher than you want them so adjust them down... short story long I think I am going to go with some 658's with the 220# springs.... they are 16.5 inches and 11.5 compressed with a 5 inch travel... they said with the the preload on the spring and the weight of the car that should drop it 2" putting it at 14.5" where in one of my original posts on this thread you see that is what I was looking for.. There is also someone who is building a model T and recently lost his job and moved and needs a set of shocks ... So if I can help him out and get better ride in the end I did 2 good things....
as far as the Honeymoon goes I already payed for that it is all inclusive at the Sandles resort in the Bahamas... so I shouldn't need much money there