How to determine your shock absorber mounting points.

In this video I go over how I set up my shock absorber mounting points on the Baja chassis.

[@XFretless]

Great way to explain your set-up! I've been watching most all of your videos. You're inspiring me to work on my Baja. But not only inspiring me to work on it but, you're making me want to do a full suspension build on mine! Lol! I'm not a great fabricator, but, I have some skills. I'm better with the CAD myself. I program CNC machines for work... I do have a decent 120V Hobart welder and just bought a tube bender and a cheap plasma cutter... I'm going to get some work done on it soon... but I have to run wiring in my garage. I just got a line of 220 out there and a service panel to add circuits!

[@XFretless]

I forgot to ask, I watched your video of the new arms you're making with the 6 inch offset. Where will the 90 come from them?

[@DougBugBuilder]

Hey Bud, that's great that you're thinking about doing a full build. And sounds like your getting all the shop essentials you need. Let me give a little advice and say to try and take small bites at first. I don't want you to tear your Baja all apart and get overwhelmed. But sounds like you'll be all tooled up soon. Good luck with your build!

[@DougBugBuilder]

@@XFretless Which video specifically? I'm not totally sure what you're asking.

[@XFretless]

@@DougBugBuilder this one... kzbin.info/www/bejne/nGPbi4KVmdV3bLs unfortunately my bugs are all completely taken apart. The new bug I got was completely stripped when I bought it for the body... it actually came on a realt nicely done swing axle chassis with adjustable beam and adjustable rear plates... I won't be using it though... so I'll possibly sell it, probaly with my long body dune buggy body... which started me on VW projects and never finished it by being overwhelmed! Then I thought long and hard about it and figured living in New England I should have a vehicle with a roof and heat... lol! Otherwise, I won't get much drive time with it. This new idea I have might not be feasible but I already have most of the parts. I don't want to let the cat out of the bag just yet though... I'll try to figure out how to send you a video message with some of my ideas instead of me writing everything here.

[@DoubleClutchProductions]

Literally taking apart my RC truck to re mount my front shocks. Thanks Doug

[@DougBugBuilder]

That's awesome! lol I love working on RC cars.

[@CorzaBell]

So glad I found your channel, very informative videos, learnt a lot from this one

[@DougBugBuilder]

Glad to have you on board. lol. Thanks for the comment.

[@Maxwell-yi2fz]

Your videos are great! Thanks for taking the time to make them. I'm designing the front suspension for a three wheeled adaptive mountain bike as a capstone engineering project. Helped alot!

[@DougBugBuilder]

Sounds like a fun project, I'm glad these were able to help. Thanks for the comment. 👍

[@simonthomas3740]

Love your realistic pratical merhods. Thanks for making sense 😀

[@DougBugBuilder]

Glad you like it, thanks for the comment.

[@vwdarrin]

cool dog and Over the top fabrication skills , love these video's

[@DougBugBuilder]

Thanks!

[@Youtubeforcedmetochangemyname]

A lot of good info in this video and thats a really good idea using rc cars as visuals while building

[@DougBugBuilder]

Yeah the're good models to follow. Or at least get good ideas from.

[@mrneoteric3823]

I thought we go as per the suspension geometry we designed using tools! But this seems to sum up the essentials for amateurs like me! :)

[@setnbronco4932]

good job on the buggy build, always enjoy your vids. If you fab your shock so that the 2 shock mounts and the pivot point of the A-arm are in a scalene triangle you will get a rising rate suspension setup, similar to the rising rate rear suspension of a MX Bike with a bellcrank and dogbone, you then can valve the shock accordingly.

[@DougBugBuilder]

Great tip thanks! I had to look up what a scalene triangle is. lol

[@guncalinhosiqueira8547]

Very good ! Great explanation 👍👏

[@DougBugBuilder]

Thanks bud!

[@engineeringcar-mechanism4113]

Keep your good work. Very informative

[@DougBugBuilder]

Thanks!

[@dstruthers2950]

Good video. I haven't had RC cars since I has a kid. Makes for a good demonstration. I've got an old bug for a project myself. I want it to be a 4 seater with rear suspension outside the body. I noticed (online) a yellow RC Baja bug with similar design to what I want. Funny where inspiration comes from.

[@DougBugBuilder]

Yeah, certin RC vehicles with well designed suspension are great to design after.

[@timvandermeulen7265]

Thanks for the video good information.

[@DougBugBuilder]

Sure thing Buddy, thanks for watching.

[@Yash.k36]

how did you make that small cute prototype please share some tips

[@recon66661]

Very cool lots of fab work keep the videos coming thanks for sharing you going to run the bug motor in the new chassis?

[@DougBugBuilder]

Hey Bud thanks for the comment. This chassis I think is going to run the Ecotec that is in my other bug right now.

[@Slowmo896]

Do they handle better in front or the rear of the front spindles, ? As we put airbags on my trucks, and moved the shocks front center to the rear of the Spindle then to the front of the spindle for clearance room..it had struts on center until we removed them and installed air bags..

