shock location

[Racer96m]

I have seen shocks mounted many ways. Is there a right and a wrong way? Guess not, but I do believe there is an efficient and less efficient way. You pay lots of money for good shocks, so why dont make them work for you the best they can? Mounted inboard on the arm, close to stock will give the shock the least amount of travel, lets say 1.5 inch. Why not mount the bottom of the shock as close to the lower ball joint as you can, and the top of the shock as vertical as you can (without causing a tire rub) this way it is the most efficient and has the most travel (3.5") and works the best for you. You pay the money, make them work for you! I want as much control as I can get, not the least. Have cars won races with shocks mounted all over the place? Sure, and they will continue to. But if you are redoing the mounts, make those shocks work for you! I like an adjustable clamp on upper mount off of the front hoop bar for the top of the shock. That way you can adjust them to keep from rubbing on the tire, and I weld the lower mount as close to the lower balljoint as I can, and mount the shock off the front of the lower arm. Just my .02

dave.

[buterbaughb1]

I've used weight clamps for top shock mounts, I made a 0.10" shim to allow the heim end free movement away from the clamp, and ran a bolt in the backside for an extra point of insurance, never had an issue with them. I have the LF behind and the RF in front because I kept getting tire rub and I run the big late model tires. I have mounts very similar to stock car drivers, the only difference being I tried to keep my bottom mount out near the ball joint. I've always been told and gone by the 10 to 15 degree lay-in is best for the shock.. I could be mislead. Nothing wrong with the way he does his.

[Jeffery]

I run my shocks behind.

I think it matters, the lower a arm swings in a arch upward toward the rear, the shocks in order to follow that travel would need to be mounted at 5-7 degrees leaned towards the rear.

That said lots of guys run they angled way out the front and it seems to work for them, too.

fyi- my lower shock mount is 2.75 behind the closest to the frame rivet in the side of the lower arm. the rivet that holds the steering stop on the lower. My upper mount 9.5 off the top of the frame and just flush with the face of the frame, my rf doesnt rub on the shock. All these measurements are fresh in my head since I just redid a 2012 car someone else built last week.

Wow, and nice. Love to have a chassis like that one for a purestock dirt car.

[spray004]

I have seen shocks mounted many ways. Is there a right and a wrong way? Guess not, but I do believe there is an efficient and less efficient way. You pay lots of money for good shocks, so why dont make them work for you the best they can? Mounted inboard on the arm, close to stock will give the shock the least amount of travel, lets say 1.5 inch. Why not mount the bottom of the shock as close to the lower ball joint as you can, and the top of the shock as vertical as you can (without causing a tire rub) this way it is the most efficient and has the most travel (3.5") and works the best for you. You pay the money, make them work for you! I want as much control as I can get, not the least. Have cars won races with shocks mounted all over the place? Sure, and they will continue to. But if you are redoing the mounts, make those shocks work for you! I like an adjustable clamp on upper mount off of the front hoop bar for the top of the shock. That way you can adjust them to keep from rubbing on the tire, and I weld the lower mount as close to the lower balljoint as I can, and mount the shock off the front of the lower arm. Just my .02

dave.

I'm about to purchase a new set of bearing mounted shocks for my car. The only place I can mount them would be on the front of the LCA and then tie in to a vertical post on my cage. What is the max angle I can mount the shocks forward before it puts too much of a side load on the shock? If I do the math right I get around 19.4 degrees forward on a 7" shock and 16.6 degrees on a 9" shock at ride height.