I just got my 14" 5125 Bilsteins. These suckers are fuggn long. Seems they are almost too long for my SOA with 55 springs that are pretty flat. With about 3.5" of the shaft still to go before full compression, the shock length eye to eye is 24.5", so I pretty much need to mount them in the center of the frame.

What is the common length to run in the rear with with SOA without building a new hoop- which aint happening? Seems that 12" would have been a better length??

thanks-
Dustin

http://www.pirate4x4.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=190444 thats the hotest thing ive ever seen :barf:

14" travel shocks are to long for the rear of a soa with Cruiser leaf springs 55 or 40. I would recomend getting shocks the correct lenght shocks not just the longest shock. You won't have enough travel to over extend a shorter shock that fits your mounts. my .02 :flipoff2:

yeah... I am a dumb ass. Somewhere, seemingly while in a crack smoking induced delerium that I've been under this last week, I was thinking 14" was the body length. Not the travel. :D
For the record- 14" Bilstein 5125's measure 20.5" fully compressed eye to eye, 35" eye to eye fully extended.

Just so I dont go ordering the wrong ones again, are 12" Bilsteins still considered too long?

thanks-
Dustin

Depends on the open and closed lenghts, and your shock mounts. :D


I will go measure my shock bodys on the rear of mine.

Dustin,
I am running 12" 5125's all the way around of my SUA fj40 w/2" lift 55 rear springs and they are fine.
Ford shock towers in the front, and relocated rear upper shock mounts in the rear.

You could check them out on Sunday,
manny

forgot to mention extended shackles :)
total lift is closer to 4"

manny

Since your lower mounts are slightly lower than mine, I'd say yes, 12" travel would be OK... I had 12" travel Doetsch's, and they were just a tiny bit too long...

Oh, I just remembered that Bilstein's are slightly longer than twin tube shocks.. maybe 10" would be better, and you could run them more vertically. Don' think you'll max them out..

Try this... get one rear tire totally stuffed, and measure from the lower pin, to where you plan on mounting the shock eye... go from there with the shock that's closest to that number fully compressed, without going over.

never , never post a pic of those ugly ass toes again , god , I almost puked until I saw your pinion angle , then I blew chunks hard , what happened?

haha. ok, 10-4 on the toes. :flipoff2: I needed a way to hold the shock up for the pic! I am sending these back for some 12" shocks and gonna call it good.
Axle isnt welded in yet. I wanted to have the motor in permanently before I ran the beads. :flipoff2: Tomorrow- Everything will be much different. :D

we use 10" travle shox in tehrear of most rigs we do. no need for more travle on the inside of the leaf spring. thay are also easier to mount because of teh smaller body. we also do not mount them angled in, we make a x bar in the frame behind the stock one, and mount them angled back.still have the same travle but they dampen the corner of the rig not just the center if they were mounted angled in.

we also do not mount them angled in, we make a x bar in the frame behind the stock one, and mount them angled back.still have the same travle but they dampen the corner of the rig not just the center if they were mounted angled in.

Ryan, do you happen to have a picture of this?

Depends on the open and closed lenghts, and your shock mounts. :D


I will go measure my shock bodys on the rear of mine.

I dunno the lengths off of the top of my head, but I think you are running 10" travels.

I used the same size shock on my 40 and rewelded some mounts on the cross member (exactly like you have it mocked up). It does kill the shock absorber from doing it's job fully. They are not designed to operated at that angle. What I did gained was full droop from the spring without the shock bottoming out on up or down stroke. My 2c

SD

I dunno the lengths off of the top of my head, but I think you are running 10" travels.


They are 10" travel, around 16.5 compressed and 27ish extended.