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Adjustable Shocks and stuts for a 3g CSM.
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Author:  Coltsfan [ Fri Apr 13, 2012 12:20 pm ]
Post subject:  Adjustable Shocks and stuts for a 3g CSM.
Hi,

If you're like me, you may have done some modifications to your CSM. You're probably thinking, "Hmm, I can go really fast, and stop really fast, but my suspension is really lacking. What can I do?"

Here's a little tidbit of information that some of you may or may not know. All 1g DSM springs will phisically fit onto your CSM specific struts and shocks (FWD and AWD). There are plenty of aftermarket options available, so finding a ride height and spring rate you like should just be a matter of experimentation.

Now for socks and struts. DSM shocks and struts are different lengths. DSM fronts are longer, so you can put in lowering springs, but you've lost a couple inches of compression travel in your suspension. If you are going for a slammed look, you'll need to be sitting right on the bumpstops, if you can even fit any at all.

Solution: You can buy Koni Yellows for the front. They're inserts, and require cutting, but that may be a good thing. (We'll cover that later)

For the rear it's more complicated. DSM shocks are all much shorter, so you have to get creative.

In the intrest of thriftiness, I decided to use 70% recycled materials.
First find a FWD DSM with a set of AGX rear shocks:
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Do this to it:
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and harvest these:
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More later.
Author:  Coltsfan [ Fri Apr 13, 2012 1:18 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Adjustable Shocks and stuts for a 3g CSM.
Now go to your scrap pile, and find a suitable chunk of tubing. I used 1 7/8"od chrome plated steel.
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Find a local place that sells Heim joints and other assorted nifty doodads:
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Go to a hardware store and buy two hefty washers that are the same diameter as the pipe.
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Push this button
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this will happen
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Squish this
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1.5" works well for me
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snug fit, but not tight enough to bend the pipe.
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Mark lines where to cut
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Knock the spring seat off
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Clean it and cut it
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Set the bottom piece on top of the top piece you just cut
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Weld
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Mark the depth
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cut + file smooth
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Test fit+file as needed
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Mask
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Media blast
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drill
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weld
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I just did four tacks at the top
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weld a nut to a washer
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I must have skipped a few steps with the camera, but weld the washer to the tube that you cut to the perfect length (with the nut on the inside), and paint your new shock.
Then seal it so water can't get between the tubes.
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Install your hiem joint and jamb nut to the height you like, and repeat as needed.
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Colt sized
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Just for refrence, here's how much shorter GSX shocks are:
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and GS shocks:
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The ride quality with Tien springs, and AGX shocks set to the softest setting is incredible. I can't believe how effortlessly it swallows up bumps. You would never think you can barely stick two fingers between my rear wheel arch and the top of the tire. :supz:

Monday the housings for my Koni front inserts should arrive, and I'll take some pictures of that too. My car is a heavy pig, so I it sits really low up front with the tein springs. My plan is to move the spring perch higher up on my strut housing.

Until then, have fun, and keep embarrassing those vette owners!
Author:  UnderPSI [ Fri Apr 13, 2012 4:18 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Adjustable Shocks and stuts for a 3g CSM.
Awesome write up, can't wait to see the front done. I finally have made up my mind on what to do with my suspension. Thanks
Author:  Coltsfan [ Fri Apr 13, 2012 6:06 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Adjustable Shocks and stuts for a 3g CSM.
Quote:
Those rears look amazing! You need to post a how to. Good work
Glad you like it. It was for you. :yawinkle:
Author:  Coltsfan [ Sat Apr 14, 2012 8:28 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Adjustable Shocks and stuts for a 3g CSM.
I drove it a few miles with a passenger and $58 worth of gas in it. So far everything is where I left it.
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Author:  j2dapo [ Sat Apr 14, 2012 3:10 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Adjustable Shocks and stuts for a 3g CSM.
Thanks for how to. The forum benifits from this type of posts with all the detailed pictures.

How do the struts line up on top with the towers after the awd swap? I see that you also extended the bottom mount point as well, did you change to angle by doing this?
Author:  Coltsfan [ Sat Apr 14, 2012 3:59 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Adjustable Shocks and stuts for a 3g CSM.
The bottom extensions are bolted and welded to the trailing arms in a straight up position, however they do angle away from the centerline of the car a little to accomodate the wider placement of the Colts upper shock mounts.

My shocks used to be tweaked backward a little and ate a set of rubber mounts since the DSM lower shock mounting is further back. I solved that by cutting a 3"-4" hole in the centers of my upper mounts, and welding a pair of DSM mounts inside them on an angle. They fit in there really well, allowing a continuous bead all the way around, and now my shocks naturally hang right in the middle of the bracket on the trailing arm.

