Front suspension

[mlrailguy]

IMG_0599 (2).JPG

[Ol'fogasaurus]

Taaa-da!

Good job and the rail looks good also!

Lee

[Leatherneck]

Aluminum was meant for beer cans not beams. Yeah and I don’t have the talent to make aluminum beams last. Just bite the bullet. Look over the build pages and combine all of the best ones and you’ll never look back, well except to see how I’m enjoying the dust.

[Ol'fogasaurus]

Aluminum was meant for beer cans not beams. Yeah and I don’t have the talent to make aluminum beams last. Just bite the bullet. Look over the build pages and combine all of the best ones and you’ll never look back, well except to see how I’m enjoying the dust.

There are "AL" beams and then there are "al" beams with the latter being lighter and (I think they at least they look somewhat) wider. The material the beams are made from also can be part of the mix. Sometimes the material suppliers don't always follow the material makeup specifications all that closely.

One thing to consider is the shock absorbers and torsion bars vs. coil overs all can effect the loading on the (VW style) tube beam itself potentially causing failure/bending. The mounting points also change the loading on the beam too.

Everything is always perfect... until it isn't!

Lee

https://www.homestratosphere.com/types- ... %20More%20

Some "for what it is worth info".

[Ol'fogasaurus]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aluminium_alloy

More detail on AL specifics.

Lee

[mlrailguy]

Even if I go with a-arms I still need to know what is best overall shock. My back is not as young as it used to be I want to be able to do 40 to 60 mph across the whoops without going into pogo stick mode.

[Ol'fogasaurus]

Even if I go with a-arms I still need to know what is best overall shock. My back is not as young as it used to be I want to be able to do 40 to 60 mph across the whoops without going into pogo stick mode.

Hmmmm!

You do know that there are "sand cars" which have a minimum travel of 26" (and above) plus a cost of $$$; I think that was the starting definition from years ago anyway (If you look up "sand cars" and open the pix you get a mix of just about everything). To be honest, I don't think what you are wanting is going to be easy or cheap but fun to talk about!

While I run very basic on the sand, I do know several groups what/where each member of the group (come and gone), over the years, has gone through; e.g., the upgrades to cover many other things (plus their age and other ??? wants and needs) and seen the changes they go through as more opinions, options and other things become available then there is the basic changes needed to maintain and upgrade to them (in ways it's kind of like the turbo talk/discussions you see here [not meant as derogatory talk]) seems to be a never ending task.

Opinion: Wheel base, spring rates, a balanced (both front and rear) suspension along is what I would suspect you need to look into, that along with a "surety" you and your needs are not going to change. "Shock absorbers"/"dampeners" are also part of the "balance" one needs to find. How many people are going to be riding with you is also part of the mix.

Add to that a balanced seating location and appropriate fully fitting and supporting seating arrangement. The controls all within easy reach but also not in the way especially during panic situations (from listening to others talk about "what and why").

No rocket or jet motors.

Remember, as you get older wants and needs change so that is another thing you will have to deal with.

Lee

[Ol'fogasaurus]

Even if I go with a-arms I still need to know what is best overall shock. My back is not as young as it used to be I want to be able to do 40 to 60 mph across the whoops without going into pogo stick mode.

https://seattle.craigslist.org/oly/snw/ ... 07009.html

This might work for us'n older guys but it has 2 distinct limitations... single seat and short wheel base .

Lee

[mlrailguy]

LOL, not there yet.

[Leatherneck]

Once you go Coil overs and possibly adding ByPass shocks at that time you truly get what you pay for but middle of the road Fox isn’t bad.

[PhillipM]

Even if I go with a-arms I still need to know what is best overall shock. My back is not as young as it used to be I want to be able to do 40 to 60 mph across the whoops without going into pogo stick mode.

It's going to be much more about spring rate, valving and getting as much of the friction out of the front trailing arm setup as you can really than fancier shocks - those Fox you have will be fine, that's all we used to run on and we happily do 3 figure speeds on forest tracks and whoops over a race.