Tube Shock Mounts

hotrodalley

hotrodalley

Senior Member
I have decided to go to the "dark side" and convert to tube shocks. I have noticed there are several different mounts on the market, and i would like some opinions about the best ones out there.
 
I modified a Ken Davis kit for mine. The car went to storage before I could try it but bouncing the car by hand, you can tell it's a lot better than what was on there. Ron W
 
I don't know how "handy",you are, but I made my own rear shock mounts. Granted, I copied the ones on my coupe. It took me about a day to make them out of 6"X 2"X2"X 1/4" angle iron (Left and Right). These mount on the backing plates (not vertical, 3 deg. off). You will need to have welding capacity to weld the 5/8" nut in place. If you can't cut, weld, drill, and grind, I'd advise you to buy a kit. The shock I used is a Monroe 59017. This shock has a "eye" at both ends and they're fairly easy to mount, They do ride a little hard, but she doesn't lean in the corners. There are probably some softer riding models, but I'm satisfied.
Terry
 
I bought mine from CMR Sales. I believe they are in South Carolina. The guy's name is Charlie Ratliff. It was $249 for the set of 4. He does sell them in sets in case you would just like the front or back. The difference in the ride and handling was amazing and there were no additional holes to be drilled for installation. He is a good guy just like most of the people I have dealt with in the Model A community. His number is (843)830-9637 and email is cmrsales@comcast.net. I hope you find something that works for you.
 
I have a new set shocks and mounts i bough at a auction . Pm me if interested. Don"t remember the name i will look later. I am about an hour away in ga.
 
Here's the rub! I can't scan my drawings and or photographs. My puter is not talking to my printer. Don't ask me why! I was a tool and die maker and a pilot for years, now, it's a Greek to me. I had a stroke in 2003, maybe thats it. However, Email me at Cesspilo@yahoo.com and I will try to get the stuff to you.
Terry


TnA said:
Terry... do you happen to have a pic of your mounts and shocks.. ? thanks
Click to expand...
 
No question, tube shocks are stiffer than the originals. However, if you are going to go with tubes, I strongly recommend the Ken Davis set. Well made, fast delivery, easy to install, and very affordable.

My '30 Coupe had the shocks and ALL the linkage stripped out long before I got the car. To replace it all was a substantial investment. Going with Ken's set made it financially possible for me to get her on the road. And, the whole job was installed in one morning.

Good luck.
 
Ken Davis shocks are nice, but you have to drill holes in the front axle. I chose Ryan Kaye's setup because it uses 4 u-bolts to clamp the brackets to the front axle. They are not a permanent modification. The rears mount the same as Ken Davis's. The kit come with good quality Gabriel shocks as well.
 
sidhartha said:
Ken Davis shocks are nice, but you have to drill holes in the front axle. I chose Ryan Kaye's setup because it uses 4 u-bolts to clamp the brackets to the front axle. They are not a permanent modification. The rears mount the same as Ken Davis's. The kit come with good quality Gabriel shocks as well.
Click to expand...

I've never used a set of Ryan Kaye's before, but just from looking at them, the front style bracket is more prone to failure than kens set up. Those U bolts are only so strong, and wouldn't be as strong as kens set up. I'm sure that the ride quality is close to the same, it's just personal preference. I like the look of kens set up better, it looks more "factory" than those u-bolt kits. It's just whether or not you want to drill a hole in the axle. Some people worry about the axle not being strong enough after the hole is drilled, but people forget about all the "drilled" front axles that many hot Rodders use.
 
All of the shock kits, as is, will get the job done partially.
The shocks themselves is where final results fall down.
Most of the time a given shock is chosen because it fits into
the space available for the application.
The compression rebound rates were designed for some
other car, usually a heavier car.
One of the big reasons early Fords have the type of
suspension they do is, low unsprung weight.(example
chassis mounted spring)
On a light car like a model A this really makes a difference
how the car rides and handles.
Another big thing that is wrong with ALL kits is, the shocks
are mounted body down.
There are plenty of shocks, both non adjustable and
adjustable that will fit a model A and they mount body up.
There are unlimited combinations of compression rebound
rates available.
Only the tinkerers will ever know how well a model A can
be made to ride and handle.
 
Why does body up/body down matter? Body down would contribute to unsprung weight, but it wouldn't be very much.
 
I assume body down means the smaller diameter cylinder is mounted down and the larger diameter is mounted up - better to keep water and dirt from accummulating inside the larger skirt. If you had a shock with an eye at each end you could mount it either way, right? And select a shock for say an early Falcon or Chevette for vehicle weight. Bill G
 
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