I'll snap a picture of the upper mounts when I do my front struts next week.
Author:  Coltsfan [ Mon Apr 16, 2012 5:15 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Adjustable Shocks and stuts for a 3g CSM.
I'm having some camera issues. But I can post a few phone pictures of where I am at this point with the front struts.

I got the pair of $10 a piece struts today.
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I immediately noticed they were factory defects, but that won't be a problem for what I'm doing. They didn't have the flat side at the top where they key into the upper spring seat.
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The Koni's have it, so we're good.
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I figured I could get away with raising the front of my car a half inch, so I stuck the piston rod in the vise, and carefully cut (with a hacksaw) only deep enough to sever the spring seat from the tube.
It was convenient being able to spin the outer tube.
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As per the instructions, I measured, center punched, and drilled a 3mm hole in the bottom of the strut, then proceded to cut off the top with a tubing cutter.
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I poured the guts out, cleaned it, media blasted the area I needed to weld the spring seat back to, welded the spring seat back on, and media blasted the rest of the piece.

Then drilled out the hole in the bottom to 13mm (instructions say 14mm but I don't have that drill) and cleaned again.

Then paint. School bus yellow.
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Author:  Coltsfan [ Tue Apr 17, 2012 2:56 pm ]
Post subject:  Gabriel is full of suck right now.
I did tons of work on my strut housings that I got on closeout for $34 shipped:
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I have no Idea why, but the spring seats on the new housings are way too small.
Author:  Coltsfan [ Thu Apr 19, 2012 11:42 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Adjustable Shocks and stuts for a 3g CSM.
I had to glass bead my 8ish year old rusted housings that I had in there so if anyone cares, see:

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It's a good thing all this happened, because after running out of the 30 year old School Bus Yellow I had on the shelf, I was forced to seek out this Carquest brand School Bus Yellow that happens to match way better.
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All this pitting is going to hurt my score at the car shows LOL
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Someone asked about the rear shock mounts; the angle makes it hared to see anything, but there it is.
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One shock mount welded into another on an angle.
I decided to do something similar in the front, so I won't need to re-weld the spring seats on higher.
Author:  MattGSR [ Fri Apr 20, 2012 1:35 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Adjustable Shocks and stuts for a 3g CSM.
Great how to and pics!
Author:  Coltsfan [ Fri Apr 20, 2012 4:35 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Adjustable Shocks and stuts for a 3g CSM.
The fronts are in. I cut the center out of old DSM spring hats, and bolted them to the bottom of my Colt spring hats to make up the half inch.
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Author:  Coltsfan [ Sat Apr 21, 2012 2:59 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Adjustable Shocks and stuts for a 3g CSM.
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Author:  MANNY-4AGW6D3 [ Thu Oct 11, 2012 7:34 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Adjustable Shocks and stuts for a 3g CSM.
Everything looks awesome man! But my question to you is... One of the last pics of the front strut assembled and installed shows the bumpstops and what looks like 2-3" of suspension travel. Is that the case with your konis? Are you always bottoming out, or riding the bump stops as they say. Cause I myself have kyb agx struts all around from a 1g awd( bought new) with 2" lowering springs up front and I have a lil less travel then what yours looks like. :( it rides good, but on a nice dip or crack in the road it'll bottom out. Badly... Hoping these agx's hold up to the limited suspension travel. Also I cut more then half my bump stop to help with more travel, I have about only 1.5-2" of a bump stop on there! Wishing these cars wouldn't suffer from lack of suspension travel when lowered.
Author:  Coltsfan [ Fri Oct 12, 2012 12:30 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Adjustable Shocks and stuts for a 3g CSM.
Between the Tiens and the decent shocks and struts, I have no bottoming out at all, and the ride is better than it ever has been. I'm familiar with the bone jarring bottom outs from when I had the Sprint 2" drop springs and stock shocks. That is completely gone now.

Since this writeup I got my official racecar drivers licence, and have been autocrossing this car every weekend or so in SM class with zero suspension problems other than having to weld washers to the camber slots in my front struts. I have also since added an upgraded rear sway bar, and my next big handling upgrade will likely be race compound tires. I would have to say I've been extremely hard on the car.

Since the CSM struts have a shorter body than your DSM struts, I automatically have a little more suspension travel to play with. On top of that the Teins have a 1.5" drop instead of 2", and when I put them in, I also dropped the upper spring perch about an inch, to allow even more travel and ride height.
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