Front Shock Brackets

By Frank Colgoni

This article deals with front shock brackets as fabricated by Dream Machines Ltd. While the shock brackets that came with our front end were perfectly fine, we decided to fabricate our own and improve on style and function.

Functionally, the brackets will be welded in two planes: vertically on the side of the frame rail and horizontally on the top side. These will be super strong. This design is only practical on highboys where fenders aren't used.

In the photo below, you can see that we played with a number of designs before deciding. Each was dimensionally correct to position the shock at the correct angle. Ultimately, John and I both liked the design in the middle (without the holes). It was simple and the bottom curve mimicked the bob Drake headlight stand that we would be using.

To begin the process, the design was transferred to cardboard and mocked up with the shock. Everthing looked good.

Next, 4 pieces of material were selected and cut to a shape that would hold the template.

The four plates were then tacked together in a stack.

The design was then transferred to the stack by tracing around the template. When cut out, the brackets would be identical.

In this photo, the brackets have been cut to shape except for the frame notch. The shock bolt hole has also been added. After the notch is cut, the ends will be curved.

Here are the final brackets bolted to the shock ready for tacking and final welding.

In this final photo, John (assisted by "helper" Paul Horton) tacks the brackets. FYI, Paul was part of a Canadian Rodder breakfast crowd that was treated to a tour of Dream Machines Ltd.
 

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