List:
My demise has been greatly exaggerated!!! I am alive and well, busy building a
new
car. John Beckett and I have spent a week of 16 hour days trashing my shop, but
that is another story.
Shocks:
Most shocks are worn out 'on the trailer'. Proper chocking of the car and hold
down
strap positioning will go a long way to extend the life of any type of shock.
Next
time you go racing, when refueling the tow truck, get under your car and feel
the
heat that has built up in the shock. Of course, the other problem is almost
nobody
has shocks on their trailers. This is the main problem that leads to chassis
failure.
Adjustably:
Knowledge of shocks is paramount is your selection process. If you are not
going to
learn how to adjust a double adjustable shock, then just buy a non-adjustable
with
50/50 valving and live with the limitations. Although Bonneville is relatively
smooth, it still can have dips in the course as in '99. A dual adjustable shock
'could' allow you to maintain contact to the surface and not buzz the motor an
extra 900 rpm ( rocker arms don't like this...right, John?). I like to think of
dual adjustable shocks as "tools".
Many racers do not realize that a 82 series Koni shock is adjustable. You have
to
remove the shock, pull down the rubber bumper and washer and loosen the nut,
remove
the eye,take off the washer and bumper. Replace the eye as it serves as a handle
while working on the shock.Once fully compressed, rotate the shaft with the
eyelet
until you feel the shaft slip into the shock deeper. The shaft is now engaged
into
the slot in the foot valve. If you rotate the shaft clockwise, you will stiffen
the
rebound forces of the shock. Every 1/4 turn represents 22 lb.. of force
difference.
I do not have any experience with Bilstien shocks. Having good customer support
is
important. All of the manufactures have very knowledgeable staff to answer
questions. Everyone needs to spend as much time learning about suspension as
motors, if you can't put it to the ground, why build HP!!!
Springs:
Dual rate springs were intended for long travel suspensions but I'd like to try
them at Bonneville and see if I could run light rebound setting, allowing the
tire
to stay in contact with the surface. The dual rate would allow a low clearance
without a lot od compression damping.
Corner weighing your car is important as any good shock guy wants that info to
calculate your requirements.
Ed Van Scoy's comments on sway bars with a swing rear is a great idea. Corvettes
are a tuff deal to get right, as the car is pretty high off the ground, hard to
lower and keep the suspension geometry in tack. The front end moving around will
have a very negative effect on the rear end. A solid rear housing will require
the
same spring rate as the swing rear, Ed's suggestion of 500# is not too far off.
I
happen to like lighter springs, controlling the car with the shock, and raise
the
spring platform ( compressing the spring) to have more stored energy. This
allows
the suspension to respond quicker, particularly on the more bumpy tracks since
the
suspension can more easily comply with the surface irregularities. Naturally,
the
lighter spring will lose it's energy sooner and collapse sooner than the heavier
spring.
Of course, all of this needs to be tested with your combination... I have seen
the
crudest setups work, I just think how much better it could be!
As Ed said" This is my opinion, mileage may vary! ( or was it Keith???)
Joe ( in Delaware where we have tornado warnings, heavy rain, flooding and 60
degrees)
Ed Van Scoy wrote:
> C Follows! May not be good but it's mine (Isn't that what you
> always say Keith?) Your mileage may vary...............................
>
> #1 1st off, I would go with Bilstein shocks. There is probably no real
> difference between the quality of the Bilsteins and Koni (or possibly others)
> but Bilstein is REAL good at customer support. If you get the right shocks to
> begin with, you will never have to rebuild them. They are pretty durable and
> shouldn't wear out with LSR use. If for some reason you need/want them
> re-valved, the current cost is $55 each. FMI:
>
> Western Office:
> 8845 Rehco Road,
> San Diego, CA 92121
> (800) 537-1085
>
> #2 I favor the fixed rate springs with height adjustment. I also prefer stiff
> suspension The coils are fairly cheap & come in many spring rates if you need
> to change the ride. When I went to stiffer shocks & springs on my Vette,
> handling improved greatly. You don't need much for suspension travel on salt -
> dry lakes are a different story.
>
> #3 See above. I would get the opinion of a chassis expert. My guess is you are
> going to want to start in the 500# range for coils.(again Bilstein might help)
> You didn't ask, but I'm gonna throw this in as it is also time to think about
> this now, and that is sway bars. Since I still have the IRS, I added a
> heim-jointed heavy bar to the front which tightened up the rear real well.
>That
> worked so well that I added a stiffer bar on the rear and things got even
> better. With a solid axle, the geometry changes completely, and is out of my
> range of experience. You may not want/need to use bars at all, but since it is
> "part of the whole" I would be thinking about it. I would be curious to know
> what set-up Stansbury-Moore uses.(Is Bobby Moore on this list?) This whole
> issue seems tailor-made for Joe Timney as he builds chassis. (haven't heard
> much from Joe lately, he must be buried in snow..........)
> Ed
>
> Ken Bond wrote:
>
> > Folks,
> >
> > Sorry if this is a repeat but I sent it yesterday and did
> > not see it show up. Again, sorry if this is a dup.
> >
> > ***
> >
> > I am putting a Ford 9" under the rear-end of a 85 corvette and need to put
> > together a set of coil overs for the suspension. Since this is my first
> > experience with coil over, there are lots of things I don't understand.
> >
> > 1st... some shocks are rebuildable/revalvable.... Do I care in a Bonneville
> > application? Do they get enough used over a few seasons to make this
> > something I need?
> >
> > 2nd... Springs come in variable rate and standard?' Again, are their pros
> > and cons for my application?
> >
> > 3rd... Since I am taking out a transverse leaf spring rear-end system, any
> > starting guess' as to what weight springs I need? When the car is
> > finished, the total car will be ~3500 lbs before we start playing with
> > ballast (if any).
> >
> > **************
> >
> > As I side note, I sent Ed a private message asking about coil overs on the
> > FRONT of his Vette, but if anyone else would like to chip in a comment or
> > two on that issue, I would love to hear form them as well.
> >
> > KEN
> >
> > In far Northern Calif. it is way, way wet... but then some of us just
> > consider it self-shoveling snow :-). Hope you folks with really bad
> > weather are making out OK.
> >
> > * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
> > * Ken Bond, *
> > * Prof. of Bus. Admin. *
> > * Humboldt State Univ. ____________ *
> > * Arcata, CA 95521 _______| 58 85 99 |_________ *
> > * / How much horsepower / *
> > * / Can I have and still / *
> > * Wk.:707.826.4277 /_________ go to Heaven?______/ *
> > * Wk Fax:707.826.6666 |_61______61_| *
> > * Hm.:707.826.7764 I Never Drive Faster than *
> > * Hm Fax:707.826.0334 My Guardian Angel Can Fly *
> > * Internet: *
> > * kmb2@humboldt.edu (office) *
> > * ragtops@humboldt1.com (home) *
> > * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
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