Tuesday, May 16, 2006
Adjustable shocks for Mopar A-bodies
Koni used to make adjustable shocks for A-bodiesthat worked well for autocross and road racing. They've pulled out of that business now, and the only adjustable shocks you will now see in catalogs that are listed for Darts and Barracudas are either drag items or expensive QA-1's. Well, I found an interesting post on the Slant Six message board where Joshua Skinner offers a solution. Rancho's RS9000X series of shocks are adjustable, and reasonably priced. Trouble is, they're made for trucks, not cars. So they won't list any applications for a Dodge Dart in their catalog.
Well, if you've compared A-body shocks to the ones found on pickups, you probably won't be surprised that there is something out there that fits if you look hard enough. Well, somebody did look hard enough, and the results are floating around the Internet on various message boards and web sites. I'd found the application once, but the site where it had been posted went offline.
Ok, enough rambling, here's what to ask for:
Front:
'87-'95 Nissan Pathfinder front shocks, P/N RS99214
-or-
'86-'94 Nissan Pickup front shocks, P/N RS99188
The latter, although built for a lifted truck, apparently works better for lowered A-bodies than the Pathfinder parts.
Rear:
Dodge W-series pickup front shocks, P/N RS99111
While not purpose-built autocross shocks, these sound like a good way to get adjustability on a budget. An added bonus is that you can use some of Rancho's add-ons to make them adjustable from inside the car. That's not easy to rig with a set of Konis.
Big thanks to Joshua Skinner.
Well, if you've compared A-body shocks to the ones found on pickups, you probably won't be surprised that there is something out there that fits if you look hard enough. Well, somebody did look hard enough, and the results are floating around the Internet on various message boards and web sites. I'd found the application once, but the site where it had been posted went offline.
Ok, enough rambling, here's what to ask for:
Front:
'87-'95 Nissan Pathfinder front shocks, P/N RS99214
-or-
'86-'94 Nissan Pickup front shocks, P/N RS99188
The latter, although built for a lifted truck, apparently works better for lowered A-bodies than the Pathfinder parts.
Rear:
Dodge W-series pickup front shocks, P/N RS99111
While not purpose-built autocross shocks, these sound like a good way to get adjustability on a budget. An added bonus is that you can use some of Rancho's add-ons to make them adjustable from inside the car. That's not easy to rig with a set of Konis.
Big thanks to Joshua Skinner.
Labels: Dodge Dart
Comments:
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I have researched the RS9000 shocks before and have the correct set written down....somewhere. But it shouldn't be too hard to figure it out again.
I was going to order them for my Challenger (same as for A-bodies) but they stopped giving away the free "remote 2-way pressure adjuster" with a set of 4, and I found a set of konis for $100.
It would be pretty sweet though to be able to adjust both front and back shock pressures from the drivers seat...with gauges to boot. I've got the Rancho shock spec sheet in pdf if you want to look them up? Just let me know.
Chris
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I was going to order them for my Challenger (same as for A-bodies) but they stopped giving away the free "remote 2-way pressure adjuster" with a set of 4, and I found a set of konis for $100.
It would be pretty sweet though to be able to adjust both front and back shock pressures from the drivers seat...with gauges to boot. I've got the Rancho shock spec sheet in pdf if you want to look them up? Just let me know.
Chris
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