Finally some bolt-on shock brackets for U-Bolt flip

Hey guys,

long time I did not post an update about my rear shock brackets. I wanted so bad u-bolt flip kit but without having to weld anything on my rear axle or without loosing shock travel.

So for those of you who remeber I had some things in mind when I did the design.

* Must be strong
* no welding should have to be perform on the truck
* Must not reduce the shock travel, at least same as stock
* Have to be completely reversible if I change my mind

Finally ended up with something good! I'm testing them for about 6 months now without a single problem. So I'm gonna make a small batch is some of you are interested.

My truck as pictured have 5.5" rear lift and running 31" tires with bilstein 10" travel shocks. Gives an awsome drop. (More than that picture)

 

Sweet. So this keeps shocks in stock location? Th bracket go's on between the axle and leaf pack?

 

I think you may be onto something here........

Nice job !!....

 

you have my attention

 

very interesting. sub'd.

 

thats pretty cool!

just wondering from that oddly cropped pic, but do the shock brackets still use all the same mounting hardware the stock plates use? bolts washers and bushings?

 

Are those the same ones as these pictures:






from this thread

 

X2 !!!!

 

its the same guy.

 

I knew that I searched for threads started by his user name to find that older thread. I was asking if the brackets were the same that he has on his truck in this thread compared to the brackets in the older thread. Mostly wondering if the design was changed at all from the older thread and this thread since it's been many months since the last thread and it's hard to tell from the pictures posted in this thread.

 

Yes, these are the exatly same. That's when I installed my prototypes few months ago!

I cropped the pic to emphasis on the suspension and bracket. I agree that's not pretty but it shows well how it works!

@ 661prerunner: The bracket became a part of the leaf pack itself. The center bolt go trough the bracket and hold the bracket into the pack. For those who are using angle shims as I do, you install them between the bracket and the axle into the spring pack. The upper mount is stock location, no modification at all. Lower location is very close to the stock location. The design is made that they are not lower than the axle. But anyways they are 3/8" thick, you could probably lift the truck on them no problem.

@IDtrucks: Stock under plate with shock mount are all removed and discarded. Same for the square U-bolt discarded. My bracket use a new 3/4" mount. I could fabricate flip plate and u-bolt but I'm not a big company so I'm not really competitive for these parts. You just have to buy any flip kit you like on the market that use 1/2" or 9/16" u-bolt for 3" axle and you are able to mount my bracket. Ending with the same result shown on my pictures.


Happy you like them folks. I should have 5 kits in a couple of weeks.

 

need mo' details please...
^ sentences ending with this --> ? <--

so the driver's installs to the rear...
and passenger forward ?

what's the thickness on this plate...
bent-stamped (one piece) ? Method ?

I may be interested in a pair...
if the price is right and stated.

You said you have 10" shocks (short body ?) on those currently ?
did you add additional bump stop height to limit compression ?
Have the 10" shocks been fully articulated (compressed)
down to the bump stops ?

Are you using the original upper shock mounts...
or do you have a custom cross member ?

 

Sub'ed for future updates. Defiantly interested in how this product turns out

 

Driver's side installs to rear and passenger side to the front, 3/8th thickness, stock upper mounts is what I saw in one of the posts by the OP

 

kmok answered almots all the question for me but I've added few precisions.

I hope the price is ok, it's the best have been able to have from my supplied right now. From my point of view that is quite good for a bolt-on part that you cn install with basic tool in your driveway a sunday afternoon with a beer and a couple of friends. Or with a friend and a couple of beers!

Custom welded bracket mount are not free anyways and so isn't the labor. Welded mounts are far to be born equal also as shock relocation is not always optimal. I don't say my design is the best and most optimal, but a least it retains the OEM location that is quite good in my opinion.

I've also heard that sometime, depending on how the welding current travels in the axle you can make tiny weld spot on axle bearings and also that you have to change axle oil bacause of the heat created. They are all stuff to consider.

 

Good points... & props for outside the box fabbing...

 

sub'ed

 

buck fifty for just a pair of lower shock mount brackets ?

Looks like this idea would work good for installing the U-bolt flip...
While retaining my 8.0"/8.5" travel billies.

But don't think I'm willing to pay that cost...
well... maybe if it included the U-bolt flip kit with it !?

Might borrow your idea tho' and fabricate something similar.

You have equally matched shock travel lengths mounted
to the staggered length oem shock mounts ?

Seems you'll have more droop to one side...
or possibly a compression issue with the opposing side.

These lower shock mount plates look like they would be good
for mounting the extended travel length 1-3" (staggered) shocks...
Not so great for equal length shocks tho'

If I tried to bolt up 10" travel shocks (equal length)
I think a custom upper cross member would be necessary.

If I had to do that...
might as well just weld on the lower shock mounts to the axle tube.

...oh well

good idea if the correct shock travel length were used.

 

This would work well for someone who is set up like me. 3" spring with a 1" lift shackle and 12" bilstein 7100 short bodies.

 

As I said, for the price that's where I'm. I'd like to do better but impossible. Anyways, try to see how much a pair of 3/8" steel plate of any part anyhow they are: laser cut to thousand of an inch, machined, 3 precision bends and whelded would cost... I think they worth it easily.



Anyways, anyone who plan to buy a new pair of shock to accomodate a u-bolt flip kit is already busting the price.

If you are happy with your shock and suspension setup right now but still running regular u-bolt toward bottom at rear and want to upgrade. My kit is a direct bolt on and still maintain the same travel than before. I think is a good thing for that.

I could have done anything with my design, put them lower, farter to the axle, two lenght, one for each side. I decided to keep them quite close to stock location to keep the under axle clean while maitaining decend travel and geometry. That's why I'm saying they are maybe not optimal, and I'm aware of that but I think they are very good.




You guys are the first to tell me about the 7100 and short bodies bilstein 7100. When I designed my suspension setup everybody were talking about the 5125 and 5150... That's why I went with the 5125 10". I like my rear height at 5.5" lift but maybe a 7100 would be a cool pick also!