[@DougBugBuilder]

Center is best obviously, but then I'd go behind the spindle. In front would be the worst.

[@y0manda]

at 2:40 it looks like your spring divider is upside down. Great Videos!

[@DougBugBuilder]

I'll have to check the FOX chart. I can't remember. But thanks for the close eye. 👍

[@usamakhan4176]

Got it at fully conpression angle must be 90 and what is the intial angle? 60deg?

[@golfish8589]

At about the 10:37 mark with the shock mounted vitically. You are saying as it goes past vertical. You lose compression. I am not sure if this is true. Yes, the lower control arm is gaining in its mechanical advantage past 90 deg. But the shock is reaching its maximum dampening point as the shock is passing 90 deg. So maybe it cancels each other out. Just a thought. You know a million time more than I about this. I do have a question for you. I want to either add independent suspension to an existing golf cart. Or totally start from scratch with a tube frame in my attempt to make the smoothest riding golf cart possible. Any ideas? Anything goes. Trailing link rear and front if that is possible? Air bags? Rear steer ? because I also plan to have a wheel base about 3 feet longer than a standard golf cart. It will be electric and probably double the standard battery weight. I do want it to be "offroadish" I understand a trailing link front would require an extended beefed up nose.. I have never done anything like this. Kinda looking for a mentor to guide me. Thanks

[@DougBugBuilder]

I would go A arms front and rear, no trailing arms, the A arms will be a smoother ride. No rear steer, only front. I'm actually not familiar with a golf cart frame, but I would try to reuse the factory frame and just modify it if possible. Independent rear might be difficult, I think those have a solid axle. You could always try to make that into a 4 link to keep the project a little simpler. 👍

[@Moneygrip]

So many things i never knew

[@DougBugBuilder]

Thanks, if you look at my past videos there are a number of videos going over the control arm fabrication. There will be more coming up on this build also.

[@LS_FAB]

Not to mention if you go behind the 90 you are at a high risk of bending shock shafts!

[@vicferrarisgarage]

Oh great my shock Set up is completely wrong! Thanks a lot Doug bug. Lol Actually that explains why I have a good ride but I bottom out too easy. I’m going to be on the 90.

[@DougBugBuilder]

Lol, it's not me..... It's physics.

[@Paul_VanGo]

All true, but with nitrogen-filled shocks, the spring/dampening rate is not linear, but very progressive, unlike the RC-car. Because of that, you can actually go beyond 90°, where the forces theoretically should regres, but practically still progress. If you should combine that with a PUR bumpstop (where the spring/dampening progression becomes super progressive, eventually into infinity) this set-up will still be very controllable. Especially when you'd squeeze the high speed rebound a bit, while still keeping an eye on maintaining tire-to-surface contact. In this case, the spring is only there initially for the static ride height and dynamically to keep the car from bottoming out, under all conditions.

[@DougBugBuilder]

Hmmm, while I agree with some of what you're saying I think going beyond 90 would just make it more complicated. I personally would still not go beyond 90. However like I said, there's about a million ways to do this. And to each his own. Thanks for the comment and getting my brain thinking. lol

[@heroicfella1133]

how to get full compression and rebound in coilover shock absorber, to calculate motion ratio . Front lower control arm should parallel to chassis or ride height?why?

[@DougBugBuilder]

Usually when the arm is parallel (to the ground) at ride height it gives you the best geometry. So with most designs that's where you will get the best performance.

[@alfainc5868]

How I Runic it is I was messing with shocks on mine What brand are those shocks

[@DougBugBuilder]

Timing is everything right. These are "Locked Offroad" shocks. Kind of new to the scene. But incredible customer service and the shocks are really nice.

[@alfainc5868]

I'll surely keep it in mind in the next 2 months, what price compares to fox & king?

[@DougBugBuilder]

@@alfainc5868 I think they come in about 3/4 the price depending on what you get.

[@carlossalazar2164]

Tryna figure put where you get the 90 deg

[@aramchacon9256]

what shock absorbers are you using?

[@DougBugBuilder]

These in the front are "Locked Offroad" brand and they are 2.5" body 12" travel remote reservoir. The rears are also "Locked Offroad" 2.5" body 16" travel.

[@aramchacon9256]

@@DougBugBuilder thanks!

[@rickrack78]

Just don’t forget to finish weld those tacks when you’ve got it figured out! Limping it home isn’t fun!

[@DougBugBuilder]

That could never happen.......wait, it did! 🤣

[@rickrack78]

Doug, actually, been there done that myself!

[@BlackMetalRC85]

👍

[@electronsmove]

push rod

[@jawoo2228]

Can someone post a timestamp of when this guy actually starts discussing "How to determine your shock absorber mounting points." -- I don't have time to sit through the unnecessary/irrelevant BS that just took up 2 minutes so far of my life that I can't get back.