2.5" Coilover shock R&D

[bjowett]

I'm knee deep in the designing and building of an appropriate front coil over for the everyday 200 Series Land Cruiser. This point has been reached after attempts with several other brands have fallen flat for various reasons. So the purpose of this damper build is to find out how feasible it will be, mostly cost-wise, to build a long lasting large body mono tube shock. Some components are off the shelf of a very well known and respected manufacturer, a few OEM Toyota parts are retained, and much is built here.

Everyday means different things to different people, so there are several goals here. Adjustable from 0"/stock height on up to 2" of increased ride height. A large 2.5" diameter with equally large supporting components to deal with the weight of the Land Cruiser. It also needs to ride nice, be long lasting in all environments, and rebuilable/revalvable.

So here is where it is at today. This week will see the stem and lower bushing become part of the main body. Then installation and testing begins. Much goes into increasing the life of the unit, front spring and mount design, to seals, and a splash cover to eliminate most contamination of the rod and those seals. I'll have parts pictures this week. All input and questions welcome.

 

[Markuson]

I'm knee deep in the designing and building of an appropriate front coil over for the everyday 200 Series Land Cruiser. This point has been reached after attempts with several other brands have fallen flat for various reasons. So the purpose of this damper build is to find out how feasible it will be, mostly cost-wise, to build a long lasting large body mono tube shock. Some components are off the shelf of a very well known and respected manufacturer, a few OEM Toyota parts are retained, and much is built here.

Everyday means different things to different people, so there are several goals here. Adjustable from 0"/stock height on up to 2" of increased ride height. A large 2.5" diameter with equally large supporting components to deal with the weight of the Land Cruiser. It also needs to ride nice, be long lasting in all environments, and rebuilable/revalvable.

So here is where it is at today. This week will see the stem and lower bushing become part of the main body. Then installation and testing begins. Much goes into increasing the life of the unit, front spring and mount design, to seals, and a splash cover to eliminate most contamination of the rod and those seals. I'll have parts pictures this week. All input and questions welcome.
View attachment 1330517

Man, you just keep crankin'! Keep goin! Bravo!

 

[usmcHOG]

Looks good!

 

[thzpcs]

Can't wait to see some results!

 

[bjowett]

Here is the stem and lower eye mount. It is two pieces, the shock body end cap and stem shaft are one piece, the eye is the secondt. The large section change between the end cap and stem make it one the weakest points of the structure, so producing it as one piece here makes for a more durable solution. It also uses a sealed and greased ball joint. The shaft cover has a nice progressive foam bump stop integrated in. The lower spring seat is welded in place, small spacers can be stacked on it to increase the preload on the spring. A threaded body is an option, but they are not the best idea for dealing with salt, dirt, and corrosion.

 

[bjowett]

The long lifer prototype is ready for testing.

 

[thzpcs]

Not bad! Looks pretty good for a prototype. How's performance?

 

[bjowett]

Excellent, firm and very well controlled, but not jarring. I'll be taking them for some larger hits this week.

 

[NLScooby]

Subscribed! I finally got to play on various off road surfaces in a single weekend trip (from slow with large bumps to fast washboard dirt roads) I can't wait to upgrade!

 

[Thebedouin60]

Subscribed,

After 3 shock rebuilds on my kings, i wanna see this!

Don't forget the video footage

 

[bjowett]

Do you run the urethane or viton seals in your Kings?

 

[Thebedouin60]

Do you run the urethane or viton seals in your Kings?

Viton

Needs to hold up to the heat cycling and the hot-as-hell ambient temperatures, traditional urethane would melt/soften up after a hard season or two.

 

[bjowett]

Just checking! There are better versions of the Viton seals, but they need to be tested.

How are the shock shafts holding up?

 

[Thebedouin60]

No worries!

What versions of the Vitons do you recommend? I'll snap some photos of the shafts in daylight. They've held up well after two and a half cruisers, i got the anodizing to turn back into raw aluminum after a good sandblast in the desert haha