Custom Shocks

[Crispy]

Kia Ora,

I’m currently in the throws of ordering parts to keep moving ahead with the build of my Mini Moke while I wait to get the Ok to get it registered.
 

Mechanically underneath all that flat panel steel it is exactly the same as a traditional Classic Mini. With one major exception. 
 

In Australian Mokes (which mine is) the rear swing arms are slightly longer than standard mini ones to accommodate for the factory 13 inch wheels and 70 profile tyres. 
 
Which poses a problem for shocks as I have to run longer Van/Estate shocks. Otherwise I will run into clearance problems. 

The only damper adjustable ones I can find are Spax. (And yes I want damper adjustment). Which apparently used to be a great company back in the day. But got bought out and now quality control isn’t great.

Protech in the Uk do mini shocks and custom ones (for kit cars and single seaters etc.) but I’d like to look into a custom option here in Nz first.

Is there a custom option or something I’ve overlooked? I know Autolign in Mt Wellington used to do this sort of thing. A family friend was in the workshop. But I remember going there to get my daily aligned and the workshop was about to close down and they were just doing retail/wholesale/distribution. 

Mini shocks aren’t anything too complicated. 
 

[smokin'joe]

have you looked at some of the QA1 etc that speedway guys use ?
is there a similar unit that Formula First/Ford/Toyota would use.
motorbike/atv shocks

do you have open/closed length

[Crispy]

Yup.

Open 410.25mm

Closed 271.25mm

I’ll do a bit more research 

 

[CUL8R]

GAZ Shocks in the UK used to do custom ones if I remember correctly, and there was a agent in Auckland I want to say Zep used them?

[zep]

I got mine from the UK, but also that was like 15 years ago! Locally, I feel like you might just need to have some existing shocks modified, otherwise the QA1 route might be okay if you can get the right lengths. If you look into companies like AVO, Spax, etc most should have a large selection of shocks - maybe a local distributor could get some in for you.

[Rhyscar]

Yeah, there should be plenty of near-off the shelf options available that should fit. QA1 and GAZ are good options, or have a chat to Suspension Tech - he should be able to match up a shock for the length you need. 

More important than length is compression/droop - general rule is 2" minimum in each direction from ride height. A little more droop in rear can help with stability. This may be less on a mini though as they don't have a lot of travel anyway. 

 

Just remember, not all adjustable shocks are made equal, and you literally get what you pay for - GAZ would be the minimum quality I'd recommend. An off-the-shelf non-adjustable shock such as Bilstein can often provide much better performance than an average-quality adjustable shock. 

 

 

[Tiger Tamer]

Classic car accessories here in NZ sell Gaz shocks.