Rear shock mount bending
- Thread starter kcjaz
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- mount rear rear shock shock
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kcjaz
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- Thread starter
- #22
Its clear to me that the lack of a metal tight fitting sleeve in the bushing results is a weaker connection compared to having the sleeve. I also think that the geometry of the BB guard could potentially contribute to the bending we see. My point here is that it could be the combination. I'd be very interesting in knowing if anyone with BP51 shocks but without guards have seen this.
here is a pic of the BB guards:
Any impact to the forward facing plate will tend to pivot the guard at the upper bolt which would put downward force on the shock bolt/mounting post.
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And if you hit hard enough, this happens...lol.
I have yet to fully inspect it all but I'll be climbing under there for closer inspection soon.
I have yet to fully inspect it all but I'll be climbing under there for closer inspection soon.
bloc
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Yeah it looks like that is bent too. I now agree on combination of causes.
Holly impact Bullgump! What was your last known indicated air speed before contact?
kcjaz
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- Thread starter
- #27
Cut off 12mm 1.25 cut off bolt threaded into hole, 19mm deep socket over the post, 1" sch 40 black pipe 18" long and a floor jack to bend the post back straight. No heat. It was pretty easy which makes me happy but also makes me go hmm. I went slow and in 4 or 5 increments as I didn’t want to over bend it.
OEM shock now slides on easy.
OEM shock now slides on easy.
Dig you have the BB shock guards as well?
Thanks for posting (with photos) how you were able to straighten your rear shock mount!
Nice to know that your rear shock mount could be straightened without heat.
kcjaz
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- Thread starter
- #31
Other side was slightly bent too but I probably would have not noticed it if I wasn’t specifically looking for it. I did bent it back though as that was simple enough. The all rubber bushing also wasn’t as damaged as the other side.
ARB did email me back but didn’t really offer any info regarding my question of have they seen this on other 200s. I may try to get a different contact at ARB.
ARB did email me back but didn’t really offer any info regarding my question of have they seen this on other 200s. I may try to get a different contact at ARB.
bloc
SILVER Star
If you still have AHC and therefore sleeved rear shocks I think you are fine. That is a -much- stronger setup for the post than what ARB has done with the lower mounts.
But I’m just a guy on the internet…
kcjaz
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- Thread starter
- #35
I think how you use your 200 comes into play here too. If I didn’t have the BB guards, I think I’d be looking at worse damage. I wonder what would have happened to @Bullgump if he wasn’t running a guard?
Ultimately I want to get a sleeved bushing onto that post and maybe mod how the guard is attached.
I'm lukewarm about shock protectors. They hang incrementally lower and provides more area for contact and leverage. Potentially a damage multiplier and we've seen where they can be pushed into the shock too. IMO, better to run without them.
There are protectors for inverted shocks to prevent the shaft from getting sandblasted. Looks like the BP51s have those.
Perhaps another strategy for those running mild 33" tires. Might be better to focus on larger tire sizes as that will lift the axle, diff, and shock mounts further away from harm in way no suspension lift will. Sure, wheel hard enough, and there's still potential to damage anything.
There are protectors for inverted shocks to prevent the shaft from getting sandblasted. Looks like the BP51s have those.
Perhaps another strategy for those running mild 33" tires. Might be better to focus on larger tire sizes as that will lift the axle, diff, and shock mounts further away from harm in way no suspension lift will. Sure, wheel hard enough, and there's still potential to damage anything.
In light of current personal events/experience, I'll be ditching the Kaon shock guards and going with a different solution.
@cosport turned me on to these...
@cosport turned me on to these...
I just bought BB guards for my BP51s as I’ve hit my mount before. Haven’t put them in yet but I will look closely at how to reinforce when mounting…
I'll add the BB guards back once I get the replacement. I've taken more than my fair share of hits on them. This damage came on a side BLM road through a mud hole which I didn't check before plowing through. But I'm convinced it would have been much worse without them.
kcjaz
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- Thread starter
- #40
Photo of the BP51 bushing next to the OEM bushing. The OEM is replaceable and inexpensive ($2.50!at dealer) so I bought one to see if I could figure out a way to use it in the BP51 shock. I thought I might be able to bore out the shock to accept the OEM bushing. That’s not going to work as doing that would leave very little metal in the shock bushing hole.
Pretty frustrating that $3000 shocks are made this way. The OEM bushing has both inner and outer metal sleeves and is $2.50. Come on ARB.
Pretty frustrating that $3000 shocks are made this way. The OEM bushing has both inner and outer metal sleeves and is $2.50. Come on ARB.
