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Old 11-13-2020, 11:24 AM
bobzdar bobzdar is offline
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Default Which shocks? '67 fb

Completing the suspension rebuild on my '67 and time to buy shocks - staying with stock springs but upgraded to tubular control arms. Looking for handling and ride quality. I'm looking at the qa1's double or single (non R) adjustables, koni single adjustable and bilsteins. Any suggestions here or others I should be looking at? Price not a big concern, car is 400/4spd (m22) and will be more of a backroad bomber and highway flyer than stop light or drag car.

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Old 11-13-2020, 11:33 PM
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I put QA1s single adjustables on my 67 and I'm really happy with them. Up front they are coilovers on tubular arms.

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Old 11-13-2020, 11:46 PM
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I had Bilsteins, but thought they rode too harsh. Considered Koni's but they are only rebound-adjustable. Went with QA1 single adjustable and like them (would have preferred double adjustable, but they were a lot more expensive). However, Viking sells some affordable double adjustable which others have reported work really well.

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Old 11-14-2020, 01:01 PM
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I have the Verishock SS (non-adjustable) and I really like them on my 69. I have a very low and quite stiff setup and the ride is still compliant. On a stock sprung application they won't be over harsh because they add rebound damping more than compression damping, working against the car's desire to lean into a corner and forcing the inside tire to do more work, without destroying ride quality.

The digressive curve will also control some of the floatiness inherent in these cars when factory rate springs are used.

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Old 11-14-2020, 05:25 PM
bobzdar bobzdar is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by JLMounce View Post
I have the Verishock SS (non-adjustable) and I really like them on my 69. I have a very low and quite stiff setup and the ride is still compliant. On a stock sprung application they won't be over harsh because they add rebound damping more than compression damping, working against the car's desire to lean into a corner and forcing the inside tire to do more work, without destroying ride quality.

The digressive curve will also control some of the floatiness inherent in these cars when factory rate springs are used.
Thanks, I wasn't aware of the Varishocks or Vikings. Sounds like the Bilsteins are out as I don't want a harsh ride, at least all the time. So that leaves QA1 single and double adjustable, Koni single (rebound), Viking double adjustable and Varishock, which have non adjustable and both single and double adjustable. I'm leaning towards the double adjustables as then I can tailor the ride to what I want, but I also know some shocks handle fast and slow bump/rebound differently - meaning they are stiffer for slower movements (ie pitch/roll) but can be softer for high speed event's (like bumps). That's kind of what I'm after; good body control but not too firm on bumps or uneven pavement. I also need to check my lower control arms and make sure the double adjustables will fit. So any idea on double adjustable QA1 vs Viking vs Varishock?

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Old 11-14-2020, 06:18 PM
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Originally Posted by bobzdar View Post
some shocks handle fast and slow bump/rebound differently - meaning they are stiffer for slower movements (ie pitch/roll) but can be softer for high speed event's (like bumps). That's kind of what I'm after; good body control but not too firm on bumps or uneven pavement.
You would have loved the Edelbrock IAS shocks. Too bad they stopped making them. Unfortunately one of mine was accidentally damaged while I was doing some other mods or they'd still be on.

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Old 11-15-2020, 02:55 AM
Geoff Geoff is offline
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I have the Edel IAS shocks on my GTO, been on many, many years. They are great, but as stated, no longer available.

My next choice would be Koni.

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Old 11-16-2020, 11:47 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bobzdar View Post
Thanks, I wasn't aware of the Varishocks or Vikings. Sounds like the Bilsteins are out as I don't want a harsh ride, at least all the time. So that leaves QA1 single and double adjustable, Koni single (rebound), Viking double adjustable and Varishock, which have non adjustable and both single and double adjustable. I'm leaning towards the double adjustables as then I can tailor the ride to what I want, but I also know some shocks handle fast and slow bump/rebound differently - meaning they are stiffer for slower movements (ie pitch/roll) but can be softer for high speed event's (like bumps). That's kind of what I'm after; good body control but not too firm on bumps or uneven pavement. I also need to check my lower control arms and make sure the double adjustables will fit. So any idea on double adjustable QA1 vs Viking vs Varishock?
Yes that's the difference between a progressive rate damping and a digressive rate damping.

If you're after a bit more firmness in slow movements you want the digressive curved shocks. In the Verishock line that is the SS or the double adjustables. The single adjustable is progressive rate valved. It wouldn't even be on my radar for purchase.

One thing to note about the Verishock as well as the QA1 and Viking offerings is that they are large body shocks and typically can not be installed through the lower control arms like factory style shocks. They need to be installed on top of the lower control arms, which means breaking the spindle away and removing the spring.

Some aftermarket arms may have a large enough hole through the bottom to get a large body shock in, but not all of them.

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Old 11-16-2020, 07:15 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by JLMounce View Post
Yes that's the difference between a progressive rate damping and a digressive rate damping.

If you're after a bit more firmness in slow movements you want the digressive curved shocks. In the Verishock line that is the SS or the double adjustables. The single adjustable is progressive rate valved. It wouldn't even be on my radar for purchase.
That's an excellent point. From this definition:


both the single and adjustable Varishocks curves themselves look to be mostly digressive until you get to their lowest settings, then they're closer to linear. But the double adjustables have more aggressive range in the compression.


Viking also has a triple adjustable, which allows tailoring the compression based on the rate the shock moves to help balance a smooth ride and great handling. But the price jumps up significantly. http://vi-king.com/media/wysiwyg/VIK...GUIDE_1218.pdf

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Last edited by amcmike; 11-16-2020 at 07:44 PM.
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Old 11-16-2020, 09:30 PM
bobzdar bobzdar is offline
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Here's the opening in the bottom, not sure if that rules out any of them. I had a hard enough time getting the springs in place without a shock inside, I'd have to figure out how to pop the spring in place.
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Old 11-17-2020, 11:20 AM
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There's no way you're getting a large body shock through there. If you're unwilling to remove the spring and put the shock in place on top, that rules out pretty much everything being discussed here.

My opinion, but the best shock out currently that can be serviced like a stock shock is the Koni Classic (Red). It has some valving adjustment on it to tailor it a bit to your style and comfort level. It's certainly an upgrade over the factory shocks or the factory replacement stuff, but being a small body shock, it's damping abilities are limited when compared to the large body shock options. That said, considering you are running stock springs, they will probably be a pretty decent setup.

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Old 12-03-2020, 11:57 PM
bobzdar bobzdar is offline
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There's no way you're getting a large body shock through there. If you're unwilling to remove the spring and put the shock in place on top, that rules out pretty much everything being discussed here.

My opinion, but the best shock out currently that can be serviced like a stock shock is the Koni Classic (Red). It has some valving adjustment on it to tailor it a bit to your style and comfort level. It's certainly an upgrade over the factory shocks or the factory replacement stuff, but being a small body shock, it's damping abilities are limited when compared to the large body shock options. That said, considering you are running stock springs, they will probably be a pretty decent setup.
I can pop them back apart easily enough and wrestle with them again. I'm seriously considering the viking double adjustables as they're digressive and firebird central has a 4 corner package (warriors) for 1st gens which seem like the right match for what I want.

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