Don-
What you need to be looking for is function, not appearance. Having
said that, I will admit to enjoying people's reactions when they see
what I have, which are (hideously expensive)Koni's and (reasonably
inexpensive) Eibach springs. The message, however, is that with shocks
you get what you pay for. Cheaper units will not last as long, will be
calibrated too soft, and you will not be happy. If you're not planning
to drive any faster than "briskly", then something inexpensive might
suffice. If you intend to use the car to its capacity, then buy
components that will meet and/or improve that capacity. I used Koni
street shocks for years before upgrading; I don't know if they still
make anything that would fit, but go to Koni-na.com for info. BTW, I put
Koni's on my '64 TR4 back when it was still shiny, and they're still
working well.
As for fitting the shocks to the car: you need to be concerned with the
method of attachment at both ends, and the height of the spring perch,
which will determine how high the car sits off the ground. The extended
length mainly determines the bottom of the wheel travel. It shouldn't
be so long that the spring rattles loose at full extension. Compressed
length is limited by the shock body. If it's longer than what you have
now, then your bump range (the distance the wheel can move up over
bumps) will be reduced. You can get an idea of the strength of the shock
by the diameter of the piston rod, bigger is normally stronger.
Best,
Skip Gurnee
'70 Vixen LVX14704 (race car)
DonDavis@aol.com wrote:
>
> I have been looking at Lotus Seven replicas and in particular the Ron
> Champion Locost cars. I realized that the coilover shocks that are needed for
> the Locost are almost identical to the shocks on my Vixen. Extended and
> retracted lengths seem to be the same.
>
> Ron Champion has contracted with Nitron to make shocks for the Locost cars.
> They look great. I don't know for sure, but I think these might be a really
> good choice for our cars.
>
> http://www.ronchampion.com/main_frames.htm
>
> Don Davis
///
/// tvr@autox.team.net mailing list
///
|