Mark -
Do not ever use bolts that are too long to secure your shocks. Not
only will your shocks wear out, but you could stress the shock
mounting plate as well, which you don't want to do... trust me $$$$.
1 inch should be sufficient, and I would HIGHLY reccommend getting 1
inch bolts that have a non-threaded shoulder for half an inch under
the bolt head. If you can't find bolts like this, buy the correct
bolts from Moss or another Healey Supplier of you choice. You can
measure the length they should be by measuring the thickness of the
shock bottom plate and washer, and measuring the thickness of the
shock mounting plate less about 1/4"... that should be just about an
inch. Frankly, however, I would just pony up the extra coupla
dollars and buy the correct bolts from a healey supplier.
If you are using 1 inch bolts from the hardware store that are
threaded all the way to the head, what will happen is at some point in
the future.... your shocks .... if and when they come loose will get
worn out as they vibrate against the threads... this isn't what you
want. These shock bolts do come loose... it's a design oversight
honestly... so having a non-threaded shoulder on the bolt is important
for long term maintenance.
Regards,
Alan
'53 BN1 '64 BJ8
On Thu, 10 Mar 2005 06:35:18 -0500, Mark and Kathy
<mgtrcars@galaxyinternet.net> wrote:
> Listers,
> One question and one observation today.
>
> Curiosity has got the better of me today. Through my LBC years I
> have noticed on some of my cars that some of the shocks have been painted
> "Gold" in color. I know this was not an "off the line " color so what was
> the significance of using this color. Rebuilt? NOS aftermarket? Better
> quality units?
>
> Now my observation. While doing a trial run on fitting my front
> shocks on my BT7 this week I was curious about which of the wide assortment of
> different lengths of 3/8 inch bolts I should use. I know we have hashed
> over the "grades" of bolts to use but I don't remember that the length was
> covered. Anyway, after researching my supply of manuals for this info. I
> finally came across the explanation of the bolt codes in the Anderson/ Moment
> restor. book. ( "God bless you gentlemen for your efforts on this book) All
> the codes are in the Parts Service manuals. One inch is what I have
> "decoded" . Just out of curiosity I thought I would see what happens if I
> went with one of the 1 and a half inch bolts. Sure enough, they Won't do the
> Job. They "appear" that they work but just about the time that they look
> like they are securing the shock down they are also bottoming out into the
> spring tower. Now since I have the luxury of shinning a flash light into
> the holes and crevises in the towers and plate I can obviously see this. But
> my thoughts were that if my springs and rest of the assembly were in the way
> or I just didn't give this problem a second thought, my shocks would bearly
> be held in place if I was to use the 1 and a half inch bolts. It appears
> that the 1 inch is the only way to go or maybe something in between these two
> sizes.
>
> What length are your bolts?
>
> Mark
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