73 challenger ride guality

[jiminnj]

I'll make it short, The car ride's like a Brick, it's got radial tires BF good rich, air Shocks on Back
standard shocks in front, The car is  judge as a #2 and was totally redone, I have never rode in
a car that was so stiff, every crack is felt like a ditch,  other than that its fine. Hope there's and answer for this   Thanks Jim

[4Cruizn]

Well air shocks are stiff . . . do you have a pinion snubber installed?   Welcome to the site! 

 

[jiminnj]

Thanks 4cruizn    I'm in the dark about pinion snubber, what is it and where is it, what's
it look like ?    Jim

[Jamiez]

I recommend adjustable shocks, double are better than single but more money as well.  I noticed a dramatic improvement when I replaced the standard shocks in the front and Monroe Air Shocks in the back with QA1's all around.  There are other manufacturers as well.

Is it just going over bumps or is it a general handling problem (cornering etc).  Brads70 and HP2 have lots of threads about improving the handling of these cars.  Some options are cheaper than others, a lot of it depends on what you want to do with the car.

[4Cruizn]

Pinion snubber attaches to the top of the rear end and looks like this . . . .

[ChallengerHK]

... and it's supposed to cushion the impact when the back end bottoms out on the rear axle. To check if that's your issue crawl under and look on top of the center of the rear axle. If there's a snubber that's where it will be, and if it's bottoming on the smallest cracks you drive over then it will be very close to the chassis, I'd guess less than a quarter of an inch.

[jiminnj]

There is a pinion snupper  looks stock, there's 1/2 inch clearance from the bottom, it does show
sign that it is hitting the car bottom ( it's worn off the under coat ).  The car is not lowered or raised. the front fender is 9"to ground and rear fender is 10".  The front end is different than I am used to or say ford chevy, no springs. seems built a lot better but a lot stiffer. I think that stiffness
 might be what I am referring to, is this what all Cuda & challengers these years felt like or is there adjustments?   

[ChallengerHK]

There's no adjustment for stiffness, just height. Are you certain that the torsion bars (which will be the suspension with these years of Mopar) are stock? I have a 73 (factory was 318 and very weak torsion bars) and it was far from harsh. It wallowed in corners like I was riding in an overstuffed easy chair.

If you see recent signs that the snubber is being impact by the body, then I think there may be some issue with the air shocks. Two and a half inches, if memory serves, is roughly what I had stock, and in those days I had to do a Dukes of Hazard jump to get it to bottom out. I drive my car like I stole it constantly (I was 16 at the time), and I think I had it bottom out three times.

I don't know enough about air shocks. Is there an adjustment for bump stiffness? For rebound stiffness?

[ChallengerHK]

Two things:

I wonder if you could have cracked leaves in the rear springs? This would let it bottom a lot faster.

You should go to the suspension section and post your issues there. A lot of people here know a lot about suspension, but may not be looking here for problems to answer.

[72bluNblu]

Air shocks are a disaster. If they have too much pressure in them they can cause the ride like you're describing, and also do serious damage to the shock mounts.

Outside of that, do you know anything else about the suspension? Are the leaf springs and torsion bars original? How high does the car sit in the back? Even pictures of the ride height of the car might be helpful.

[bad440]

Had air shocks on my car rode like a truck, installed coil overs and that did the trick; gave
 car a 1.5 to 2 inch lift in back, was happy with this and ride quality returned.

[brads70]

   Ditch the air shocks. People usually install them to hide worn out leaf springs. 1/2" clearance on the pinion snubber means you are bottoming out and the suspension is going solid hence the ride quality.
I agree with Jamiez higher end shocks make a BIG difference in ride quality. I too have the D/A QA1 shocks and love them!

[ChallengerHK]

I'm sorry, I read your post as 2 1/2 inches of snubber clearance. Bad eyesight, senility, take your pick.

Agreed with everyone else, 1/2" is too close. Given that, I'd also agree with Brad that the car might have had saggy butt syndrome and somebody put the air shocks on to try to correct that. You'll want to check the condition of the crossmember where the rear shocks mount and see what shape it's in. Sounds like it might have taken a pounding.

[Jesus H Chrysler]

You said the car was redone.  Is it now a big block or still a small block?  Can you tell what size torsion bars you have?  If you have access to calipers, measure their thickness and compare them to what is recommended.  The reason I ask is I have a similar harsh ride in my Challenger and it's due to me picking out the wrong suspension years ago when I was dumb.

When I had the 318 it rode exactly like ChallengerHK said, like a gooey easy chair.  When I put in the big block, I needed big block torsion bars.  I went with the biggest I could find-Solo racing bars.  The rear suspension was saggy, even with new Hemi XHD springs.  So I put air shocks in it.  Let me tell you, I've ridden in empty 1 ton trucks that were more comfortable than that car.  If your torsion bars are too big like mine, you won't be flexing the spring enough to get a cushion out of it.  It'll be maxed out all the time.  Just a thought for you to look into.  If the T-bars check out for your application then I would look at the rear springs and all 4 shocks.

[jimynick]

Welcome to the site and good luck with your suspension.