Re: [Amc-list] early american front suspension

[Frank Swygert <farna@xxxxxxx>]

Tom, you might just want to use a shorter shock. What I eventually did was design a "U" from 3/16" plate that goes on the outside of the arms. A plate goes across the top of the arms centered over the shock bolt holes. On each side of the plate a piece is welded perpendicular on the OUTSIDE of the arms, extending about 1/2" below the arms. A short bolt and washer is installed from the inside (head to inside) to hold the arms together (the 3/16" plate can be tapped for fine thread bolts). A 1/4" grade 8 bolt with a steel tubing spacer passes through holes in the vertical plates just below the arms. This assembly takes the place of the big spacers inside the lower shock eye. The top of the plate is drilled for a bayonet mount shock. Put the bushing and lower nut on before installing the lower bolt and spacer. 

I originally built one of these with the vertical pieces on the inside and no bolt and spacer at the bottom. Worked fine, ran it for years that way, but the shock bushing had to be trimmed a bit to fit between the plates and it was tight in there putting the nut on. The verticals need to be on the outside, and the bolt and spacer across the bottom just adds a little rigidity. The top plate can extend about 1.5" to the front and be drilled for a sway bar -- that's what I did! 

Another alternative I tried with success: use a shock with a bar through the lower eye. Those use 5/16" or 1/4" bolts on each end of the bar. With that type you just put the lower arms together as from the factory, just leave the shock off. Notch each side of the top lip of the lower arms so a 1/4" bolt will fit and bolt the bar on. The notch might weaken the lower arms slightly, but I ran one for 5-6 years that way with no problems. Since you have a wire welder notch the arms then weld a piece of 1/8" rod across the notch about 1" on each side, or weld a short piece of 1/8" thick x 1/4" wide flat bar on the edge then drill for 1/4" or 5/16" bolts. I changed from this setup because I wanted to install a sway bar. The bar didn't do near as much as I had hoped, hardly noticed it at all. Stiffer springs worked wonders though! 

----------
Date: Tue, 11 Sep 2007 12:28:53 -0700
From: Tom Jennings <tomj@xxxxxxx>

The shock spacer is the ONLY thing keeping the lower arm rigid! And I was 
gonna make a reduced-diameter spacer to accomodate a modern shock, but I'm 
not gonna do that any more -- in fact I think I will make a LARGER! diameter 
spacer as a strength member, and put the shock more inwards (there's a pair 
of extra holes in the lower arms about 3" further back). I'd rather have 
poorer shock absorbtion/ride than busted trunnions!

-- 
Frank Swygert
Publisher, "American Motors Cars" 
Magazine (AMC)
For all AMC enthusiasts
http://farna.home.att.net/AMC.html
(free download available!)

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