Hi all, having replaced the rear shock absorbers on my 89 5.3 convertible the car seems a little high on the back end. They are boge factory replacements . Anyone else had this or suggest a solution.??

 

Got a pic? Let it settle in. Drive it, the only way to do it

 

sometimes gas charged shocks can take a few miles to settle.

 

Brinny
If the springs are the same ones as before, it should settle down.

 

While we are on the subject, which front shocks do people recommend. I found out I had one Monroe and one I-don't-remember-brand mounted when I had my front axle down for new bushes, and they are quite old and soft.

I can see Boge is relatively expensive. GAZ comes with adjustabilty at a lower prize, but are they any good ? I know KYB from my XJ40 to be a good brand.

 

Leo
Boge are among the cheapest, and lots cheaper than Gaz adjustables. If you want the factory ride, I say use Boge which were the OEM shocks. If you want to go firmer, then Gaz adjustables are the ticket.
e.g. Fronts for two:
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/FOR-JAGUA...4AAOSw0INblmGy

 

No love for the Bilsteins?

 

It was Koni, that I found at a high price yesterday. The GAZ at same price as Boge (62£) I found using the CAC9089 as search term: GAZ

I have mounted Boge on my XJ40 and has always found them softer than I would expect new shocks to be, but that is of course a different setup.

 

I paid like €30/piece for my Boge front shocks...

 

Thanks for the input all. I’ve had a think about it and realised the car is still stripped for paint. Hence no weight in the back, ie. spare wheel bumper boot plinth carpets seats. The front has the engine and box in so this is probably the cause. She’s off for paint with a bit of luck next week . Fingers crossed.

 

Gaz adjustables ordered. I was out for a spin tonight, and it drives really well now with all new parts in the front end, except from the shocks (and springs)

Greg: I have read somewhere you ended up with similar damping on the GAZ as the Boge. Could you reveal that setting, I may as well start out there...

My springs will have to be replaced soon as well. I have close to correct spring lenght (306-307mm, should be 310mm), but 1.5-2 windings are corroded appr. 2mm thinner than the ø17.5 measured on non-corroded windings, and that must cause my front end to be too low. I have now changed to AVon CR28 205/70R15 (from P6000 215/70R15), and my ground clearance is now and then not sufficient. Bad shocks does nothing to improve that, so I look forward to get them mounted. Springs will wait for the winter hibernation.

 

Leo
Are we talking fronts or rears? If rears:
Start at 9 clicks up from softest, you will find you may need only one or two clicks up or down from that.
If fronts, start at 13 up from softest.
In all cases be careful to fit the shocks so the adjusters will be accessible - how do I know that!!! This means the adjuster pointing inboard at the rear, forget which at the front.

Are you talking about front springs? If so, it is a nightmare to find the correct ones. believe it or not, Jaguar Classic themselves have NO OEM records of front spring resistance to compression (poundage/inch) or of uncompressed spring lengths. So ordering the correct spring lengths and strength is a big problem. My friend at Manners told me that they have more trouble with springs being returned as incorrect ride height than any other single thing!

I eventually found a top quality spring supplier and maker in the UK who had records of the factory data. I ordered two (mainly because I had an uneven front ride height owing to my springs getting tired on one side) but I have not fitted them yet - having been occupied elsewhere on the car. I ordered them in a slightly shorter than standard uncompressed length as my car rides a little high for my taste. If you would like further details, please PM me.

 

Thanks !

We are talking fronts. I will be cautious about the spring supplier, and you will recieve a PM tomorrow. Busy day at work today...

 

The car will drop about 1" when you install the interior,. mine did.

 

I

if so that would make things about right. Cheers warren.

 

My answer to the above (as multiquote seems not to work ?)

Thanks ! We are talking fronts. I will be cautious about the spring supplier, and you will recieve a PM tomorrow. Busy day at work today...

My first testdrive at 13 clicks from softest did not make me happy. The feeling was close to driving an old Citroën with hydraulic suspension in lowest or highest setting = Zero suspension, just bouncing. It might be it loosened up a bit after 5 kilometers, but I have now changed the setting 1 full turn less hard = 9 clicks. I now have suspension and still very flat cornering. The rebound damping is very good, so there is no more front end bounce at all.
One downside is that the GAZ shocks are not preloaded like the shocks I removed, and as a result my front is now even lower. My average mid-hub-to-wing-edge dimension is now 32 cm meaning the wing edge is lower than the top of the tyre. I will be ordering new springs soon based on the PM from you, thanks...