Front Shock Relocation Thread help

[Andydodge]

Have just been thru the past 8mths worth of thread titles looking for anything that mentions the Front Shock Relocation as I am seriously about to do this to my 1940 Dodge and would like to read and view any and all threads and pics pertaining to this............also I am interested in hearing from anyone who has this modification done to their car and can comment on how it rides, handles etc ............and finally what shock absorbers did you use and again any comments etc...............you'd think I would have printed or saved these threads but alas whilst I was once young and silly I'm no longer young.............lol........andyd 

[Oldguy48]

Andy,

  It's been quite a while ago that I did this to my 48 Plymouth, but if I remember correctly (and I'll admit, sometimes I falter), I purchased bracketry from "RustyHope".  Can't remember specifically what shock absorbers I used, but they were listed for a Chevy pick-up truck.  I think RustyHope specified which shocks to get.  At about the same time, I replaced the original sway bar with one from a Jeep Cherokee.  These two modifications completely changed the handling and road manners of my Plymouth for the better.  Much less sway and wallowing.  A worthwhile modification, in my opinion.

[Andydodge]

 Oldguy, thanks for the reply......I've had a 1" sway bar on my car since the mid 70's......it was made up by a local specialist suspension company who used the original as a pattern, I asked for the new one to be 1" thick, handling is quite o/k .........lol..........and I made heim jointed links down to the place were the original sway bar link fitted.......the heim joints are very worn so I decided to replace them and also a few other bits and thought that whilst I'm at it I might as well see about doing the upper shock mount relocation so was wanting to see what people had done...........unfortunately as I live in Oz Rusty Hopes setup will be a little expensive due to the exchange rate and especially freight.........the car is hotrodded so I'm not a sticker for originality...........lol...........anyway appreciate your reply and if anyone else can help don't hesitate..........lol...........btw the attached pic is an old one but shows the heim jointed link and the end of the chromed sway bar.................this was taken before the previous tidy up, maybe 1o yrs ago....time for another one........lol............Andy Douglas   

[YukonJack]

You might want to look into early Ford F100 truck front shock frame mounts. I recall several people on here using them.

Edited January 5, 2019 by YukonJack

[Dan Hiebert]

Ditto on above, I recall the same thread(s), but they are more than 8 months ago, more like over a year, maybe even over 3 years as I recall perusing them when we lived in west NY, and that was 3 1/2 years ago.  (Time flies, eh?)  RustyHope indeed sells a kit and will let you know what shocks to use, and many have used F1 shock mounts as they can bolt in/on, rather than having to weld.  I'll be doing this conversion in the next year or so.  I believe I'll use the F1 mounts as they are more aesthetically pleasing to me.  No rush on my part, just realistic expectations on when I'll get around to it as I don't have to do it, just want to eventually.  I don't mind the tugboat steering right now, but can envision getting annoyed with it in the future.  You know...that aging thing... 

[Plymouthy Adams]

couple of the hot rod shop that are popular today carry these in short and long length, basically a forged knock off of the F1......pricy....but as they will bolt on and not require welding...they should be an easy adaptation....shocks are just a  matter of measuring based on you mounting position and mount use...the Monroe site has all the data making choosing your shock simple and easy...

[Andydodge]

I have had a pair of mid 50's Mopar pickup front shock mounts and also a pair of Munro shocks that look promising...........a mate, Geoff who's engineering and fabrication skills I value called in yesterday and we had a few hours playing front ends...........whilst all the pics I've seen of this conversion show either those pickup mounts or a fabricated steel plate mount they all seem to show an upper mount that ends up being or appears to be 3-4 inches above the top edge of the chassis.......what we found was that using the Munro Matic shocks I have that an upper mount only about 2" above the chassis maybe possible , these Munro shocks have a 12& 7/8" extended length and an 8 & 1/2 compressed length.....they are Munro # 1009 and also have # PK14HA stamped into the lower shock body.............(BTW that shock shown in my pic above is NOT the Munro shock, this shock in the pic has NO stamping or name apart from "UR4" stamped into the body, its also a rebuildable shock as its lower body is screwed together, the Munro shocks are 1" shorter on compression also) ..............anyway I'm still interested in any comments and appreciate all those who have taken the time to reply and add their thoughts and comments.................thanks, Andy Douglas      

[Edward Garcia]

On 1/4/2019 at 8:35 PM, Oldguy48 said:

Andy,

  It's been quite a while ago that I did this to my 48 Plymouth, but if I remember correctly (and I'll admit, sometimes I falter), I purchased bracketry from "RustyHope".  Can't remember specifically what shock absorbers I used, but they were listed for a Chevy pick-up truck.  I think RustyHope specified which shocks to get.  At about the same time, I replaced the original sway bar with one from a Jeep Cherokee.  These two modifications completely changed the handling and road manners of my Plymouth for the better.  Much less sway and wallowing.  A worthwhile modification, in my opinion.

Andy  by chance do you remember what Jeep Cherokee Sway bar you used? My car has air bags and NO sway bar. its a beast to drive!!!

[Andydodge]

Edward......oldguy48 replaced his sway bar with the Jeep bar......my cars sway bar is an exact copy shape wise of the original 1940/41 sway bar but 1" thicker with the ends flatened so that the adjustable links I made use bolts to attach to the bar.....heres a better pic of the one I use...........andyd

[48ply1stcar]

Andy you should mark this  thread "Answered"

[Andydodge]

48plym.............sorry, don't know what you mean?........andyd 

[48ply1stcar]

Andydodge - I meant that post#9 was your answer to your orignal post #1.  You answered your own question so you hit the check mark to the left of post #9.  So when others are doing a search and this thread comes up they'll know that you found an answer for that question / subject.

