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Above: Look how excellent the standard 2.5" I.D. Coil over spring fits the Porsche strut perch. It fit's like it was made for it. I'm not using this 175 lb/in spring (it was at this point a wasted expense that I will absorb in this project). Anyway, my point is 2.5" coil over springs fit the oem 944 lower perch without welding, but you'd have to use a different top perch.
BELOW: Oh my lord! I died and went to prerunner baja heaven!!!! Oh, this will have to wait for another build... WILSON 2.0 -the sequel! LOL.
I fully encased the front shock into the strut housing. The cap was made as a 2 piece affair which includes spacers to prevent movement. In the future, I'd like to re-design access, but for now, to replace the insert, a grinder or saw is used to open and a welder is used to close. This is both dangerous & time consuming. Not recommended. I have a process I used today with success, but not for the faint of heart.
That is a good idea Spencer, thank you. Maybe I will use that next time. The nipples are cast iron, yes? I guess that means stick weld? That might be my time to finally learn arc welding...
I'm hoping these shocks do a good job for a few years before replacement. Hand-stroking the shocks, they feel like an old Boge Sachs shock... I can't imagine them being a "rough ride"... the company has a bad reputation, but the lift kit came with decals saying "N3 premium shocks", so maybe the company listened to the complainers & changed their twin-tube technology. I checked out the website and found cheaper n2.0 shocks for a third of the price of the N3... so maybe they aren't so bad:
Okay thanks man. The outer diameter of these front shocks are 2 3/8" and the pipe is 2.5" o.d.
I might drop in the hardware store & see whats up. It would be nice if it was a low pro set up (height affects my uptravel & width affects the ability to run 2.5"I.D. coil overs).
Spencer-btw: is there a way to tell what is cast iron or cast steel? My turbo ebay kit was stressing me because I thought the flanges were iron, but they migged up just fine, so I figured cast steel or just got lucky.
Don't know official way to tell, but its hard to cut, hard to drill, and hard to weld - IIRC when drilling with a sharp bit steel tends to make little curly pigtails and iron makes chips/chunks.
It occurs to me to change the title since there was a bit of drift from original intention.
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Let's backup for a second:
The car sits evenly at 14" bottom of sill to floor, I'm hoping the backend squats 1+" when loaded with interior & people. Having the backend lower is better for braking, but I am hoping the front still bites the gravel (something I have struggled with in the past above around 60 mph).
So why big 5" coils not smaller diameter coilovers? Because old school.
I was originally planning to heat the bottom coil and bend it to "relax" it and fit oem, but since I don't want to lower ride height, I need to make perches (the Porsche ones a bit too shallow & narrow & also doesn't adapt to the step between the very bottom coil & the one above. This is a source of "bowing" on many Jeeps & trucks (caused by crappy perches). Since I'm not here to loose this one, I'll take the long way around & build my perch.
Step 1) massage the Porsche perch to fit Jeep spring.
The stock 944 front springs are contained safely by the short stroke of the shock/strut. This isn't the cage with Wilson, I will need front & rear limiting straps. Anyone got a good d.i.y. concept/idea?
The stock 944 front springs are contained safely by the short stroke of the shock/strut. This isn't the cage with Wilson, I will need front & rear limiting straps. Anyone got a good d.i.y. concept/idea?
Droop limiters are common practice on off-road/ desert runners. Check the shops that deal in that type of vehicle preparation.
Yeah Scott. Here's an image I found from "Intense Fabrication" Front end of an FJ Cruiser (I think). Lots of delicious things going on. Noticed 2 limit straps on this desert runner (and they are HD straps to begin with). Also looks like hydraulic bump stops. I've put lots of thought into it & I'm going to purchase triple layered Pro Comp straps, since they are good, they are accessible and reasonably priced. And it's a required component that I can't have fail. Regarding the front strut inserts, I'm getting a set of 30 year old Sach Boge fronts & I'm cutting those upper pieces that get bolted to the bearings and I'm going to weld them to the Jeep shocks, because I just believe that is the most beefy way to solve my fitment problem in the front. The Bilstein strut inserts I was using in Wilson has those ends welded on their rod, so I figure it's okay.
Well at first thought mount the upper arm to the crossmember factory location (perhaps flip/invert the top arm, mounted in the usual crossmember spots and use parts of a second crossmember below the top crossmember or just fab the lower arm mounting points?).
06-04-2020, 01:46 AM
Oh, this will have to wait for another build... WILSON 2.0 -the sequel! LOL.
