Bus steering damper for front shocks

[DD16]

Both bushings on the damper are 10mm. The upper and lower mounts are 12mm. If I drill out the metal bushing liner to fit it looks like it might tear loose of the rubber bushing. Assuming that the bushing doesn't become irregular can I use the damper with a lose liner as long as it is captured on both sides? Any other way to get the damper to fit the bolt and stud?
Thanks

[Dietmar]

Unless someone drilled out the threads on the top of the beam, they are 10mm. Problem solved (on top)

Bottom: I would remove the rubber completely, make an insert that fits the damper, drill for 12mm . Use a nylock on the stud and do not over tighten

Or buy some stock VW (cheap) shocks- about the same price.

Dietmar
Quixote Racing

[veeten]

The bus dampeners don't seem to hold up like they did 20 years ago.
I had some new ones that I lent out and they leaked after 3 sessions.
Dietmar has the right idea of using some stock shocks .
Many of the vintage guys use them

[FVRacer21]

For years I have pressed out the bushings and then pressed in brass tube which I bought from a hobby shop = they sell brass tubing which is basically telescopic and it works great when you have to size down a hole from 5/16 to 1/4 for example. A selection of 12" pieces will last you forever. I use the stock bolt on top that screws into the beam without a nut.

I have not seen any trouble with the dampers I have bought.

The problem is that the stroke is long enough that you have to watch stress on the steering rod ends when changing tires (or jumping curbs) - that is why I kept the beam "horns" and I put a block of would in between the horn and the arm when jacking the car up. Or you can make one of the variety of stops, cables, chains or adjustable rods to control droop.

Steering dampers are valved 50/50. My car seems to like them more than Carreras or red Penskes, but then again, I never spent time tuning those shocks

ChrisZ

[Ed Womer]

In the "old days" I used steering dampers and they worked fine for me. In a storage bin that I put stuff from my trailer when I sold it I still have a pair that I carried as spares. I would press out the steel bushing and just bolt them on. I also would cut off the guard to make it more aero.

Ed

[Stumpthumper]

This thread is very timely for me. I have a set of bus damper I bought from Quixote and finally got around to trying to install them only to find the busings were too small. I drilled them out, but they are still just too small, so I put them back in my spares bin. Now I think I will pull them out and drill out the rubber a little more. I run carrera fronts with little-to-no idea if they are working well for me since I have nothing to compare them to. I hope to test the bus dampers and carreras at a test in a week.
My understanding is the Carrera settings are 45/55 - 50/50 - 55/45, though I don't know which number is compression and which is rebound.

-Dave

[problemchild]

Even in the 80s, steering dampers were short-term alternatives. The shafts would get sand-blasted and tear up the seals, in very short time. So if you liked the 50-50 valving you could spend $9 each, and change them every few events. For best use, you needed to mess with the hardware so the bushings turned on the bolts, otherwise the stiction compromised performance. In this century, now that those dampers cost much more, and still have the same problems, while shock availability has improved, I don't think they are a good option. For DIY types looking for low cost alternatives to Penskes, watch ebay for "snowmobile front shocks". I have seen pairs of older Fox and Ohlins (with proper spherical brg ends) sell for less than the price of steering dampers. If you cannot remove enough shims to get them soft enough, then just drill bleed holes in the pistons until they feel right. Bilstein shock fluid is much cheaper than Penske, BTW. I have built front FV shocks that worked very very well for under $100/pair. It is not rocket science.