They will ship the parts to you.
Shock Absorber setup for 4x4 Van - seeking advice
- Thread starter G35Vortec454
- Start date
They will ship the parts to you.
G35Vortec454
Adventurer
Thanks for all the great advice!!!
I'll take Chris' advice - make my 4x4 mods and then weigh the vehicle before I drive it to Agile. Then I will decide whether to let Agile do the work or install myself whatever recommended kit they sell me.
I'll have to install some shocks that I have in order to "limp" to Agile in El Cajon. It will likely be a white knuckle 130 mile freeway driving.
FDM2012
Adventurer
We are on a similar path,,,,sort of.
Since June, I have been building my rig out, and I now have the bulk of the weight added to it.
I just ordered my RIP Kit from Agile yesterday.
John is a good dude, and handpicked the right shocks, sway and trac bar bushings, stabilizer, etc....
All based on my specific rig.I can't wait to do the install!
I would have loved to take it to Ujoint, but I don't see myself ever utilizing the "BasAzzness" of
his suspension system in this heavier than most AmboLander. If I were going to do aggressive
trails and wheeling, it would be a NoBrainer, and I would mortgage my hizzy to do it!
But alas, I will make the best out of my Quigley. :smiley_drive: :safari-rig:
Since June, I have been building my rig out, and I now have the bulk of the weight added to it.
I just ordered my RIP Kit from Agile yesterday.
John is a good dude, and handpicked the right shocks, sway and trac bar bushings, stabilizer, etc....
All based on my specific rig.I can't wait to do the install!
I would have loved to take it to Ujoint, but I don't see myself ever utilizing the "BasAzzness" of
his suspension system in this heavier than most AmboLander. If I were going to do aggressive
trails and wheeling, it would be a NoBrainer, and I would mortgage my hizzy to do it!
But alas, I will make the best out of my Quigley. :smiley_drive: :safari-rig:
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shenrie
^^^ hates cars
^^^ if you can do all that, installing a set of shocks is a no brainer. like stated, once the rig is mobile and you can weigh it, get the axle weights and call john. he will get you setup and youll be a happy camper...pun intended
G35Vortec454
Adventurer
^^^ if you can do all that, installing a set of shocks is a no brainer. like stated, once the rig is mobile and you can weigh it, get the axle weights and call john. he will get you setup and youll be a happy camper...pun intended
Aren't the front coil springs part of the RIP kit? Not as easy as changjng shocks, but I've done it a few times before.
FDM2012
Adventurer
In my case, front coils, front/rear shocks, steering stabilizer, sway and trac bar bushings, and drop brackets for the sway bar.
After you give them weight and the necessary photos, they will recommend a kit that matches your rig. Or, you can roll down there,
and they can do it in person. And, you would be able to see rigs they are working on.
Disclaimer, I am not affiliated in any way, but have seen many threads about this RIP kit, and all have been good.
After you give them weight and the necessary photos, they will recommend a kit that matches your rig. Or, you can roll down there,
and they can do it in person. And, you would be able to see rigs they are working on.
Disclaimer, I am not affiliated in any way, but have seen many threads about this RIP kit, and all have been good.
shenrie
^^^ hates cars
^^^ like he said, its all about how deep you go with agile. its been a few years since we installed the kit, but all I remember was removing the small clips at the top of the spring and taking the weight off the front end. I could be way off. my memory isn't all that great these days. ive had a lot of concussions
Bikersmurf
Expedition Leader
Sounds like they mount the same as 2WD coils. Lift the front end, remove the keeper 'clip' tip the spring out. Then tip in a new one. You'll likely need the shock out to allow enough droop and the wheel off for access.
For trips to the alignment shop it can be done with a couple push pins and a tape measure.
For trips to the alignment shop it can be done with a couple push pins and a tape measure.
G35Vortec454
Adventurer
Since you've touched on alignment, what's the usual way of adjusting caster? I don't see any cam or bolt on this Quigley thing. For camber, I would think the solid axle is non-adjustable.
Bikersmurf
Expedition Leader
With solid axles, the default answer is that chamber is fixed, and caster can be adjusted by a wedge between the axle and springs (leaf sprung). With a coil setup it'd be much harder... depends on setup.
There are offset bearings available for many axles which can be used to change castor and chamber. However their installation is a very time consuming process. Most shops will recommend simple Toe in adjustment and sticking with factory set alignment unless there are issues with tire wear or drive ability. I've been setting toe in for 25 years on my 4x4 with just a tape measure... tires have been wearing evenly, and drive ability is good.
