Installing coil overs, need help please!

MaSnaka · #1 (**permalink**) 05-19-2007, 09:55 PM

I am installing my proshock coil overs purchased thru CRII. Here is my first question...on the rear shock does the shock body go up or down or does it matter? The shocks have a swivel bearing at the rod end and a rubber bushing at the body end. The body end has the adjuster ring which I assumed goes to the bottom side like it does on the front shocks, but then I got to thinking maybe it doesn't.

Looking at the front shocks the body end with the adjuster ring can only go on the bottom. Please help thanks.
John

HI Cobra · #2 (**permalink**) 05-19-2007, 10:16 PM

The body end goes down so that you can set the height with the adjuster
ring. The ring on the top just sits on the spring. Works fine like that on mine. Hope that helps.

tcrist · #3 (**permalink**) 05-20-2007, 09:08 AM

MaSnaka
The adjuster ring goes on the bottom. The weight of the vehicle pushes the spring on the adjuster ring and that is what keeps it from coming unadjusted (according to Pete at CRII). I have the same setup (havent completed my Cobra though so I cant say if this works or not) but I am thinking about contacting ProShocks and getting another set of adjuster rings and set them up like a jam nut.

Terry

HI Cobra · #4 (**permalink**) 05-20-2007, 10:23 AM

My adjuster rings haven't moved since I set them - no jam nut. You can always put a small mark on the nut and base to check for movement.

tcrist · #5 (**permalink**) 05-20-2007, 10:42 AM

HI Cobra,

When you first installed you shock kit did the adjuster rings spin freely on the shock? Mine spin freely. Maybe it is the angle of the cut on the threads that will not allow them to back off with the pressure of the spring on them.

Terry

MaSnaka · #6 (**permalink**) 05-20-2007, 11:55 AM

Thanks for the replies. It always helps having a second and third opinion. I am still working on the first rear shock. It was a PIA to remove the old spring and there was a 1" round x 1/2" thick spacer welded to the bottom of the old shock mount. To get over this I decided it was best to leave it in place and so I drilled and routed out a space on the back side of my new aluminum spacer to fit over it. I had to run to the hardware store and get shorter bolts. The 4" bolts that came with my shock kit are too long and bottom out before getting tight. 3 1/2" would be plenty long for the top and bottom. I will update my progress as soon as I get back to it. Might not be today. Stay tuned...
John

onefastmustang · #7 (**permalink**) 05-20-2007, 01:17 PM

Good Luck on the install.. Coilover shocks make the car ride really nice.. I have the proshocks in the front. I was gonna order the proshocks for the back as well but a new speed shop just opened up out here and he stocks QA1 shocks at a really good price. This weekend the owner even came over to my house to assess my cobras needs and 20 minutes later came back with the goods.. talk about service. So I am trying out the QA1 with 12 adjustment valve. I can dial in the rear to ride the way I like it.. At first it was really spongy and I thought I was in a Cadillac. 4 clicks later and it rides really nice. I left the stock springs in too like HI did.. Works out really nice.. Fixed my tire rubbing issue as well.

HI Cobra · #8 (**permalink**) 05-20-2007, 09:09 PM

tcrist,
If the Cobra is lifted by the frame so the rear wheels are hanging, you can
spin them easily. There is an adjustment wrench that comes with the
shocks so you can adjust with the weight on it (if you have a ramp lift).

tcrist · #9 (**permalink**) 05-20-2007, 09:20 PM

Hi Cobra,

My big worry is that they come unadjusted while driving. If that is not the case then I won't worry alot about that. I'll just mark them and keep an eye on them for a while.

Terry

HI Cobra · #10 (**permalink**) 05-20-2007, 11:27 PM

Iv'e had mine for at least 5,000 miles and the only time they moved was when I moved them. Mark them and watch them to be on the safe side.
You can eyeball the threads below the adjuster ring and tell at a glance
if the mark comes off.

Smitty1 · #11 (**permalink**) 05-23-2007, 01:06 PM

This car came with Coilovers that were mounted terribly (long spacers, long bolts, the shocks rods end were mounted with the bolt going through the rod end north/south not east/west Etc. Etc. Etc.

) My solution to reconfiguring the Coilover mounts was to reuse the exsisting Carrea Shocks and springs and use the stock Ford Mustang Lower Shock Mount (which was removed from the rearend by the original owner for some reason). This is a reliable mount and is a simple bolt in on the 8.8 Rearend. This car has a Fox body Mustang 8.8 in it so for the upper mount I simply cut the Quad Shock mount off of the rearend, squared up the mount and welded it to the Frame...Works great

!!! The last thing was to make some spacers up for the top and bottom mounts. I used the same spacers Don sells and cut them to the correct length. One thing that you dont want to forget is to add some kind of limiting strap to the Rearend. Once I had the Shock mounts figured out I went to Auto Zone and bought 2 Pick Up truck Tailgate cables to use as limiting straps. These come in many different lenghts so it is easy to get the right length for your car. The 2 I bought fit between the rearend and the frame and allowed for plenty of axle droop without over extending the shocks and/or breaking the brake line

. Normally the aduster ring has a hole drilled through it and the Shock body has a groove milled into it lengthwise. This is so that you can put a Zip Tie/Cable Tie through the hole in the adjuster ring, then line up the hole with the groove and insert the Cable tie up through the groove and back to the adjuster ring. This way the adjuster ring stays where you put it. As for checking to see if the adjusters have moved or the springs have settled...after you set the ride height where you want it simply take a measurment from the top of each wheelwell arch to the ground (odviously while parked some place level) and record each measurement. Then in the future you can easily walk around the the car with a tape measure to see if the ride height has moved.

