SHOCKS FOR A 1964 C

[Dave Wildrick]

Al, why should you not use overlong shocks on disc brake cars? Surely the droop is limited by the spring plate, not the shock, same as drum brake cars. Give us the full story please.

David, I had KYB GR2 nonadjustable gas shocks on my 64 C (disc brake) coupe for years (purchased from Al Zim, incidentally), as they were inexpensive and the ride was good.
Recently, when my car was at Zim's shop on the lift, we noticed that when the suspension was allowed to droop, there was a lot of tension being applied to the rubber brake lines, which might eventually cause a sudden unfortunate loss of braking ability if a brake hose ruptured. Apparently, some shocks not specifically designed for the 356, allow too much downward suspension travel in the front, and I might add that the front suspension on my car had just been totally rebuilt within the past year.
So, I now have Boge shocks both front and rear.

[David Jones]

OK Dave but what is the difference between disc and drum suspension travel? I have Bilsteins on my 64C and find the ride very acceptable with Konis on the other two cars also acceptable with a good ride. Good shocks are mandatory for the roads where I live.

[Dave Wildrick]

OK Dave but what is the difference between disc and drum suspension travel? I have Bilsteins on my 64C and find the ride very acceptable with Konis on the other two cars also acceptable with a good ride. Good shocks are mandatory for the roads where I live.

Good question, David. I don't know. Maybe Al will answer.

[Jon Schmid]

FWIW I have Bilsteins on my '64 coupe. They were on the car when I bought it 15+ years ago and I find the ride acceptable. I am running Boges on my Roadster until I find the time (and money) to rebuild the date stamped Konis I have--frears are original to the car--fronts are matching date stamped--all are worn out and need to be rebuilt. I like the Boges as well.

[Craig Richter]

Please don't go telling Koni that someone here thinks their shocks are trash. There is a set on Speedy (Ray installed them before I became caretaker) all set to soft, or near soft considering they are around 30 years old now. Every now and then I'll pull them off and check the compression, if it's a little weak I'll crank a turn or so until they seem even (a little firmer in rear) and reinstall. The new Boge's on Lucretia feel about the same as Koni's set soft, and are a lot cheaper. Remember, I'm getting along, roads are rough, and Mandy keeps reminding me that we're no longer in such a hurry...

[C J Murray]

Every now and then I'll pull them off and check the compression, if it's a little weak I'll crank a turn or so until they seem even (a little firmer in rear) and reinstall.

The adjustment on Koni 356 shocks is rebound only.

For street use I like the ride quality of the Boge shocks. The Konis are good but can be mis-adjusted to be really unpleasant on the street. Sometimes people are better off not having the ability to fiddle with adjustments.

[Craig Richter]

I can plead guilty to that. By the way, Speedy has been modified for the long late rear shocks... what a wonderful difference!

[Tim Berardelli]

Remember that with KYB gas shocks, KYB means "kill your back"

[Al Zim]

DAVID: THANK YOU! for bringing my inaccurate shock absorber comment to my attention. I have corrected it in my post. al zim