69 T Front Shocks/Struts

[Kilgore Trout]

Ok, I just wire brushed this and couldn't see the makers stamp. I think these must be stock, (original maybe) Boge's.
But I just don't know. I was expecting to see something that would take an "insert". I have no experience with Porsche struts.
I have searched and have some idea, but am somewhat confused at this point.



So, what am I looking at here? Looks like rusty old parts that need replaced/updated to me....
My thought is to just pay up and get new struts with new inserts and call it a day!

I have the rest of the front suspension out as well and will have a few more questions before this is done.
Man those bushings are SHOT!

these


Would these, (below) be a good idea to use with stock rubber bushings?


Thanks,
Dan

[Jon B]

Ok, I just wire brushed this and couldn't see the makers stamp. I think these must be stock, (original maybe) Boge's. But I just don't know...

Dan, if they're the original Boge shock struts, the tube diameters will be 52mm (2.05").
Koni struts of that era had 58mm (2.28") tubes, and Boge Hydropneumatic struts had 64mm (2.52") tubes.

Jon B.
Vista, CA

[Kilgore Trout]

Thanks for the info Jon, I didn't realize some Boge were normal shocks. I thought they were all hydropneumatic.
I will measure them tonight.

[Paragon]

Looks like Boge to me. Unscrew the gland nut and see what type of insert you have. The Koni insert for a Boge housing is the 86-1647.

[Kilgore Trout]

well, they are KYB's. I didn't expect that.


Thanks,
Dan

[Paragon]

Well, the good news is that pretty much anything you replace them with will be an upgrade :-)

[Kilgore Trout]

I have moved on and purchased Bilstein HD B6's for my stock Boge struts.
As my above pics show, there was oil in my struts when I took them apart.

I was hoping someone could advise me, should I put some oil in around my new Bilsteins?
If so, what kind and how much? What came out smelled like gear oil?
What is the purpose for the oil?

OK, did a little searching.
Sounds like 30 wt, about 2/3 of the way up the shock, for cooling the shock. Sounds reasonable to me...

Thanks, Dan

[edmayo]

DON'T put oil in 2/3 rds of the way up,,,,,,it will all come gushing out as you slide the insert in!! When the insert is in the oil should be 2/3rds of the way up. Start small and add if you need to,maybe 1/2 a coffee cup to start,,,never actually measured it.

[tcsracing1]

for your struts, are you using T callipers or S callipers? You will need to have the right strut.

[chris_seven]

The Oloedynamic leg has a significantly different appearance to a conventional leg and would only have been a standard fitment on a 1969 911E.

I think that the Boge leg you have is a standard fitment on a 911T

There is a potential problem with the current generation of Bilstein inserts that are used in Boge struts.

The length of the insert can be up to 3mm too short to 'bottom out' in the bottom of the casing and so it may not locate radially and will move around under cornering or braking and there will be a distinct 'klonk'. I think the issue is with tolerances of the Boge casings with the earlier parts being subtly different to the later casings used on the SC

It is worth measuring the length of the insert and adding shims to ensure that it is loaded correctly if it does come up short.

In the limit if the end of the insert is not supported the crimped joint can push out of the tube and the piston rod will not be correctly located and will start to bind up which will destroy the ride quality.

We removed these inserts from a car last week due to poor ride and clattering noise. Both struts had the same fault.




The addition of oil is an old idea but it could mask the noise created by a badly installed insert and is not something we normally do in our workshop.

The idea was that the oil provides a heat transfer medium to prevent the damper from overheating but I think its impact on a Monotube Bilstein is negligible.

It is interesting that part of the body shell attachment point has remained attached to the steering crossmember and this will need to be re-welded into the shell and the mounting area inspected carefully.

You also have a later generation Camber Plate which does fit but is incompatible with a 1969 Bodyshell and will restrict the caster adjustment you can obtain.

This is a very common issue as Porsche Dealers always supply the later plate as the Part Number automatically updates on their system.