MaSnaka · #12 (**permalink**) 05-24-2007, 11:43 AM

Thanks Smitty1, My project got put on hold for another week. Lower back issues and a busy mem. weekend. John

Smitty1 · #13 (**permalink**) 05-24-2007, 01:05 PM

I feel your pain....No seriously. I hurt MY lower back on Tuesday

.

Smitty1 · #14 (**permalink**) 05-27-2007, 07:39 AM

BTW, I used Rod Ends sized for 1/2" bolts. You do have to slightly enlarge the holes in the bottom mount (the Stock Mustang moung lower mount).The bolt for a the Quad Shock mount is 12 X 1.75 (the Quad Shock mount already has a nut welded to it), and it fits the 1/2" Rod End nicely.

MaSnaka · #15 (**permalink**) 06-18-2007, 08:21 PM

So, I get my rear coilovers installed, removed the old rear coil springs and everything is great. Have probably logged 100 miles on them. Last Saturday I'm driving along with my 11 yrear old daughter and just after we leave the house I'm hearing a clunk when we hit some bumps in the road. I have been hearing these noises for awhile, thinking the baseball bats in the trunk are bouncing on the trunk lid or something like that. This time there are no bats in the trunk, so I figure the trunk lid is not latched and is bouncing up and down. I wanted to know for sure so I pull over when it's safe and check it out. Trunk lid is secure...driverside coilover is not. The spring is sprung in an arch and the shock rod is receeded back to the shock body. I head home very gingerly thinking my shock is broke and wondering how long it will take for new one to arrive.....Any way I was happy to discover the shock rod just came unscrewed form the upper shock mount and all it took to fix was to screw it back together and TIGHTEN THE JAM NUT! I didn't even notice this stuff was loose before installing. I sure hope it was loose and didn't just work itself apart. I really don't know how long it was like that. I did keep a close eye on my work but was only looking at the passenger side because the drivers side was difficult to see when the car is parked in my garage. I did double check both sides a couple times since I reassembled. Just a word of warning when installing the ProShock coilovers..."make sure they are screwed together and the jam nut is tight". I hope this message helps somebody.

John

Smitty1 · #16 (**permalink**) 06-20-2007, 12:59 PM

It maybe overkill...but I always add a dot or two of red Loc Tite to the rod ends plus the Jam Nut.

chestnut · #17 (**permalink**) 03-07-2008, 10:09 AM

Hi
First post here. Bought my kit 1991. Just started working on it again 2007.
Reading this post, I'm wondering if anyone can/will tell me what the coilover spring rates are, front and rear.
THANKS
Tony

Double Venom · #18 (**permalink**) 03-07-2008, 11:28 AM

Chestnut,
Coil-overs are variable. Usually for the front small blocks they will run in the 325 to 375 range, rears are usually 200 plus depending on use and type of track racing. BB's I have used as much as 425 on the front but they are something of an overkill-Anyboy have change for this nickel?
DV

JCoop · #19 (**permalink**) 03-07-2008, 12:07 PM

Sorry I didn't see this thread earlier.

I have QA1s on my Superformance that came with stock 10" 450# front coil-over springs and 12" 425# springs in the rear. I could not get any more adjustment to lower the fronts so I switched to 8" 450# Carreras, and at the same time, switched the rears to 12" 145/350" progressive rate springs from QA1. While I was in the process, I found out from Dennis Olthoff of Olthoff Racing fame that they usually invert the shocks and get better performance overall because of lower unsprung weight at the wheels. So, I installed them inverted (shock body up top). Quite frankly, I didn't really notice any difference other than a more comfortable ride with the softer initial rate of the rear springs. I also seemed to get better bite during the occasional rapid acceleration runs.

Recently, the 10" 225/475# springs became available from QA1 so I got them and attempted to install them to the fronts, I struggled to re-install them but since I got nowhere and it being a royal PITA, I re-installed the 8" 450# fronts and decided to install the 10" progressives to the rears. I had to order (4) 1" spacers from QA1, stackable to 2" each side, and the results so far are phenomenal. I don't bottom out anymore on the large bumps, yet retain the comfort of softer initial rate at cruising speeds. Of course, now after I have everything set up, I learned of a trick to compress the spring/shock assy before mounting so I may get another pair of progressives for the front and attempt that again.

Well to answer the initial question, you CAN install the shocks with the body up top, but each manufacturer is different. Bilsteins and QA1s are OK, SOME Carreras can't be inverted. I don't have a problem changing ride height w/ adjusters up top, I just jack it up and squeeze between the fender and the top of the tire. I also turned it so the adjuster knobs are now facing the tire.

MaSnaka · #20 (**permalink**) 03-07-2008, 05:08 PM

The Pro Shocks are oil filled not gas. Not sure if it would make a difference weather body is up or down. Mine are down. The spring rate is 375# for sb and 500# for bb on the fronts and 250# on the rears. I have not noticed the adjuster ring to move at all without being manually wrenched with most of the vehicle weight lifted, with enough weight lifted they can be turned by hand. I did spray some silicone lube to make it easier too. If you do a search there are some threads from CRII with recomended info from Don Scott.

John