Shock Absorber Clearance Issues - Shockingly Easy

With all the components and systems that have to be squeezed under a car during the build process, it's no wonder many of them want to occupy the same space, sometimes turning what is supposed to be a hobby for most into a hair-pulling packaging nightmare. Careful planning and building in a sequence can eradicate most of these problems. For instance, in the case we are going to examine, mounting shock absorbers before fabricating the exhaust system would have been the answer. But this was a finished car, brought into Circle City Hot Rods for an upgrade in the shock department, so planning for clearance issues wasn't an option here.

A very nice, on-the-road '36 Ford three-window equipped with a Durant Enterprises monoleaf spring, its owner wanted to upgrade from the stock lever arm friction shocks to tube type. With an early aftermarket conversion kit already in his possession, this should have been as simple as bolting the new shocks in place, but clearance issues with the exhaust system meant the shocks could not be fitted where the kit was designed to place them-inside the chassis 'rails.

After some head-scratching and spending some time studying the underside of the coupe, Circle City's Jimmy White came up with a solution that involved mounting the lower shock mount on the spring shackle, and fabricating an upper mount that would bolt to the outer chassis 'rail, allowing plenty of clearance between the shock and the inner tire sidewall. Incidentally, if you're experiencing similar clearance issues, CCHR is about to start offering these upper and lower mounts for sale, part of an upcoming product line from the company. Contact Circle City Hot Rods for more details.

Here are the stock lever arm...        read full caption Here are the stock lever arm friction shocks, as well as the cause of our problem. The exhaust systemmeans the new tube shocks cannot pass up and inside the chassis 'rails, necessitating scratch-built mounts.	The lower shock mounts started...        read full caption The lower shock mounts started off as these readily available shock studs, and then the threaded section was removed from one end in the lathe.	You may have noticed a hole...        read full caption You may have noticed a hole drilled in the plate welded to the stud. This allowed the plate to be rosette-welded to the shackle plate.
Here are the rare early accessory...        read full caption Here are the rare early accessory tube shock mounts for the '36, which unfortunately could not be used since the exhaust system allowed insufficient clearance.	Circle City's Jimmy White...        read full caption Circle City's Jimmy White installed new urethane bushings in the bracket and spring, and then fitted the fabricated lower mount/shackle.	The studs are then welded...        read full caption The studs are then welded to these fabricated plates, which are slightly larger than the spring shackle plates picked up from Pete & Jake'Sn (shown here with the bushings removed).
With the '36 supported at...        read full caption With the '36 supported at ride height on jackstands under both the chassis and axle, the original shackle plates were removed (these can be unbolted from the shackle pins, unlike the aftermarket versions) and the shackle pins drifted from the bracket that is part of the axle casing.	The SO-CAL Speed Shop chrome...        read full caption The SO-CAL Speed Shop chrome tube shock was then mounted to determine the shape, size, and location of the upper mount. With the shock mounted to the shackle, it means it will be perpendicular to the axle and will travel as closely as possible to the gentle arc that the axle will travel in under suspension movement.	The shackles and plates were...        read full caption The shackles and plates were then TIG-welded together with a seam weld around the perimeter of the shackle plate.
Jimmy made cardboard templates...        read full caption Jimmy made cardboard templates (seen to the right) for a mounting plate to attach to the chassis 'rail, and another for one side of the shock bracket.	Here's the shock, loosely...        read full caption Here's the shock, loosely mounted, bolted to the upper and lower mounts to check clearance and\ travel. A second plate was trimmed and bolted to the chassis using existing holes, which will form the mount for the upper bracket.	The second side of the mounting...        read full caption The second side of the mounting bracket could now be fabricated, and cardboard was again used as a template. Jimmy used a transfer punch to mark the cardboard in exactly the right position for the hole to be drilled.
Here's what it looked like...        read full caption Here's what it looked like on the bench after welding both sides of the bracket, as well as a gusset plate fabricated.	The brackets are then cut...        read full caption The brackets are then cut out using a bandsaw and cleaned up with a belt sander. Once the shock mounting hole was drilled, both sides of the bracket were hit with this countersink tool for a neat, burr-free finish.	And here it is bolted in place....        read full caption And here it is bolted in place. This '36 now has updated shocks, and no clearance issues, either with the tire sidewall or the exhaust system. All it needs now is a lick of paint.