Rear shock/spring adjuster nut...

[DARK AGE 53]

my sons car has the front adjusters on the bottom ( which I think is correct ), the rears are on top, which makes me beleive the shocks/springs where installed incorrectly ( upside down ). Anyone know which ways up?

Thanks,
Al

[Tom Cole]

That is how mine are.

[DARK AGE 53]

That is how mine are.

For some reason it just doesn't seem right, the stem part of the shock should be on top not the bottom.  I would think the dampening/rebound would be off,  here's some links from 600 Racing showing the postion of the shocks.

Rear
http://store.600racing.com/site/department.cfm?id=622E1E39-B0D0-791A-65B23BFDCCF3BDC3&killnav=yes

Front
http://store.600racing.com/site/department.cfm?id=622DD78B-B0D0-791A-65335234A0874BC2&killnav=yes

[T48]

One of the tips we got when we bought the T48 was that your Bilstein shocks should be installed up side down for ease in making adjustments.  The article I printed and filed away assured us it would in no way alter their performance. 

[DARK AGE 53]

One of the tips we got when we bought the T48 was that your Bilstein shocks should be installed up side down for ease in making adjustments.  The article I printed and filed away assured us it would in no way alter their performance. 

Yesterday I was at the shop of the guy who did the setup, I asked him about this and he said it didn't make any difference which way the shock was installed....I then asked him what the Bilstein shocks were valved at...his answer, I don't know.  If you don't know what the valving is how can you turn then upside down, maybe it's o.k but I'd like to know a little more first.

You mention an article you printed out, can you share that with me?

Thanks,
Al

[T48]

Al, I've found that same info in several places, but here's what the updates in the tech section of  legendscar.com had to say about it:

"8/13/01 Shock Mounting - Mounting rear shocks upside down will not alter the performance of the shock. It will, however, allow you to make changes to your car's setup without having to crawl under the car. You will simply jack the car up in the rear, and make your adjustment. Remember to tape your shocks or use the above mentioned clamp to hold the coilover in place after any update so the setup does not change."

Ours were already upside down when we bought the car, but I'll go back through some of my files and see if I can get you more input about this subject.

[DARK AGE 53]

Thanks T48 for the info, I'm going to research this a little more just to make sure this is the way to go.

[T48]

You're welcome, Al.  Here's a link for you that I found very easy to follow, hope it's helpful.

http://www.legendsforce.com/chasis.htm

[justfreaky]

 The main reason for mounting the shocks upside down is  to lower the unsprung weight of the suspension. It also moves the shock body up and away from the brakes, hence the fluid in the shock runs cooler. A bonus is that it is easier to adjust.
Nothin' new, or secret. It's in most chassis books. 

[DARK AGE 53]

Thanks for the link T48, some good info and links there.
justfreaky, thanks for the reply, I'll leave the shocks upside down.

[racer48j]

Just a word of caution about mounting the rear shocks upside down.  We had a shock eye break off  a Bilstein shock (not come unscrewed as they are known for) on our left rear.  The shock shaft extended into the pavement and then wrapped under the rear axle.  This lifted the left rear tire off the ground and threw the car into a spin towards the infield.  The truly sad part was I was running my nephews '34 Ford Legend just behind  our car which was being driven by my son.  With little or no time to react I ended up "T-Boning" my own car/and son in the process.  Needless to say I have been mounting my shocks with the shaft up/shock body down ever since.  Your mileage may vary!!! 

[justfreaky]

Read Shock Adjuster affixing

http://www.kevscorner.com/Corner2004/KCLegendTechTips.htm

[fastmantom]

The bump/rebound settings of a shock is the same reguardless of the way it's mounted.  Bump is how hard it is to compress a shock, rebound is how hard it is to pull it back apart.

[6th Geer]

Now that this has been decided and Legend drivers have been running them upside down for 10 years now. How about mounting them on the inside or outside of the frame. I like my left side on the outside and the right side on the inside. It gets the best forward bite out of the turns this way. what about you guys??

[justfreaky]

Did some quick research and asked on some other sites. Here is what I found:

 Putting the LR shock in front of the housing will increase cross weight when you get on the throttle; Which will tighten the car up on exit.

 Changing  the RR shock angle (mounting inside or outside of the frame rail), but keeping the same spring rate, will increase side bite.


 Anyone else have insight on this?

 Steve