<VV> VirtualVairs Digest, Vol 66, Issue 74

[djtcz at comcast.net]

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Ken Maxwell" < kobramax at insightbb.com > 
Subject: <VV> Large Front Stock Shock Bumpers 


<snipped< 

My car has new shocks installed by the previous owner and there are 
clunks in the front suspension when I drive. I had a shop check out the 
front suspension and it is OK. Would the lack of these bumpers cause such a 
clunking noise on bumps? 

============================================================== 


I chased small-bump-clunks thru several sets of aftermarket shox ( Sears (HD?), Gabriels and KONIs ) on my LM even after installing all new bushings everywhere. 


Then, after futilely trying desperately high torque on the lower shock mount, I got thinking about the clearance between the bolt body and the inside of the tubular shock mount and the (somewhat smaller than stock due to Massachusetts rust in my case) shock bolt. The clamping from torque >should< keep the tube ends from sliding within the control arm, and The tube should be fairly stiff in bending, but everything flexes when loaded. 


I got pretty good results from carefully squeezing the exposed lengths of tubular lower mounts oval in the vertical direction, to take out the clearance between the shock mount and bolt. A little negative clearance was easily overcome when tapping the (anti-seized for next time) bolt home. 


Dan T