Shock Stud Parallelism

[Wildergarten]

One of the things that has leapt out to me about this rear suspension is the lack of parallelism between the two shock mounting studs on the frame and rear axle (see photo). Although a rosebud, a pipe, and a hammer can fix this, does anybody understand the geometry well enough to say how close this needs to be? Any thoughts on whether this represents a distortion in the frame crossmember?

I know, it isn't good to rust the pins; it will be fixed shortly.

One other thing: Does anybody have the correct Bilstien part numbers for both front and rear shocks? Thanks.

[martincom]

It appears that the upper mounting stud has an upwards bend to it. I'd speculate the truck was overloaded and the shock absorber bottomed out when encountering a road bump, bending the mounting stud. Is there an axle travel stop bumper mounted on the frame?

[Wildergarten]

It appears that the upper mounting stud has an upwards bend to it. I'd speculate the truck was overloaded and the shock absorber bottomed out when encountering a road bump, bending the mounting stud. Is there an axle travel stop bumper mounted on the frame?

That has been my guess too. I suspect it was one heavy camper, as the truck (a Camper Special with 383 auto) came with factory overload springs, with the VIN tag rating the axle at 5800#. The front ends of the helpers had contact pads cinched onto them too. If you've read my build thread, I discovered hairline cracks in the frame atop the arch over the axle, but it wasn't concentrated around the bump stop, so it might have been incurred when rolling the frame. With all the reinforcement I'd done on the rest of the frame, it was a big disappointment to find. Interestingly, my "analysis" and measurements on the frame detected no sagging or twisting, so how badly it might have been abused will likely remain a mystery.

I'm thinking just a couple of nested pipes and a good tweak may fix it, but I'm leery of that sort of thing. I have a pair of extra studs to replace these if they seem the worse for it.

Any idea on the shock part numbers?

[martincom]

Any idea on the shock part numbers?

No, I don't. As we're between homes, I have all my manuals packed away in a semi-trailer. I have quite a few aftermarket catalogs from the late '70s which I can often find part numbers. This is handy as while the parts are still available, most vendors don't bother listing parts for vehicles much beyond 20 years ago. So if I have the aftermarket part number, I can often find the part.

Another option is to search by the Chrysler PN. Many aftermarket vendors cross-reference to the OEM part number. The sweptline.org web page has an almost complete, scanned, copy of the '61 - '68 Dodge Truck Parts Manual: http://www.sweptline.org/Reference.html I'd start there by determining the OEM part number and then search for it and see what results it yields and go from there.

[Kaegi]

not sure on bilstein but an excellent monroe gas shock should be 66858 rear and 66859 front.

[Wildergarten]

not sure on bilstein but an excellent monroe gas shock should be 66858 rear and 66859 front.

From what Bilstein says, they don't make shocks for Sweptline vintage trucks. I will look into the Monroe. Thanks!

[my5thmopar]

You can get the tech specs in a PDF or catalog. Look for whatever length, loop, or stud size you want. I then just ordered them from O'Reilly. I did that when I lowered my 64. Craig

[Red383]

#wyota884 lists these part numbers in his build thread, you can look up the specs of them.

Shocks are part numbers Bilstein 33-186542 Rear and 33-230313 Front.

https://www.sweptline.org/forums/viewto ... 1&start=20

[nutz]

you have to be careful with high pressure gas shocks on old trucks
might be what bent your mounts
they weren't built for the heavy load
might have to reinforce your mounts

[Wildergarten]

you have to be careful with high pressure gas shocks on old trucks
might be what bent your mounts
they weren't built for the heavy load
might have to reinforce your mounts

I've thought about that. The front mounts are pretty strong but the rears have already proved problematic and would be much harder to modify. At this point, I think I'll straighten the rear studs in the frame and take my chances, as the previous owner had a very heavy camper on the truck as evidenced by the factory overloads it had with pads hokied onto the tips of the springs to cut down the racket.