Dougs951S

I wish to convert a set of KYB rear shocks for an early car to 1 7/8 inch ID coilovers, does anyone know how the upper eye is attached once you cut away the metal shielding around the upper shock tube? Is it welded on, or threaded/loctited like the Bilstein upper eyes and therefore removable using a shop press and a jig to hold the rod from spinning?

83 944

not sure but is a kyb even worth making into a rear coilovers? you could probably call kyb and tell you. koni and bilstein releases all that info im sure they will as well. sorry not any help. good luck

jharding

Doug,

I have a set of coil-over kits (threaded collars, snap rings, top hat for springs) and springs available for early 944 rear shocks. I don't know about KYB, other than they won't hold up anywhere near as long as a Bilstein, Koni, or factory shock. To convert my Bilsteins I sent them to Bilstein to have a groove cut for the snap ring, which holds the threaded collar. The spring slides on the shock from the bottom (before the snap ring is installed), as it will not clear the top shock eye mount.

Let me know if you are interested in the coil-over kits.

Thank you,

CyCloNe!

if it's kyb for the rear of a 951, they are too soft. I have them on my car and honestly I'm getting rid of them asap. If you do make them into coil overs might be ok since the spring will pick up for the spongy feeling of the shock.

MAGK944

What valving are the kyb's? Are they adjustable? If not don't bother using them as coilovers. One of the benefits of rear coilovers is you can swap the springs easily and have a large range of spring rates to work with. But if you cannot adjust the dampers to match the spring rate they will never feel right. Go with Koni or Bilstein, they both are adjustable and can even be revalved if needed to match any spring you put on there. Plus the support is better from the manufacturers.

Dougs951S

I went with KYB for the front coilovers so I figured KYB rears to match would be ok, but I was thinking bilsteins for the rear might work out better. Do you guys think the mismatch in valving would cause an issue? Conrad, do you have KYB shocks in the rear as well? I was of the understanding you were happy with your KYB fronts and your car was part of what made me decide to try them out. Joel, I'm not quite ready to delve into this phase of the project, I'm finishing up the front end first but I am interested and I will definitely give you a shout when the time comes. How did you manage to slide the springs on from the bottom past the lower eye without removing it? I thought the upper and lower eyes were the same diameter across and would prevent the spring from sliding on, and didn't you still need to put the top hats on from the top? One more question, did you have to reindex your Tbars after the install or were you able to get it low enough using the eccentric? I'll be using light springs, most likely 225# in the rear. If I have to go through the trouble of reindexing though I might as well rip them out and go way stiffer on the spring.

jharding

IIRC, the bottom eye is smaller than the top. I ran the coil-overs without torsion bars, thus running a much heavier spring. Now that I think of it, the top eye must have come off to get the hat in place. Once assembled it is easier to pull the snap ring to swap springs. And just for clarification, the shocks are for an early 944, not 951, correct? Early rear shocks will not fit a 951 or any year 944 after 1985.

Dougs951S

I own an 84 and a 951, the 951 is running early rebuildable struts with 275# coil-over springs, I was going to try converting the KYB rears into coilovers as a proof of concept for the 951 but I would actually be using a set of early style shocks and they would be going on the 84. I figure if it worked on the 84 it would work for the 951 as well with late style shocks.

jharding

If you are going to use coil-overs in the rear I'd ditch the torsion bars. I have a complete rear carrier, modified for use with coil-overs (torsion bars deleted) that will work great for the 84. By getting rid of the torsion bars you have much greater flexibility experimenting with the ride height and spring rates. I ran this setup for DE on my car for years. It handled great.

CyCloNe!

Hey Doug yes I have KYB gr-2 in the fronts with 300lb springs which are pretty good. The rears are KYB gas-adjust non-coil over and they are disappointing. Since you are making them in to rear coil overs then they might be ok, your spring selection will play the important role since your doing a decent spring rate that should improve the slop I am feeling. Sorry if I was confusing.

CyCloNe!

Rob you did the DIY rear coil-over thread correct? That was a very good write up btw and have that sucker saved. In your personal preference what rear shock (non-coil over) you think goes best with a stiffer front setup?

Dougs951S

Just to close this thread, I have confirmed the KYB rears are welded on both ends to the eyelets, so the questions remains, bilstein coilovers or 28mm T bars. Is it true that if the T bars are deleted, I have to burn off the rubber bushings on the end of the trailing arms and replace them with Delrin or polybronze?

Dougs951S

After doing some more reading and thinking about it, I'll think I'll save the coil overs for another day when I'm ready to pull the T bars and make that commitment to really tracking the car. For now, I'm planning on going with these 28mm T bars. http://www.sandparts.com/servlet/the...on-Bars/Detail

I hope the rear will be stiff enough and that not going with the 29mm is not a mistake. My thoughts are that it will help facilitate a bit of weight transfer to the rear on hard throttle and help keep the rear planted, plus less unsprung weight.