Re: [AMC-list] Performance shocks for bathtub American

[Frank Swygert <farna@xxxxxxx>]

Brand new front shocks ARE available for 58-63 Americans. Kanter has them and I'm pretty sure you can get them from Galvin's and other Rambler vendors. maybe Blaser's. Kanter lists Standard ("Pleasuride" - $47 each, $155/4) or gas-charged ($55 each, $185/4). Might want to make a note of that on your site! I checked with them before, they do have the early American shocks. The site just lists 49-84, but 52-57 big Nash cars use the same type front suspension/shock. 

Neat shock mount for a more common shock! One more idea: keep the original spacer and make a steel spacer to go over it. The steel piece would have a grease zerk in the bottom and a flat bar welded to the top for a flat base shock like a Hornet uses -- and should be close to the right size. Check your catalog Tom! Would be same travel as stock 58-63 American. 

I used something closer to what you made, only I used a piece of 1/4" angle across the top of the arms with 1/4" thick plate tabs going down. The tabs had large holes for bolts that went through the spacer holes, eliminating the spacer. To further stiffen everything I used a piece of 1"x1"x1/8" angle across the underside with 1/4" bolts on each side of the arms, clamping the arms between the two pieces of angle. The top angle extended about 3" in front of the arm so a sway bar could be used (the main reason for the thick bar across the top). I bent a Spirit sway bar in a hydraulic press to fit. There turned out to be no real need for the sway bar -- it was only noticeable on the hardest of turns. When I installed new stiffer springs later I could have took the bar off, but left it on anyway since the work was already done. Wouldn't bother with a bar now, just stiffer springs. 

---------
Date: Mon, 19 Oct 2009 21:02:32 -0700
From: tom jennings <tomj@xxxxxxx>

Front shocks for the pre-64 Americans are flatly unavailable in anything
except old stock (ugh). But if you fab up a front shock mount like mine (go
to the end of this page
http://wps.com/AMC/1963-Rambler-American/Suspension) then the
dimensions (collapsed and extended and mount type) is identical
to 68-69 AMX. The AMX is much heavier though.

So here are good shocks for the bathtub Americans:

Front: KYB Gas-A-Just #KG4503
Rear: KYB Gas-A-Just #KG5521

--
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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