Post by marius on Sept 17, 2012 9:43:50 GMT 2
Hi all
I took it upon myself to fit the new shocks this weekend and to my surprise I found no info in our technical section on how to properly fit shock absorbers on the Niva! Fortunately the job is fairly straight forward compared to many other makes of cars.
One tip I got a long time ago from the Dakar Mod is to turn the bottom bolts on the rear shocks facing to the rear so as to protect them from flying rocks. Damage from flying debris can make your life a bit more difficult in trying to get the nuts off.
Another fine Dakar Mod tip is to reinforce the front mountings with 2-5mm steel plating and reinforced welding on the base of the bottom mounts. Have a look here to see more or less what the mod should look like >>
locsa.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=technical&action=display&thread=350
Before you install the shocks you should pump each shock at least four to five times in order to “calibrate” the shocks and check that they function properly.
The next bit is a fairly detailed description what to look for when you fit your shocks. The particular gas shocks mentioned has been my choice for many years and I can recommend their suitability for the Niva. This information was obtained via a third party and was not posted on this forum, but I feel that this is the kind of thing that should be shared on this forum.
Here is a somewhat edited version:
The recommended front shock is the Gabriel Safari G56172. There is one issue here. The bottom mounting eye has a hole of 12mm in diameter as opposed 10mm of the original shocks. Over time the free play will increase and will lead to increased suspension noise. The 10mm hole in the bracket will become more oval and will eventually brake. It is recommended that you press fit a bush with 12mm OD, 10mm ID of appropriate size either over the bolt or into the bottom eye of the shock.
I personally did not do this as I found the fit quite tight as I had to tap the bolt all the way through the eye– but I’ll keep a close eye on it in the future.
The recommended rear shock is the Gabriel Safari G56102. These are much wider that the original Russian shocks and care needs to be taken to avoid direct contact with the body and the brake lines. At the top you need just about 0.5mm clearance. Make sure that all brake lines are at least 2-3 mm away from any part of the shock. Two or three fairly thick flat washers at the top and the bottom should do the trick.
Remember to use the original metal sleeves that came with the Russian shocks. This will prevent knocking and damage to the rubber bushes.
Marius
I took it upon myself to fit the new shocks this weekend and to my surprise I found no info in our technical section on how to properly fit shock absorbers on the Niva! Fortunately the job is fairly straight forward compared to many other makes of cars.
One tip I got a long time ago from the Dakar Mod is to turn the bottom bolts on the rear shocks facing to the rear so as to protect them from flying rocks. Damage from flying debris can make your life a bit more difficult in trying to get the nuts off.
Another fine Dakar Mod tip is to reinforce the front mountings with 2-5mm steel plating and reinforced welding on the base of the bottom mounts. Have a look here to see more or less what the mod should look like >>
locsa.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=technical&action=display&thread=350
Before you install the shocks you should pump each shock at least four to five times in order to “calibrate” the shocks and check that they function properly.
The next bit is a fairly detailed description what to look for when you fit your shocks. The particular gas shocks mentioned has been my choice for many years and I can recommend their suitability for the Niva. This information was obtained via a third party and was not posted on this forum, but I feel that this is the kind of thing that should be shared on this forum.
Here is a somewhat edited version:
The recommended front shock is the Gabriel Safari G56172. There is one issue here. The bottom mounting eye has a hole of 12mm in diameter as opposed 10mm of the original shocks. Over time the free play will increase and will lead to increased suspension noise. The 10mm hole in the bracket will become more oval and will eventually brake. It is recommended that you press fit a bush with 12mm OD, 10mm ID of appropriate size either over the bolt or into the bottom eye of the shock.
I personally did not do this as I found the fit quite tight as I had to tap the bolt all the way through the eye– but I’ll keep a close eye on it in the future.
The recommended rear shock is the Gabriel Safari G56102. These are much wider that the original Russian shocks and care needs to be taken to avoid direct contact with the body and the brake lines. At the top you need just about 0.5mm clearance. Make sure that all brake lines are at least 2-3 mm away from any part of the shock. Two or three fairly thick flat washers at the top and the bottom should do the trick.
Remember to use the original metal sleeves that came with the Russian shocks. This will prevent knocking and damage to the rubber bushes.
Marius