Shockwave Length?
 

Hello All,

Here is the current setup in my brother's 66 Mustang.

Heidt's Mustang II cross member - PN PX-320-E
Wilwood Pro Spindles 2" drop - PN 830-9807
Ridetech StrongArm Lower Control Arms - PN 19012899
Shockwaves, HQ Series - PN 21120305
Tire Size - 255/40-r17

Background:

I mocked up the Shockwaves to verify I had all the clearance I needed around it. I then proceeded and made pseudo shocks to hold the car up at ride height using the dimensions in the ride tech catalog. Herein lies the problem. At the 11" shock length, the car sits too low and the fender sits on top of the tire. I needed to install a 1" spacer on top of the pseudo shock stud to get to the ride height I was looking for. At the 11" shock length, the lower control is pointing ever so slightly up and with the 1" spacer, slightly pointing down, all when viewed from the front.


Questions:

1. How is the Shockwave ride length measured for stud types? My assumption is from the center of the lower bearing to the top of the lower delrin bushing on the shock stud. Is my assumption correct?
2. Since I cannot deviate much in shock length, is there a longer shock stud mount available that can be swapped out to get the extra 1"? Putting a spacer underneath the mount is not really an option because there would not be enough thread engagement at the top.
3. Is there an issue with my conglomeration of parts above other than it being Mustang II based? I'd rather not get into how we got to this point as it is a long story.
4. Swapping parts (more money, at least expensive ones anyway) isn't really an option right now as my brother has a newborn on the way and we're trying to finish the car before then (~2 months). Are there any suggestions getting the extra 1" in shock length I need that I may have missed?

Thanks in advance.

Robert

After reading your post TWICE --- I'm still not sure what and how to answer.... but I'll cover just a couple basics.

#1 --- A shock (damper actually) --- all types -- have a length when extended -- and another when depressed fully -- the "ride height" should be close to the middle of that number. Example --- 16" extended --- 12" depressed --- ride height 14"


#2 -- "Ride height" is where you want the car to be driven.


#3 -- The correct way to find the ride height is to set the car up at ride height and then measure the length of "shock" or coil over or whatever - you need. As per #1 above.


So the question now remains --- which you didn't answer or state in your post.... did you air up the Shockwaves and your ride height is 11" and is that the middle of the range of the Shockwave you installed?

Have you called RideTech "tech".....

Thanks Greg for replying. Rodney from Ridetech answered my questions on pro-touring.com. Based on the info I gave, Rodney stated I did pick the correct Shockwave for the application. After re-reading what I typed, I could have probably used a better description than pseudo shock (maybe pseudo Shockwave), but I figured readers would have inferred what I was doing since I was using Shockwaves. The 11" (ride height) measurement came from Ridetech's catalog that I should have been more clear on.

I assumed, since I was using a Heidt's Mustang II cross member and Heidt's recommended 2" drop spindles, I should have been able to use the Mustang II Shockwave. As you mentioned, I probably should have set the car's ride height and measured before getting the Shockwaves.

In the end, I will be sending the Shockwaves back to Ridetech to have the upper shock mounts exchanged for taller ones.

Glad you got it figured out!!!



Some times hot rodding is a complete PITA. :bang: :lol: