How do friction shocks work

Hey, Barners, This has probably been discussed to death but I can't seem to find anything out about "friction shocks. I assume they are after market. How do they work? Is there any adjustment on these? Re: friction shocks. I run frictioin shocks on some of mine. I like friction shocks better than trhe repro hydraulic shocks that aren't adjustable and can't be refilled with oil. Friction shocks can be adjusted by tightening the bolt and nut that holds the arm in place.

If tightened TOO much the mounting ears will break. There is a large rubber washer between the arm and the body of the shock that gives the needed friction when tightened. I think that Speedway offers the rubber friction pads. I have made my own friction pads by cutting them out of used inner tubes. Friction shocks stabalize the ride and remove bounce. Actually friction shocks are MUCH better and safer than no shocks at all, they also look cool on a speedster.

I've never used friction shocks, but find them interesting. What are these ratios referring to? Oh, and I agree, they look cool on a speedster. I really need some good shocks for the rear of my truck, but the front i dont see it mattering much. Although i would really like to have friction shocks on both front and back. Would look cool.

Anybody have experience with friction shocks? I like this-. Last edited by Killa Fab ; , AM. Tags: None. I wanted to run them too, and everything I could read about them basically said they only kinda work on light rods with little suspension travel. Im running bags on mine so using them was not an option for me I have read that the hydraulic lever shocks work a little better than the friction shocks, similar kinda look not quite as cool but alot of those hydraulic lever shocks are only single action.

My 1. Comment Post Cancel. There are alot a variables with friction shocks that change how good or bad they work. The OP's example pic looks good however, the lever arm is too long and the friction pads are too close together After a close family friend passed away recently I became the new owner of some of his parts.

I was astonished the lever arms moved freely because most shocks you come across are frozen solid. Not only did I love the fact these were original parts, they belonged to my friend and I was happy to have him be a part of the history on my car. Houdaille created hydraulic shocks for many car companies in the early days. Ford was one, but even some early Ferraris were fitted with Houdaille shocks. Once the decision was made to run these shocks I had to decide how to mount them.

My frame was already boxed, but I wanted to run the original hardware too. I started by plotting the correct location on the frame rails. My rails are new stampings so they were void of the original holes. I tracked down a good frame chart, and with a little measuring was able to determine the correct location to mount them. I started by drilling a small pilot hole through both sides of the rail. I decided to make an access hole on my frame so I could use the original mounting bolts and still access the nut on the back side.

Once I had a pilot hole I used a small hole saw to create the access hole on the inside first, then opened the outer holes to the correct size.

Once the shocks were mounted the next task was connecting them to the axle itself. Original spring perches had a shock mount that protruded from the top.

Most of these were cut off by hot rodders converting to tube shocks. If you can find originals perches they are either in very rough shape, or they are expensive. There may be a day when I consider purchasing a set of originals, or I may get lucky at a future swap meet.

For now I decided to try a more economical route. I picked up a set of Speedway forged spring perches, part , pictured below. I then made a boss that could be welded to the top of the perch. This boss was drilled and tapped to accept another handy part available from Speedway, part Dog Bone Shock Link Balls.