Getting my groove on - my shock bodies

Cash Davidson · **Posted:** Sat Nov 30, 2013 6:29 pm

I can ship them to Bilstein in CA and they will groove them - in about 6 weeks. Anybody had it done locally? I seem to recall Mr. Short talking about it a while back.
Thanks,
Cash

JamesShort · **Posted:** Mon Dec 02, 2013 10:10 am

HRT said they could but really any shop with a metal work lathe can do this. You are just talking about the square grooves in the shock for a circlip?

HRT Performancemore info‎
1010 West Chapel Hill Street
Durham, NC 27701
(919) 956-7223

Cash Davidson · **Posted:** Fri Dec 06, 2013 11:08 pm

Yeah, grooves for snaprings or circlips. I want 3 on each shock - about 20mm apart. Bilstein charges $10/groove plus shipping both ways. I'm thinking of trying this:

http://www.southwestspeed.com/?sec=view_part&id=8266

Wadaya think?

Cash

Cash Davidson · **Posted:** Sat Dec 07, 2013 11:26 am

Cash Davidson wrote:

I'm thinking of trying this:

http://www.southwestspeed.com/?sec=view_part&id=8266

Cash

Nevermind - this won't work on Monotube shocks. Apparently, it doesn't CUT a groove, it DENTS the tube. I guess I'll talk to HRT.

Rob Keehner · **Posted:** Sat Dec 07, 2013 1:52 pm

Doesn't Bilstein have a shop down in Mooresville NASCAR Complex?

DickRasmussen · **Posted:** Sat Dec 07, 2013 2:13 pm

A couple of suggestions from formula car guys on ApexSpeed for service of Bilsteins

http://www.anzesuspension.com/

http://deltavee.net/

I read somewhere recently that Bilstein in CA had major staff turnover which is hurting turn around time.

Cash Davidson · **Posted:** Wed Dec 11, 2013 8:19 pm

Rob Keehner wrote:

Doesn't Bilstein have a shop down in Mooresville NASCAR Complex?

They do and I've been able to get parts from them, but they referred me to CA for service.

DickRasmussen wrote:

A couple of suggestions from formula car guys on ApexSpeed for service of Bilsteins

http://www.anzesuspension.com/

http://deltavee.net/

I read somewhere recently that Bilstein in CA had major staff turnover which is hurting turn around time.

Thanks for the links, Dick. I have heard the CA turn around time is up to 6-8weeks. I'll be investigating alternatives.
Thanks!
Cash

Cash Davidson · **Posted:** Sat Jan 11, 2014 2:25 am

JamesShort wrote:

HRT said they could but really any shop with a metal work lathe can do this. You are just talking about the square grooves in the shock for a circlip?

HRT Performancemore info‎
1010 West Chapel Hill Street
Durham, NC 27701
(919) 956-7223

HRT says they can't do it. They recommended Industrial Metal Flame Sprayers http://www.imfs-nc.com/first_page.html.

Anybody heard of them? Guess I'll give them a try.

Cash

Jason Mauldin · **Posted:** Sat Jan 11, 2014 9:25 pm

You probably would've had them back from Bilstein by now.

Cash Davidson · **Posted:** Sun Jan 12, 2014 1:57 pm

Jason Mauldin wrote:

You probably would've had them back from Bilstein by now.

True, but unfortunately I didn't know EXACTLY where I wanted the grooves until I got all my other parts together - about 2 weeks ago. I figured by now I'd have found a place locally. Now I wish I had kept my old struts so I could swap them if I need to send these to California. :oops:

JamesShort · **Posted:** Sun Jan 12, 2014 7:11 pm

Cash Davidson wrote:

JamesShort wrote:

HRT said they could but really any shop with a metal work lathe can do this. You are just talking about the square grooves in the shock for a circlip?

HRT Performancemore info‎
1010 West Chapel Hill Street
Durham, NC 27701
(919) 956-7223

HRT says they can't do it. They recommended Industrial Metal Flame Sprayers http://www.imfs-nc.com/first_page.html.

Anybody heard of them? Guess I'll give them a try.

Cash

WAT! Anyway, they were able to do custom work to Bilsteins for me for my Civic (machining the lower bushing pin smaller as well as lathing the seat of the shaft a few mm lower.

DickRasmussen · **Posted:** Sun Jan 12, 2014 7:11 pm

Is this something Dennis Shaw could/would do in a short time frame?

DickRasmussen · **Posted:** Sun Jan 12, 2014 7:17 pm

Another local option might be Randall Boose, Inc in Raleigh. The number is 919 -755-1600 and you need to leave a message so he can call back. One man high precision shop (floor is "paved" in chips so don't wear shoes which "collect" chips and shavings if you go into his shop. :lol:

). He made wheel spacers and drive pins for me a couple of times.

Cash Davidson · **Posted:** Mon Jan 13, 2014 10:51 pm

NEVER MIND or Man, I'm I a dumba$$.

So I talked to IMFS today, they said sure bring them in. So tonight I pulled them out of the car to figure out where I wanted the grooves.

Here they are:

Here's the perch w/spring removed:

Here's the factory circ-clip in the factory groove:

Here's the groove without the circ-clip. What I didn't realize is the tube below the clip is fatter than the tube above the clip.

The coilover sleeve I'm using has a bump on the inside to rest on the clip. At one end the bump is 1" from the end. From the other end there is a bump 2" from the end. The sleeve is 7".

Because the tube below the clip is fatter, the bump inside the sleeve rests there instead of sliding all the way down as you would expect with the clip removed.

This is helpful if you want to raise the car to monster truck status, but you can't lower it. BUT if you cut 1" off the end of the sleeve - thereby removing the bump inside the sleeve:

It will now slide all the way down until it hits the bunp at the other end of the sleeve.

So now I can adjust the perch 1.5" up from the factory location and 3.5" down. No additional grooves required. :thumbsup:

Sorry for the drama! :roll:

Cash

JamesShort · **Posted:** Tue Jan 14, 2014 10:58 am

My only concern with this is the 'pre-cut' sleeve has the seat and then the larger ID portion below it which secures the circlip from spreading open. All the bilstein and konis have a similarly designed seats which allow the seat to rest on the circlip but also have a recessed area in the underside of the seat whose ID is ~= to the OD of the circlip (not a press fit, but close) to keep it from spreading open and dropping through.

I bet a machine shop could take your sleeve and cut a recess in the bottom of the sleeve in literally 5 minutes or less.

EDIT:

So I looked again, so you are not using the circlip now. Are the 'bumps' in the sleeve a 'step' or a 'notch' that goes away?

This:

Code:

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Or this:

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Getting my groove on - my shock bodies

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