ATTN: US Spec '74-'89 owners

Leland Pate · 08-23-2002, 06:46 PM

I'm grinning ear to ear about this and I am bursting to tell everyone.
Aside from fixing a mal-adjusted throttle linkage, I made another significant discovery today...

I was reading through BA's Perfomance Handbook, in particular, the chapter on suspension and alignment, trying to "study up" on suspension in general.

I read this one sentence that said something to this effect:
If you have a U.S spec car that has been lowered to European height (or lower) and is still running the original shocks, you need to remove a 60mm OD X 18mm ID by 10mm thick spacer or you will be bottoming out your shocks uneccessarily.

So, I'm thinking "hmmmmm... could these be on my car?"
I jacked up the fronts real quick and had a look... "yup... that thing sure looks about 10mm thick..."

So, now i am a little reluctant to remove the thing... after all, removing the struts is a major deal, right?

Nope, it was actually a cinch.

I simply removed the three allen head bolts that secure the shock mounting plate, and removed the nut securing the shock to the plate.

Now, under the car I simply pulled down on the shock, compressing it... then bloop...

Off she came...

Then I put it all back together... I know I lost whatever camber settings I may have had but it doesn't matter because i'm going in to do the alignment Tuesday.

I also removed quite a bit of that tar/undercoating material the factory goops around the mount... Chuck, I think that is what you were refering to...

So, I took it for a spin and all I can say is that it made a huge difference... I don't get that nasty banging noise I was getting every time I went over a bump (you guys have never seen such crapy roads) or rough pavement seam.

I'm very pleased with this!

So, go out and check to see if your car still has these spacers if you've lowered a US spec car!
BA wasn't totally specific about which cars, years or which brand shock equiped car this effects, but it can't hurt to go look!

I hope this helps someone.

island911 · 08-23-2002, 07:57 PM

(to steal Nostatics line)

Great tip, Leland. Thanks

stuttgart · stuttgart's Garage

Lee,
So this was simply sitting on top of the shock?? and it was as easy as you make it sound to remove!!? man Lee you're full of things today!! .. Thanks for all the things to check on.
Eric

78SC

Early_S_Man · 08-23-2002, 08:28 PM

Lee ... if all you did waas loosen the 22 mm nut for the strut rod ... you didn't mess up the suspension settings at all! They are maintained by the three M10 Allen bolts for the camber plate!

pbs911 · pbs911's Garage

Leland, you are the king of free upgrades and HP today. I've read about the subject of your free HP thread and this one, but never realized how simple it is. First thing tomorrow morning I'm checking. Thanks.

Targa Dude · Targa Dude's Garage

Thanks Leland.. I can't check it tomorrow, Going to Laguna Seca.. but first Sunday morning I'm all over it..

Jorge (Targa Dude)

Sean Hamilton · Sean Hamilton's Garage

So what's next? More stop? No, no - don't stop now!

smestas · smestas's Garage

Are these spacers in the rear shocks of the car also?

k9handler · 08-24-2002, 04:29 AM

hmmmm

will have to take a look at mine next week. Thanks

Mike Feinstein · Mike Feinstein's Garage

Recently had my shocks replaced and I asked the mechanic about those spacers. He said there were none installed on my car (1989). Looking up I see what appears to be a rubber washer where your steel washer was.

Does anyone know if this spacer was used on later model 3.2 Carreras?

wcballance · wcballance's Garage

Simon,

To answer your question about spacers being on the rear shocks... they aren't. I finished putting new Bilstein sport shocks on my car last weekend. I did have them on the front, so I removed them. Like Leland, I had found it in print that if your car is lowered you should remove them. I found reference to removing them in Wayne's book in Project 55 - Lowering the 911.

The rear right shock was a PITA by the way. I had very limited room to move a wrench. I ended up buying a 17mm ratchet wrench from Sears. Without it I could not have completed the job. It was still a VERY slow process.

---
Will Ballance
'82 911SC coupe

Leland Pate · 08-24-2002, 06:34 AM

Thanks for the clarification Will, I was laying in bed last night thinking about the rear shocks.

Warren, After I disassembled the shock mount I realized that I didn't actually have to remove the support itself. I just did it to clean them up and remove that hard undercoating stuff so I could get more camber movement out of them.
I wasn't real clear on that though- thanks.

I really do hope this helps someone.

Removing them didn't affect my ride height, itjust made the ride "ALLOT" better.

Jim Garfield · 08-24-2002, 09:42 AM

Leland,

Could you have dropped the shock by just undoing the
nut or do you have to remove the plate w/ the allen heads?
And if so, does the alignment remain the same?

Jim Garfield · 08-24-2002, 09:46 AM

Oops,

I shoud have read through all the replies before posting,
I think Warren answered my question.

widebody911 · widebody911's Garage

Those spacers worked perfectly as ballst to keep a friend of mine's kid's O guage train on the track.

Early_S_Man · 08-24-2002, 10:06 AM

In Herr Piech's glory days, those spacers would have been made of aluminum ... with holes for lightening purposes!

speeder · speeder's Garage

My '82 had those spacers installed, not sure which years had 'em, but basically the U.S. bumper-height year cars(?). I knew about these spacers because they were mentioned in every tech article I had read about lowering, (including B.A.'s). Also, one can remove and replace front struts w/o changing alignment by either leaving adjustment plate alone, (just remove large strut bolt), or if you do loosen/remove adjustment plate, etch marks first so that it goes back in same place. Actually the factory undercoating stuff does wonders for marking location, not sure if that is what it is there for. Last but not least, if/when you do remove large strut bolt, secure strut rod, (think it uses allen wrench), you do not want to spin the rod.

Eric Coffey · 08-24-2002, 03:20 PM

I believe only the 1975-1982 (U.S.) cars had the terrible "raised ride height" affliction.

Steve Marshall · 08-24-2002, 03:56 PM

Another good modifcation along the same lines, if you have Bilsteins, is cutting down the bump stop on the bottom end of strut insert and top end of the rear shock, under the dust cover. I'm not sure how the peice you removed will prevent the strut from bottoming out prematurely, but having full length bump stops certainly will. They recommended revised size is 1/3 height of the original height.

You have to pull the strut insurt completely out to get to them. You were more than half way there when you had the top half off.

Oldporsche · 08-24-2002, 08:28 PM

Woodhead shocks (blue) which were stock on the '75-76 cars (and possibly others) will not compress as much as the Konis, Boges and Bilstein replacements for these cars. If you car is later than a '74 and it is equipped with Woodhead shocks, you cannot lower them to euro spec heights ('74 was @ euro height specs) without them bottoming out prematurely.

Good luck,
David Duffield