Any idea why my Rear Shock Bolt bends in the middle?

[RangerRick]

well I increased the spring tension by 6 turns, it still bottoms out on very rough surface, as in wash board gravel roads. Marcus's instructions say if you do more than 4 turns you may need a different spring, contact him. Well that is no longer an option. So for now am putting back on the stock spring, then will look to see if there is any info on his spring, I'm sure he purchased them from a supplier. The stock spring is bigger and 2 stage. What a difference in these two springs, no wonder his shock bottoms out.

 

[BajaRon]

That is a very short spring. Inspect the spring and it should have some numbers and manufacturer identification on it. Most quality springs have the rate, length, and diameter displayed somewhere on the spring. You don't have to stick with the length. I would be extremely tempted to go with a longer spring. You certainly have the shock body to accomodate it. The shorter the spring, the harsher the ride. A longer spring will give you a nicer ride. A longer spring will require a relatively higher spring rate. But if you are bottoming out, you should up the spring rate anyway.

I would remove the spring first before purchasing another one. This way you can test the shock to see if it is still servicable. No use buying a new spring for a bad shock.

You have discovered the root of your problem. The first step towards success!

 

[RangerRick]

Thanks Ron. here is what's on the spring, and I see he used Bilstein.

 

[BajaRon]

Very good! That's an Eibach spring. They make some of the best springs in the industry. Here is what these numbers mean.

Linear Main Spring - Dia. 2.25 in | Len: 6.00 in | Rate: 500 lbs/in​

Linear simply means it is a single rate spring. The OEM spring is progressive (weaker in the tight coils getting stronger in the more spaced out coils). As with everything, there are advantages and disadvantages with each.

A 500 lb. spring is much heavier than the OEM spring which I think is in the 250 lb. range. But don't quote me on that. As I said, the shorter the spring, the heavier the coils have to be because you have less spring to absorb the weight or pressure placed upon it.

With a diameter of 2.25 inches you have all the information needed to get a ballpark idea of where you need to go with this. For example, Eibach makes a Linear Main Spring - Dia. 2.25 in | Len: 9.00 in | Rate: 350 lbs/in. The longer spring should give a better ride.

Now don't take my suggestion without consulting someone that knows more about shocks than I do. This is just an example of where you might go with this project.

Again, check the shock itself to see if it is worthy of a new spring rate before you do anything more.