Rancho shock mounting question

Flyer58

Flyer58

YJ Enthusiast
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Apr 12, 2020
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Location
Magnolia, Texas
All suppliers of the Rancho RS500X say I will need these for the rear shocks
  • NON-STANDARD QUALIFIER: Requires Aftermarket Shock Adapter Bracket
Can anyone identify just what this adapter bracket is of what it does? For the upper or lower mount? I know the Rancho shock tubes have a wider diameter so maybe it needs the extra clearance but I'm just guessing.

Thanks.
 
Flyer58 said:
All suppliers of the Rancho RS500X say I will need these for the rear shocks
  • NON-STANDARD QUALIFIER: Requires Aftermarket Shock Adapter Bracket
Can anyone identify just what this adapter bracket is of what it does? For the upper or lower mount? I know the Rancho shock tubes have a wider diameter so maybe it needs the extra clearance but I'm just guessing.

Thanks.
Click to expand...
Im thinking that is exactly the reason. Up travel will need some room and the shock bodies are wider.
 
Gilaguy23 said:
Wonder what those are?? I have 5000X's on my 91. They are close to the axle tube no doubt due to the fat body but I dont think they rub or hit.
Click to expand...
Depends on tire size, which can dictate pinion angle. The more angle you have, the closer the shock body gets to the axle housing by virtue of the factory shock mount when at ride at.
 
I sent an email off to Rancho about these asking what they're saying. I also found a discrepancy on their website because the shock selection page says they're needed but the product catalog doesn't show a footnote showing a need for them.

I think this is what they want to get the shock away from the axle housing due to the 5000x being a wider diameter than the OEM shocks.

Rubicon Express Shock Relocation Bracket Bolt-On Rear YJ

sl1.jpg
sl2.jpg
 
Flyer58 said:
I sent an email off to Rancho about these asking what they're saying. I also found a discrepancy on their website because the shock selection page says they're needed but the product catalog doesn't show a footnote showing a need for them.

I think this is what they want to get the shock away from the axle housing due to the 5000x being a wider diameter than the OEM shocks.

Rubicon Express Shock Relocation Bracket Bolt-On Rear YJ

View attachment 118066View attachment 118067
Click to expand...
Exactly, you can see how the bracket pushes the shock body away from the axle tube.

As pinion angle goes up, the shock gets closer to the axle tube. Also, the added diameter of some shocks can soak up that distance between the axle tube and shock body.
 
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Fouledplugs said:
Depends on tire size, which can dictate pinion angle. The more angle you have, the closer the shock body gets to the axle housing by virtue of the factory shock mount when at ride at.
Click to expand...
On a YJ it typically gets further away from the axle the more pinion angle you have, since it’s mounted to the front of the tubes. The TJ is bad about that since they’re mounted on the back. I’ve never had any rub with shocks using proper 6-8° shims to make the pinion angle correct depending on what the application needed at the time to be correct. The shock bodies were always close but never could rub.

The guys who keep pinion angle near stock and run tcase drops, seem to suffer from that a lot if their lift is high enough to make it a problem.
 
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machoheadgames said:
On a YJ it typically gets further away from the axle the more pinion angle you have, since it’s mounted to the front of the tubes. The TJ is bad about that since they’re mounted on the back. I’ve never had any rub with shocks using proper 6-8° shims to make the pinion angle correct depending on what the application needed at the time to be correct. The shock bodies were always close but never could rub.

The guys who keep pinion angle near stock and run tcase drops, seem to suffer from that a lot if their lift is high enough.
Click to expand...
Ahh youre right about the shock mounts and pinion angle. I get the YJ and TJ Dana 35’s mixed up.
Thank you.
 
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Fouledplugs said:
Ahh youre right about the shock mounts and pinion angle. I get the YJ and TJ Dana 35’s mixed up.
Click to expand...
They do suffer though on the driver side if they lean too much and hit the fuel filter skid plate. Well, if the shock has a plastic shroud over the stem anyways. Mine is almost a problem with OME shocks, but if it were a problem, I would have just cut off the shroud by now. I don’t like boots on shocks but I do like the plastic shroud.
 
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Thanks all. I'm not in a big hurry to change out the original OEM shocks and the new ones will arrive this week. One concern is the lower shock mount breaking as what happened to Gilaguy2 in another post. Reading the reviews about the relocation bracket I found one owner who thinks the offset gave more leverage and more stress to the axle mount causing his to break off.

As a test I may install the rear shock and then jack up one side of the frame to see what the clearance is with the shock fully extended and compressed. I still have the rear track bar out and the wheel travel is now considerably more than with it.
 
Well I waisted 10 minutes trying to loosen the top nut on the front shocks and ended up spending 15 second cutting them off with an angle grinder. Nobody got hurt.

I came across two other issues. The passenger side shock has a big dent in the cylinder and I'm curious how that happened. There's no sign of front axle damage repair or shifting. Maybe someone had the shock out and bent it trying to put it back in.

also I found there's barely 1-1/2 inches of travel before the rubber bumper hits the axle housing on both sides with no lift kit. I've used a 1-1/4 in square tube for reference.

Any idea roughly how much space there should be? Time for springs?




1bs.jpg
1st.jpg
 
Grinders and Gas Axes have always been kind to me.
That bent shock tube had me scratching my head too.
If it had experienced some kind of extreme spring wrap, both sides would be bent.
Maybe a rock got caught?

As for the bump-stops, not sure what that distance should be, but you've got about an inch more space than I had.
I had all of a 1/2", my springs were SHOT!
Since the 2-1/2" lift, I now have 5" and probably should be putting some spacers in or getting some progressive stops.
I had some I bought 20 years ago, but I'll be dipped if I can find them.
 
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Interesting. When I welded a new bracket on my axle I goofed on the angle and my shock touches at the bottom when it droops. Those would help.
 
I'm just going to order the relocation brackets and install them instead of waiting to see what the clearance is.

After seeing how little upward travel I have I may go with a set of 1-1/2 boomerang shackles with poly bushes and be done. These shock are good for 0" to1-1/2" lift so I'll be covered there.

I may end up handing this YJ off to a family member and let him go crazy spending the money. :) If that happens I be looking for one with 4.0 AX-15 and maybe some goodies already added.

As for the bent shock, I found the good shock compresses 3-1/2" more than the dented one. The piston must be jamming in the tube half way down.
 
The Rancho shocks and brackets arrived so I just installed everything. All clearances are good now at the top and bottom end. No problem with the fuel filter skid plate space.

What a difference these are compared to the 29 year old OEM shocks. I may have even gained 1/2 inch lift from the 150 psi pressure lol.

1rs1.jpg
1rs2.jpg
 
Looks good, should work good too, if you're not planning on beating it into submission, like some of us.
I don't think that's your case, but after my own 20 year hiatus I discovered that I still wheel the way I used to.
As my dear departed mother used to say, a Leopard doesn't change it's spots...
 
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