Broke a shock - I think I know why...sort of

[45Kevin]

I went wheeling a few weekends ago, and on the way there my buddy that was following me flagged me down because the DS rear shock was hanging funny.

I stopped and inspected it. The old, at least 12 years, shock had broken at the shaft, close to the top. I thought no biggie, we don't need no stinkin' shocks anyway.

Somewhere along the trail, or on the way home that night, the bottom half of the shock broke off at the eye and disappeared.

So with the warm weather, and some time off this week, I thought I would put two new shocks on the back.

I easily removed the rest of the top half of the old shock, and the bottom eye and placed the new shock on the top pin. I then went to put the bottom eye on the pin and the shock hits the sway-bar and is prevented from getting anyless than a few inches from the bottom pin.

It looks like the sway-bar is inverted. How can I get it back into place, and what caused it.


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[45Kevin]

Loooking more closely at the pics I see the arm thingies coming off the axle housing that go to the sway-bar are probably bent. I guess I need new ones. I hope Beno can get them.

 

[rockcod]

Kevin, are they bent on both sides? I think I might have a pair of links you can have (if I find them!!) I know you can buy new link and bushings from Specter. Unbolt the link at the axle and push the sway bar back up in position, you could bend the old links back in shape too. Or you can just remove the sway bar all together, I do not run a sway bar in my 45.

 

[tornadoalleycruiser]

New links from algazy about to go on my truck yours are definitely bent

 

[45Kevin]

Both sides are equally bent.

What would cause that? And will it happen again?

The SOR kit is cheap at $35. I'll do that unless Beno can come close in price.

 

[landcrusher909]

Kevin are you running lifted springs ? I had to disconnect the ones on the LV after I put the life on If I remember correctly there ment to push forward after I out the lift on once I got any kind of travell in the rear they would want to lay back behind the axle like in your picture and I was just using a jack Man seems like you would have to be jumping your 45 to get both sides to spring back at the same time ?

 

[45Kevin]

Well Rob, I did just get back from Pismo. No jumps, but the back end did a lot of hopping in the sand. I figure it happened at Pismo because I hadn't driven it since then.

The back springs have a 2" shackle lift. They have been on for about 8 years and I've thrashed on the truck many times without a problem. I see SOR has an extended link for lifted trucks...

 

[landcrusher909]

Well Rob, I did just get back from Pismo. No jumps, but the back end did a lot of hopping in the sand. I figure it happened at Pismo because I hadn't driven it since then.

The back springs have a 2" shackle lift. They have been on for about 8 years and I've thrashed on the truck many times without a problem. I see SOR has an extended link for lifted trucks...

Ha Ha Kevin come to think about it once you got about 600 pounds of Cruiser parts, Camping gear, and the other Kevin out of your 45 I could see the back end bouncing that much

 

[45Kevin]

Easy-Peasy

I easily un-bolted the two links and savagely beat them straight.

They'll do until I get some new ones. The bushing are close to shot anyway.

Now for the shocks. The ones I have are about 19" long and don't seem to want to extend any further. What I need are 21" from eye to eye. It's funny because I put that same shock on the front and they work fine. The current rear shock (was shocks but you remember I broke one) are what was there before the 2" lift.

The new shocks compress by hand but I can't get them to extend any more that 19", which their "at rest" length.



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