Edited March 20, 2020 by 48ply1stcar
added info

[laynrubber]

I have done the shock relocation and honestly I don’t see a difference. Now, when I did it, the car sat several years after waiting other things so I don’t remember the ride before. Looking at the physics of the relocation it makes sense but my reaction wasn’t wow....this is so much better. I had...have, an issue with the brackets too. I bought the kit from someone on here (can’t remember from who) and followed the instructions for measuring. Once complete though the shocks bottom out before hitting either bump stop. I posted here years ago with no definitive answer. After a 1500 miles last summer I see no adverse affects to this but it still bugs me.

[Plymouthy Adams]

to really see the results of the relocation one has to seriously drive the car as he would his daily driver.  I you not navigating curves and such at speed and running above 65 you may not see it....many folks never drive the car to take full advantage of the upgrade.  The fact that the suspension changed to chassis mounted shocks screams the need to have this at x speed.  Before the shock only does one job, checks oscillation of the coil spring...

[40desoto]

I havent driven the car with this setup, but heres a pic of my Fatman shock relocation bracket.  Sits a lot higher than most others Ive seen.

 

 

Edited April 4, 2020 by 40desoto
Adding pic

[48ply1stcar]

40 Desoto, I like relocation of the brake line.  I didn't do that because I couldn't fine a hose with the 90 degree angle I would have needed at the banjo fitting.

[Dodgeb4ya]

Beautiful work!

You might look into swapping the out board brake pads left to right sides.

Generally ...

You want the moving surface of the rotor to be coming toward the wear indicators (leading side). This will be the top for those cars where the caliper is mounted on the front side of the wheel, and the bottom if it is on the back.?

[40desoto]

1 hour ago, 48ply1stcar said:

40 Desoto, I like relocation of the brake line.  I didn't do that because I couldn't fine a hose with the 90 degree angle I would have needed at the banjo fitting.

The location of the brake line is stock.  I did notice others have it on the front of the shock mount

[40desoto]

1 hour ago, Dodgeb4ya said:

Beautiful work!

You might look into swapping the out board brake pads left to right sides.

Generally ...

You want the moving surface of the rotor to be coming toward the wear indicators (leading side). This will be the top for those cars where the caliper is mounted on the front side of the wheel, and the bottom if it is on the back.?

Thanks for the info.  I had no clue, i had been sitting on this brake project for over 6 years and forgot what calipers and rotors where used.  Researched and found out that they are Ford Probe rotors and 1990 chevy Celebrity calipers and pads.  Its a scarebird kit but they have since updated their kit.

[westaus29]

On 3/20/2020 at 7:54 AM, Andydodge said:

48plym.............sorry, don't know what you mean?........andyd 

I had the same problem with that "answered" status setting, after I saw someone actually complaining that someone else hadnt set post to "answered". I even posted a query to support and got no answer. Finally noticed that for posts I own, there is a column on left with tick marks, and if I CLICK ON A TICK the status goes to"answered". An undocumented feature!

[westaus29]

Back to your original question. You may already know, but the 38 Plymouth for one has telescopic shocks on front with an upper mount that bolts on with captive nuts inside the chassis rail and extends several inches above the rail. My shocks are Munroe made in Oz by Wylie, too old for numbers to mean anything, about 1-1/2 inch bore, 13 inch compressed and 21-3/8 inch extended. The originals are Healing made in Oz, same bore, 12-5/8 inch compressed and 20-1/2 extended.I imagine you could work out what lengths you need and pick a shock from the catalogue. I looked at a current Monroe catalogue online and Holden wagon shocks could fit the bill for me. Oh for the days when everything possible was made in Oz. We are just starting to realise the folly of reliance on China for everything. Sneak preview below.

 

[BobT-47P15]

Andy...been a while since done, but I think I used the Ford pickup arms.  Several people said they then used longer shocks...so I bought whatever model number they said----which were too long on my P15 and would bottom out when hitting any bump.  Now I have re-installed my original shorter shocks which work fine and do not hit bottom.  Handles some better than original it seems.  I think next time I buy shocks, I will try to find some one inch longer as the current ones seem slightly stretched but do work OK.  Don't know if my comments help but hope so. Bob.

[YukonJack]

I recall reading somewhere (maybe here) that late 70's early 80's Chevy pick up shocks worked.

[Ulu]

You have to remember different

Individual Specific vehicles are going to have different spring sag. Different weight distribution, different overall weight, different rake, etc.

 

You might want a shock 2 inches longer or shorter than somebody else with the same basic car. You might want different shock rates.This is never a one size fits all deal.

 

But as Plymouthy mentions, different people drive differently and I used to drive the snot out of mine. Because of that I bought very expensive shocks and added a swaybar to the rear of the car which, In my mind, was essential, for the best handling.

 

 

 

Edited April 8, 2020 by Ulu

[falconvan]

I usually just make them out of some 1/4" plate and weld them to the frame. Here's a shot of some. For shocks I used Pete & Jakes street rod shocks. After I had the car back together I measured between the upper and lower shock mount and made that measurement the center of the length. When you look up the shocks it will give you the compressed and extended length.