There are offset bearings available for many axles which can be used to change castor and chamber. However their installation is a very time consuming process. Most shops will recommend simple Toe in adjustment and sticking with factory set alignment unless there are issues with tire wear or drive ability. I've been setting toe in for 25 years on my 4x4 with just a tape measure... tires have been wearing evenly, and drive ability is good.
G35Vortec454
Adventurer
Swap complete, kind of
OK, I've completed my swap, sort of. Without any shock absorbers, it drives fine on flat roads, no low-speed wobble nor high-speed wobble. Of course it rocks like a boat even just on mild bumps, but no wobble.
Here are the issues:
1. No shocks yet (pending study of best possible shocks)
2. Front axle clearance to bump stop/frame is only 2.5 inches
3. The rear, with vehicle as is even with the 3" lift block, is way too low at the rear. Rear needs to go up a full 4 inches. Remedied temporarily with helper springs I had lying around.
Vital stats:
a. Weight: At steer axle: 3670#; At drive axle: 5370# (with driver and passenger, full gas tanks, full water tank). NO camping gear (50#), NO house batteries and inverter (150#), NO spare tire (80#)
b. Front shocks mount-mount length: 16.5", when vehicle is at rest/level with 1" rake
c. Rear shocks mount-mount length: 19.5, when vehicle is at rest/level with 1" rake
Now back to shocks -
Jesus at Agile called me back and we discussed RIP. He said they have 3 different valving of their Fox shocks and that to me means they are pre-valved at the factory, in other words they are FIXED at the factory rather than that they valve them according to my vehicle weight. So I'm a bit concerned about their (fixed-valved) Fox shocks because my RV is not a regular van.
I'm anxious to hear from you guys.
OK, I've completed my swap, sort of. Without any shock absorbers, it drives fine on flat roads, no low-speed wobble nor high-speed wobble. Of course it rocks like a boat even just on mild bumps, but no wobble.
Here are the issues:
1. No shocks yet (pending study of best possible shocks)
2. Front axle clearance to bump stop/frame is only 2.5 inches
3. The rear, with vehicle as is even with the 3" lift block, is way too low at the rear. Rear needs to go up a full 4 inches. Remedied temporarily with helper springs I had lying around.
Vital stats:
a. Weight: At steer axle: 3670#; At drive axle: 5370# (with driver and passenger, full gas tanks, full water tank). NO camping gear (50#), NO house batteries and inverter (150#), NO spare tire (80#)
b. Front shocks mount-mount length: 16.5", when vehicle is at rest/level with 1" rake
c. Rear shocks mount-mount length: 19.5, when vehicle is at rest/level with 1" rake
Now back to shocks -
Jesus at Agile called me back and we discussed RIP. He said they have 3 different valving of their Fox shocks and that to me means they are pre-valved at the factory, in other words they are FIXED at the factory rather than that they valve them according to my vehicle weight. So I'm a bit concerned about their (fixed-valved) Fox shocks because my RV is not a regular van.
I'm anxious to hear from you guys.
G35Vortec454
Adventurer
Jesus at Agile told me they have 3 standard valving:
1. Light
2. Medium
3. Heavy
Based on what you say, I'm guessing that any van falls into "built to spec" in one of the three.
Based on this, if I would guess, my RV's front would be Medium and the rear a Heavy.
Makes sense, or am I overthinking it?
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shenrie
^^^ hates cars
This is the short story...john at agile worked for fox for a while. Him and Ramsey were buddies and teamed up to develop a good valving setup for the quigleys since there wasn't anything readily available. Once they had it dialed in he started offering the rip kits and got stupid busy trying to keep up with demand. john moved over to agile so Ramsey could officially retire, then unfortunately Ramsey passed away last summer.
Agile does custom valving in house and I'm guessing they've done so many now that they are offering the options they told you about. Agile knows heavy vans and john knows the in and outs of fox shocks. Those two things combined give you better options than anything you'll find off the shelf. You either trust all the positive stuff you hear about them or you don't. I have yet to see any negative feedback regarding the company. They are very affordable no matter what brand you compare to. Imho, it's kinda a no brained and you're overthinking it.
Agile does custom valving in house and I'm guessing they've done so many now that they are offering the options they told you about. Agile knows heavy vans and john knows the in and outs of fox shocks. Those two things combined give you better options than anything you'll find off the shelf. You either trust all the positive stuff you hear about them or you don't. I have yet to see any negative feedback regarding the company. They are very affordable no matter what brand you compare to. Imho, it's kinda a no brained and you're overthinking it.