Rear shocks

Before you cut, check for rear body sag. It is a CMC issue for sure. 

Shock gets pulled out and back a few inches each way.  That top mount is fixed and doesn't move.  Here's photo of shocks mounted. Custom frame?  Maybe a picture further forward might help.

Thanks for your replys. The rear of the car seems stright and strong. Door gaps are even. 

The body is actually a Fiberfab, thick fiberglass. I guess cmc/ fiberfab are the same. 

YES they are pretty much same with them selling car from same molds just leveraging FF long innovative kit car name.

That looks like the engine area side wall.  Some early kits came with the steel subframe un-attached - since yours is custom chassis, it may be that that "skirt" needs to be pulled in and attached at the bottom.  Actually, no harm if it is trimmed a bit.   Just make sure the rear frame section has ample support for heave rear fiberglass (same for nose where the mount in front of gas tank is often not used)  so you don't get butt sag down the road.

Here's the stock FF/CMC added steel frame - which needs added support to rear (left in photo).

@Keefer9 , I'm not sure that you have a problem.  On my pan based Fiberfab the top shock mount is also close, but like Wolfgang mentioned, it is fixed and never moves.  It is hard to tell just how much clearance you have from the picture, but if you can bolt up the shock, without it touching the body, you should be good.  Here is the best picture that I currently have of my rear shock. 

@Keefer9  Do you need a photo of my CMC back there for reference?  Not a big deal - just move the snowblower out of the way and pull the wheel for a photo.  Just let me know passenger or driver side.

Your shock mount looks, to me, like it's a bit too close to the fiberglass and the shock would rub once mounted.  Moving the mount might not be an option with your tube frame, but maybe clearancing the fiberglass enough for the shock to clear and then re-glassing a slight dome shape there to clear everything might be the answer - relatively easy to do and it'll be covered by carpet in the cockpit, anyway.

Thanks Wolfgang. That looks like my body support frame,minus the rold bar, are you saying that I need to add more support structure to the rear. 

I will have to cut a three inch length and one inch into the box tubing to get the shocks to fit the upper mounts.

But before I cut I will add a stiffener to support the area being cut. Not sure what else I can do. 

Keefer.

Thanks Gordon. A photo would be great. 

Both rear shocks are the same, with the body off, shocks installed, I lower the body and the shock upper mount hits about half of the box tubing that supports the back end. 

I don't get it, either the frame is wrong or the body. 

Thanks James, your install looks great, its like my tube chassis was built to narrow. 

Keefer.

I should have some shots by 4pm Eastern.  Out running errands right now.    

Whoa.....   Made it by 4pm (sorta)!

@Keefer9 Here's what I could get for photos of the passenger side back there.

Here's a long shot of the top of the shock tower.  That big, honkin nut above the shock mount is one end of my Kafer Brace.  There appears, with the shocks on there right now, to be about 3/16" between the shock dust cover and the body's frame member.  When I have my Koni shocks on there they give me another 1/8" - 3/16" clearance (those dust covers are smaller diameter).

Between the top shock mount and the body (rear seat area) there is clearance of 2" - 3" - Enough space to fit a couple of fingers and my stiffening brace (see below).  The tight spot is between the frame member and the shock dust cover.

This shows you the clearance between the dust cover and the frame - the shadow makes it look like they're touching, but they're not.  There's 3/16" between the dust cover and the frame.

I've added a stiffening brace on the frame member next to the shock - the other end attaches to the upright frame member just behind the door opening.  THAT is what you see in the next photo ( and another angle on the shock clearance ).  The top bar of the Kafer Brace attaches to the right side (inside) of the upper shock mount and goes off towards the upper right in the photo to the tower on the driver's side.

This is probably the best shot of the shock clearance.  Not much space, but just enough to not hit.

Hope this helps a bit.  You can pro'bly get away with just notching the frame member 1/4" or so if you need to, or look at a few different shocks to see if one might have a smaller diameter dust cover. With an IRS rear the shocks don't pivot front-to-back almost at all.  I don't know how much a swing-arm might pivot the shock....   You'll have to scope it out and guess at the size of the notch needed.  If it is as close on both sides of the car then the frame might be a tad wide.  If it's only close on one side then the body was pro'bly pushed to the passenger side too much when mounted on the chassis.  

Again, you might get by with different, smaller-diameter shocks.

Thanks Gordon for the pictures, the shocks I have are KYB. You say Koni's are smaller dia I will check them out. 

It sounds like bracing the back end is a good idea on these kits? 

Keefer.

Bracing the rear certainly helps and makes the entire car feel a bit more “solid”, but because the rear frame is so long the bracing only helps just so much.  I put those braces in after a discussion on this forum over ten years ago.  I had the metal stock and a decent welder (my son) and figured “what the heck!”  Honestly, until I got in there today, I had forgotten that they were in there!

It’s amazing how many things I’ve done on that car over the years and forgotten about......