By far, one of the hardest trucks to install shocks on once it's 'bagged is the S-10. Over the years, Fabricators have tried placing the shocks in all kinds of areas in front of and behind the hub assembly, only to find that there's just not enough room.
Hundreds of 'bagged-S-10 owners have ground down perfectly good shocks and damaged the inner lip of their wheels due to relocated shocks that just didn't provide enough clearance.
Since there's limited room for the shocks to go in, installers are starting to get creative, such as Art Gomez at GO EZ Customs. He decided to do the unthinkable and place these suckers on the antisway bar. Now, we know what you're saying: "You can't weld to spring steel" and "How will that work?," among others. Well, since the truck is already 'bagged, we don't think you will be running it in a NASCAR event, so for this purpose, the welding to the antisway bar will be fine. Secondly, the essential job of the shock is to control the bounce, so in this situation, that's exactly what it will do. So chill out, and follow along as Art shows us how he did it.
AFTER
1. First, some trimming of...
1. First, some trimming of the inner fenderwell was necessary to make room so that the work could begin.
2. More of the inner fenderwell...
2. More of the inner fenderwell would have to be trimmed out later, but we didn't want to cut too much too soon until we had the shock tower height determined.
3a. Next, the area on the...
3a. Next, the area on the frame and the antisway bar were cleaned up, exposing bare steel ready to be cut and welded on.
3b.
4. Moving over to the chop...
4. Moving over to the chop saw, a section of 4-inch-diameter pipe with 3/16-inch wall was cut in half, each half of which will be used to notch the framerail to allow a shock to reside within the parameters of the framerails.
5. Once the location of the...
5. Once the location of the notch was determined, one half of the cut pipe was laid against the S-10's framerail and the outer edge was marked with a paint pen.
6. Next, the marked area was...
6. Next, the marked area was cut with a plasma cutter.
7a. With the section of frame...
7a. With the section of frame carved away, the cuts were cleaned with a grinder so the notch would fit perfectly.
7b.
8. The half tube was tacked...
8. The half tube was tacked in place to check for proper fitment.
9. Once the fit was OK'd,...
9. Once the fit was OK'd, the back, top, and upper-left side were welded into place.
10a. Notice the open gap on...
10a. Notice the open gap on the right side of the notch? GO EZ made quick work of adjusting the metal using a few well-placed blows with a hammer to contour the notch to the opening in the frame.
10b.
11. When the notch fit the...
11. When the notch fit the opening in the frame perfectly, it was welded into place.
12. Next, a shock that was...
12. Next, a shock that was picked up from master image customs was dummied in place with the lower shock tabs to determine the correct angle for the shock. This is the most important part of the install, since the suspension must be cycled all the way through its range of motion to make sure that the shock will not bind at either extreme.
13. Next, the lower shock...
13. Next, the lower shock mounts were welded into place on the antisway bar. art recommends lowering the amp setting on your welder to lower the heat. You will still get enough penetration, but you won't overcook the antisway bar and make it brittle.
14. With the notch and lower...
14. With the notch and lower shock tabs welded in, we could now work on the upper shock mount. After measuring, we determined that the shock tower weneeded to build had to be some 7-1/2 inches in height.
15. Back at the chop saw,...
15. Back at the chop saw, a 7-1/2-inch length of 1/4-inch steel was cut. This will be used for the main part of the upper shock mount.
16. Art from GO EZ then welded...
16. Art from GO EZ then welded on the tabs that would serve as the upper mount for the shock.
17. With the upper shock mount...
17. With the upper shock mount built, the best location for the tower was determined, and it was tack-welded in place to keep it steady.
18. To make the upper mount...
18. To make the upper mount as strong as possible, a gusset was added to the mount and tack-welded to both the frame and the upper mount.
19. Once everything was double-checked,...
19. Once everything was double-checked, the oupper mount and gusset were completely welded into position.
20. The assembly received...
20. The assembly received a coat of flat-black paint to keep things from rusting further on down the road.
21. With the shock installed...
21. With the shock installed on the new custom mount, there's no chance of the shock binding at any ride height. Likewise, there's very little stress on the lower shock loop, which means that this shock and its assembly will function well for a long, long time.