Speedtoys

Are they correct as-seen in post #6?

Mrmerlin

picture of front shocks

James Bailey

Post 6 the photo has the adjuster nuts the correct orientation....however the shocks do not appear to be red

Speedtoys

..thats the old ones coming off.

They went back together the same way.

soontobered84

Just curious: did you put new dust caps (boot #6 as shown in Stan's post #17) on when you changed the shocks?

There have been reports that the dust caps have a hole whose inside dimension is smaller than the outside dimension of your new shocks. The dust cap and inclusive built in spacer can therefore keep your shock from fully retracting unless you correct the inside dimension issue before you install them.

Bill Ball

The adjusters are correct, as shown in the schematic. If you have them upside down, it's very hard to get a spanner on the collar.

These were the used dust caps. The cap sits on a shoulder on the shock shaft. These seated easily.

Normally I set the spring the same length on the new shocks as before, measuring the distance from edge of the top and bottom perches. However, the front adjusters were frozen with corrosion, so we didn't have any option.

The current ride height is suitable for Paris-Dakar or the Baja 1000. I've never seen anything like this. The rear coilover threaded sleeves have plenty of adjustment, but I'm not sure there is enough in the front. We should have measured the free spring length in the front, but weren't anticipating a problem and they didn't seem abnormally long in the front.

I was able to compress the front of the car pretty easily, so the shocks are not somehow "stuck" extended.

jpitman2

I had to cut the frozen adjusters off my rear shocks with an angle grinder. Managed to fit 911 type adjusters .
jp 83 Euro S AT 56k

z driver 88t

I understand the disbelief. I went through all these same steps. Checked the collar orientation, loosened and retightened the lower control arm bushings with the car on the ground, lowered the collars as low as they could go and still be fully threaded, drove it for 100 miles convinced it would "settle out." I think there was a thread by Fixer who had a similar experience when doing his shocks (don't recall if his were Koni or Bilstein).

I'm not saying that the shock does have sufficient pressure to help lift the car. I'm only saying that after looking at all the other possibilities for the cause, it was the only thing I had left. I searched all through the forums for about two days reading old posts when I did when I did my shocks and noticed several guys have posted similar experiences and several have posted no problems. It is strange.

Speedtoys

But..it did settle for you?

Not that Im unaware that settling happens, I am, but this is extreme.

z driver 88t

No. I drove it for a week thinking it would "settle." It settled maybe half an inch, but was still a good inch, maybe 1.5 inches above where it was before I did the shock replacement and that was after lowering the perches about half an inch lower than where my old frozen perches were stuck. I wish I had taken pictures of it. I've done shocks, springs, and coil over kits on Z cars, VWs, BMWs and have never seen a response like this.

After a week of realizing that it was as good as it was going to get is when I ordered the Weltmeisters from a guy on Pelican. I know you are going to be thinking and thinking on this for the next week trying to figure it out. I was sure it had something to do with the 928 suspension geometry and something that I did wrong. But after removing the shocks for the second time to install the Weltmeisters and having a chance to look over all the work, I am convinced that I did the job correctly.

Speedtoys

Silly question...

Would shocks from an 82, work on an 85?

That's what I have.

The answer appears to be yes, or course. But can someone translate this from Koni's catalog:

"Front: only if originally equipped with BOGE, excl. BOGE dampers with adjustable spring seat"

soontobered84

Well that kills my idea of what might have happened.

It does take the Stepson a full 100 miles to settle the suspension.

mark kibort

well, it sounds like he has them oriented the correct way

thats a good point, but i have a feeling that it has something to do with the ride height after lifting the car. so, when i went to even higher rate springs AND oil shocks like Koni adjustables, the ride height thing has NEVER been an issue. no setting time.... SO, it has to be related to the gas shock in some way.

anyway, im sure you can move the adjusters, just not with a "chizel" Haha... .im thinking of what greg brown says to me when i do things like that.
So, you need a good , tough spanner wrench. you need to pull or press very hard, very quickly and it will move. again, i was using a chizel too one time, and all it did was gouge out the adjuster . never budged.... with the good spanner wrench, it moved and then was easier with each following 20 degree movement.

Speedtoys

I dont think you're idea to move it, is the same way I tried to move it.

I can turn the aluminum adjuster all day long with a C spanner easily.

The steel ring on the inside, is mechanically frozen to it. In a vise, I was trying to free the steel ring, inside the aluminum collar with a chisel..it be frozen.

mark kibort

I think its what I was seeing but not sure. it seems stuck, but the spanner, and a great grip, you can pull on it and it bows the spring its stuck so much, and then all of the sudden it gives..... if you are seeing something totall "almost welded" together , then i guess you are "stuck" . do you have a pic with the steel ring and the collar?
so you are talking the threaded "ring"? so, the threaded ring is spinning with the collar so it spins on the shock body?