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  1. #1

    Default Rear Shock Diameter

    The rear shocks on my 79 Zephyr wagon are rubbing the inside of 17”x 8” wheels. The wheels are from American Muscle, Bullet Black wheel, 5- lug., 94-04, tires, 245x45x17, BFG G-Force Comp 2. Shocks are: Road Ryder Supreme Gas Shock, model 89633.
    Do you know of a rear shock with a narrow outside diameter, at the fattest part?

  2. #2
    Moderator wraithracing's Avatar
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    The best option is probably going to your local Napa parts store and have them look up the rear shocks in the catalog. Then you should be able to find the specification pages that give you all the pertinent details such as diameter, extended length, collapsed length, etc. Then you hopefully can find a similar shock that is slightly smaller in diameter that matches.

    I assume you don't have enough wheel well clearance to run a small spacer to get the tire further away from the shock.
    ​Trey

    "I Don't build it hoping for your approval! I built it because it meets mine!"

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  3. #3
    FEP Super Member xctasy's Avatar
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    There is another kind of lower mount for later Foxes, but check the common shock absorber listings below. They use the same AMC derived damper unit. Toyots first export market was Australia, and AMI assembled Ramblers...the Fox shockie is 100% based on the early design hard points. Things do change with suppliers, and engineering over time, but the Koni, de Carbon and Bilstein designs have remained the same over the years.

    http://vb.foureyedpride.com/showthre...rs-for-79-82-s
    Quote Originally Posted by xctasy View Post
    I'm looking at new shocks at the back. There doesn't appear to be a specific damper rate, as the supplies listed both in the USA and here are also one size fits all for about nine different other models. Does Ford just use the spring rate and ride specs to tune suspension, and not the shocks? I know thats how GM Australia did all there suspension tuning, pretty much with either a strandard spring or a standard damper unit, and then variations of ancillaries to fine tune.

    Are all the lower tier Foxes pretty much the same shock absorber, with fine tune by coil spring and stabilizer, slapper bar, Sports TRX / Sports Suspension bushes, Quadra shock etc?


    I've noted that Monroe # 5847 OE Spectrum Passenger Car and #33097 Monro-Matic Plus is the common replacement for:-

    FORD FAIRMONT (1978 - 1983)
    FORD GRANADA (1981 - 1982)
    FORD LTD (1983 - 1986)
    FORD LTD CROWN VICTORIA (1983 - 1986)
    FORD MUSTANG (1979 - 1993)
    MERCURY CAPRI (1979 - 1986)
    MERCURY COUGAR (1981 - 1982)
    MERCURY MARQUIS (1983 - 1986)
    MERCURY ZEPHYR (1978 - 1983)

    The PO got # 15-3137 series Monroe Tenneco Australian GT Gas Pressure 230603 A replacements before, they are a standard

    1964 to 1972 AMC Rambler/Javelin

    1978-1993 HOLDEN Commodore VB, VC, VH, VK, VL, VN, VP,
    1993-07/1997 HOLDEN Commodore/Calias VR, VS V6 & V8

    1964 to 74 TOYOTA Corona RT40, RT80, RT81, RT82
    1972 to 1977 TOYOTA Corona MK II 6 cyl Sedan
    1975 to 1981 TOYOTA Corolla KE30, KE35, KE40, KE45, KE50, KE55, KE60, KE65

    12/1976 to 08/1980 TOYOTA Cressida MX36 2.6liter
    09/1982 to 07/1984 TOYOTA Cressida MX62 2.8 liter
    1971-1983 TOYOTA Toyo-ace Van






  4. #4
    FEP Super Member xctasy's Avatar
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    The stock lower mount is this





    Excuse the ancient 6.75 inch Sterling Heights axle dating back to the round body Falcon/Mustang II and Pinto days...old stuff is still around

  5. #5
    FEP Super Member xctasy's Avatar
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    I doubt it will help, but there is a later lower mount kit that might help space everything out just a fraction more.

    The MM lower shock mounts (MMSM-2)


    Quote Originally Posted by Jack Hidley View Post
    The 7.5" style mount puts the bolt in bending. The load is applied to the bolt about 1.5" away from its mounting point at the base. The end of the bolt is unsupported. This mounting technique is called single shear. The stiffness of this design is low. This probably results in greater chances of wheel hop.

    The 8.8"style mount has a single bolt holding the shock bracket to the differential housing. This bolt has zero bending load in it since it is clamping two things together. It only sees a tension load from the bolt torque. The bolt that connects the shock to the bracket is supported at both ends. This is called double shear mounting. For a given bolt, it can take twice the load before the bolt fails than in single shear mounting. It is also results in a much stiffer mount.

    In both cases, the load applied at the bottom of the shock is the same. With the double shear mount, the loads are resisted in a fashion which results in better use of the available mounting material. This gives the mount better stiffness and better fatigue life.

  6. #6
    FEP Super Member xctasy's Avatar
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    Check Darrens posts.

    82GTforME

    Some whitebox Ranchero type shockes I have seen have black covers.

    82GTforME's car has the much wider SN95 8.8" axle and disk brakes, 17 x 9 inch rims, and so his Konis clear with heaps of room.



    http://vb.foureyedpride.com/showthre...=79+rear+shock


  7. #7
    FEP Senior Member Patrick Olsen's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Ratchet1 View Post
    The rear shocks on my 79 Zephyr wagon are rubbing the inside of 17”x 8” wheels. The wheels are from American Muscle, Bullet Black wheel, 5- lug., 94-04, tires, 245x45x17, BFG G-Force Comp 2. Shocks are: Road Ryder Supreme Gas Shock, model 89633.
    Do you know of a rear shock with a narrow outside diameter, at the fattest part?
    Which Bullitt-style wheels are you using? Perhaps you got ones intended to fit on the newer '05+ Mustangs, and thus they have a higher positive offset (aka more backspacing)? Otherwise I can't think of any reason that 17x8" wheels would be rubbing on the rear shocks. 17x8s with 245/45s should be an easy fit on a Fox, unless the offset is wrong.
    '89 GT convertible - not a four-eye
    '82 Zephyr Z7 - future track car

  8. #8

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    The wheels are 94-04 17x8”. The rear end is an 8.8 from an 89 Mustang. The shocks I’m using seem to be fat at the collar. The pic of the orange Koni shock is considerably smaller in diameter. I may also be able to get by with either 1/4 or 5/16” wheel spacers.

  9. #9

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    QA1 makes a series called "Stocker Star" (check summit website)

    Non adjustable, aluminum body, small diameter body, and no upper dust cover with a large hard shaft.

    Might solve your issue
    Bob Myers ©

    84 Capri RS Turbo - Only a 4 banger - 1/8th 6.29@110, 1/4 9.87@137

  10. #10

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    This my sound like a hack, but if it is just the upper dust cover why not just cut it off. I would use a pipe cutter as close to the top as I could, then cover the shaft with tape to protect it, and remove the rest with a dremel or cutoff wheel.
    Mike
    85 GT - owned since 87

  11. #11

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    I like the idea of cutting the dust cover. The shocks are new but were a close out from RA. I spent very little on them. If the wheel spacers do not provide enough clearance I’ll get out the Dremel.

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