shock mounting
To get the shock length I need on the front, I need to mount the lower end of the shock below the lower control arm. I've got Ridetech 4.1's. The LCA has a 1/4" plate welded to the bottom. I could mount the eye above the plate on a trunnion but it will require a significant move of the upper mount AND the lower trunion mount would need to move inboard, therefore a big loss in motion ratio.
My original thought was to cut a slot in the plate and bolt a 5/8" trunnion straight up through the 1/4" plate and into weld nuts. But now my mind is rethinking this. All of the shock and spring forces would be across two 5/16 fasteners. A grade 8 5/16 fastener has a proof load over 4000lbs. Am I overthinking this? Even with a trunnion or fastener failure the spring will be captured by the lca arms and plate so the front wouldn't be able to drop very far.
My other choice is to weld tabs to either side of the slot and through bolt the eye using shock spacers. Easy enough. Just more work.
The third choice is to give up motion ratio, move the trunion to the top of the 1/4" plate, and extend the upper shock mount up a good bit.
For context, this is a 65 mustang with C6 spindles and Coyote in between the frame rails. It's NOT a heavy car. Figure less than 900 lb front corner weight.
Thanks, guys!
|