Shock question

sconnors

sconnors

Well-known member
Looking for some input from you folks. I have aftermarket Offenhauser friction shocks on my 1930 Deluxe Coupe. Recently I have been contemplating replacing them with the ones sold by the fella at the Arizona A's which are rotoshims.

Haven't spoken to him directly yet, but sent an email and am waiting to hear back. From what I gather this will be a significant investment (Looks to be about $1500 for all four shocks, hardware, etc., if my math is right) on my part. The input I'm hoping you fellas can provide is this: Would you make this investment in your car? Is there a huge difference in ride quality ($1500 difference) that you will notice when driving versus driving with the friction shocks?

As always, you folks are the experts and I love that this community has such a wide depth and breath of experience!
Thanks
 
Do you personally feel like your ride quality is poor right now, with the friction shocks? A lot will depend on your perceived difference between the two, so if you’re happy now, you might not find the Rotoshims to be cost effective.
 
My only comparison is my '30 Model A pickup which came with no shocks, I subsequently put Bill Stipe shocks on. But the pickup was a much different ride than the coupe. I think the coupe rides fine and am wondering if the ride would significantly improve with the rotoshims?
 
Put replacement original style shocks on.

You and the next owner will be much happier.
 
Paul, it was great to finally meet in person at Hershey! Your contribution to the Model A community if invaluable! I checked out the video and am awaiting an email from Sammy at the Arizona A's. One thing for sure, if I decide to move forward your video is very comprehensive and it looks like a straight forward!
 
Pleasure was/is mine!!!! I keep trying to tell these people I'm just a regular guy... Will you please vouch for me now??
 
Paul is just a "regular guy" but he's the Model A Master IMHO! Super nice guy to meet and spend time with. He was gracious, knowledgeable and had a line of people waiting to get his advice. It was so cool to stand around and shoot the breeze with Model A folks! Paul is the tops fellas!
 
From an engineering standpoint, hydraulic shocks are better than friction shocks. Friction shocks have a constant resistance force whereas hydraulic shocks have a resistance that is proportional to the speed that the suspension is traveling. So it you hit a bump hard the friction shocks could bottom out whereas the hydraulic shocks will not. Since the resistance is constant with friction shocks they will be harsher when there are mild changes in the road surface.

The guy in Arizona will respond quicker to phone calls than email or text.
 
From a short bit of research, the Rotoshim shocks appear to be a lifetime type unit, ie, they are not a customer repairable type unit. With an aluminum body and phosphor-bronze type bushings, it will wear differently than the old who-die units did. I don't know how long they well last or how reliable they will be but I do know that nothing lasts forever. The Stipe shocks are likely the best rotary shocks ever produced for the early Fords since they were an improvement of materials and they are designed to be repaired just like the who-die. Too bad that Stipe doesn't seem to be setting up the new location to produce them yet. I hope they do but I'm not holding my breath either. It appears that they are done when checking their FB site.

The other one time use shocks that are available are sort of in the same boat as the Rotoshim units as far as repairs are concerned. They are good until they wear out.

For the money and time spent, I still think the old who-die shocks are a viable alternative. This is especially true if folks figure out good ways to renew worn or corroded surfaces as part of their restoration process. 1.5 K dollars goes a long way for resourceful gear heads.
 
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I have friction shocks on the front and rear of my slant T/S. Had to do extensive mods to the rear from them to fit and work properly. Have had them for 3 years and about 2500 miles of driving. Set the torque spec to 15 ft-lbs using an in-lbs torque wrench to set. The ride was decent, but always looking for something better. This week I installed tube type hydraulic shocks on the front, unusual mounting (to me) top was attached to the front fender brace at the frame, the bottom has a threaded adapter that replaced the spring perch axle nut. A short test drive showed a slight improvement in the ride. Time will tell!
 
Gave him a call! Nice guy! Said I could get the American made shocks all the hardware and everything I need for $1300. The Rotoshims are $200 more per shock. He said the American made new ones are all C&C machined and very good shocks.
 
sconnors said:
Gave him a call! Nice guy! Said I could get the American made shocks all the hardware and everything I need for $1300. The Rotoshims are $200 more per shock. He said the American made new ones are all C&C machined and very good shocks.
Click to expand...

The Rotoshims seem to be out of stock every time I check anyway.
 
sconnors said:
Gave him a call! Nice guy! Said I could get the American made shocks all the hardware and everything I need for $1300. The Rotoshims are $200 more per shock. He said the American made new ones are all C&C machined and very good shocks.
Click to expand...


Just to help give some additional information to help you make a decision. Bratton's is the manufacturer of the US shocks on the market right now. I ran a quick count in my system since April 2022 we have sold over 2,000 shocks all over the world. We have been making this shock since 2016. In the 11 years that we have been making and distributing this shock the last unit that was returned for any sort of warranty work was about 4 years ago. And that actually turned out to be damage resulting from an accident rather than a manufacture defect.
 
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