Viking shocks

[Alpina]

Has anyone used Viking shocks from UMI Performance?
They fit my budget better than ride tech and DSE coil overs.
I will be mainly using the car as a daily driver I don't a harsh ride, but be able to dial up more rebound and compression for autox's is nice.

[UMI Tech]

We have quite a few miles, including back road corner carving, on our '72 LeMans. It has the hybrid coil front with 550's. All four corners are double adjustable.

We're working closely with Viking, providing feedback, etc., and so far have been very pleased. Obviously we're trying to sell the product but also want to be sure it's as good as we think it is. Nice quality, Made in USA stuff.

Let me know if you have any particular questions.

ramey

[Alpina]

How much of a drop should I expect front and rear? I have a 67 Buick sport wagon.

[UMI Tech]

Hi Alpina.

The rears are shock only so no ride height change.

The fronts are hybrid coil so they are adjustable from factory height to 3" below factory height. With a heavy spring you can get a bit higher than factory if you so desire.

In the case of all four corners, the damping is adjustable. In the case of the front, the damping and ride height is adjustable.

thanks

ramey

[Alpina]

Sorry I was referring to your lowering kit that has the front coilovers and the rear shocks and springs

[UMI Tech]

Oops, sorry. We've tested both and the drops are pretty accurate in the rear. The front can be lowered accordingly to match the rear.

The A-body's tend to be pretty high. One inch lowering knocks that high look down tastefully while 2" starts to have that Pro-Tour style stance.

Thanks for the question.

ramey

[79-TA]

I just saw a Viking coilover for the first time today, and it was a nice looking piece.

It'll be interesting to see what range of applications they'll cover from the start.

http://www.vi-king.com/Products.html

[UMI Performance]

I just saw a Viking coilover for the first time today, and it was a nice looking piece.

It'll be interesting to see what range of applications they'll cover from the start.

http://www.vi-king.com/Products.html

They are a very nice piece, I have had a few sets personally in my hands as well. We have also installed a few sets and driven on them, so far A+.

They offer a decent range of vehicles, GM, Mopar and Ford muscle cars are the main focus it seems. If we can help with an application let us know.

Thanks,
Ryan

[UMI Tech]

I just saw a Viking coilover for the first time today, and it was a nice looking piece.

It'll be interesting to see what range of applications they'll cover from the start.

http://www.vi-king.com/Products.html

Hey Brett.

If you're currently driving the 79TA in you sig, Viking has the hybrid coilover for the front plus a smooth body shock-only for the front. They also have the rear shock available.

All Viking's shocks are double adjustable and I have the dyno curves available if you're interested. Just email me at [email protected].

later

ramey

[zombiekiller]

They are a very nice piece, I have had a few sets personally in my hands as well. We have also installed a few sets and driven on them, so far A+.

They offer a decent range of vehicles, GM, Mopar and Ford muscle cars are the main focus it seems. If we can help with an application let us know.

Thanks,
Ryan

by chance do they offer anything for 65-68 ford galaxies? I know its a stretch, but a guy can hope!

[UMI Tech]

by chance do they offer anything for 65-68 ford galaxies? I know its a stretch, but a guy can hope!

Viking has Fairlane stuff. Too small?

And Falcon.

[Bryce]

Does Viking make their own shocks?

[UMI Tech]

They do make their own shocks at their facility in Minnesota. They have a damper dyno in-house as well.

[79-TA]

Hey Brett.

If you're currently driving the 79TA in you sig, Viking has the hybrid coilover for the front plus a smooth body shock-only for the front. They also have the rear shock available.

All Viking's shocks are double adjustable and I have the dyno curves available if you're interested. Just email me at [email protected].

later

ramey



Hey, thanks for the heads up on that! I'll be eyeing their 2nd gen stuff in the next few months.

[csouth]

Wishing there was some user feedback on these.... I'm considering using these to complete my suspension.

Ramey,

Does Viking make a non-coilover double adjustable front shock for an A Body?

[UMI Tech]

Hey Chris.

Viking does offer a non-coilover double adjustable. We're working on adding them to the site.

For a '72 Cutlass it would be their P/N B204. We have the A204 threaded body on our car.

When using the D/A with a standard spring, sometimes you have to take the tire off and lift the car a bit to get to the adjusters. I like to let customers know that since the hybrid coil leaves so much room for reaching in to adjust.

As for customer feedback, I've heard from probably 10 guys so far and all is well. The happiest guy was a drag racer who split-tuned his rear dampers and got rid of the hook and body roll. He called just to say how awesome his car leaves now...

Thanks for considering Viking through UMI!

ramey




Wishing there was some user feedback on these.... I'm considering using these to complete my suspension.

Ramey,

Does Viking make a non-coilover double adjustable front shock for an A Body?

[csouth]

Ramey,

Are you saying you are using the threaded body and just using a standard coil spring or you're using the full coilover conversion upfront? That seems like it could be a a solution for someone that could consider a conversion later. I guess I'm trying to decide before your sale ends...LOL

[UMI Tech]

Ramey,

Are you saying you are using the threaded body and just using a standard coil spring or you're using the full coilover conversion upfront? That seems like it could be a a solution for someone that could consider a conversion later. I guess I'm trying to decide before your sale ends...LOL

Hey Chris.

We are using the full hybrid coilover up front.

65372

Good point on the threaded vs smooth. You could certainly install the threaded body shock with a standard spring and install a hybrid spring at a later date. The threads on the outside won't affect the function at all with a standard spring.

Thanks for considering Viking via UMI.

ramey

[Alpina]

Is there a rear coil over set up in the works for the rear of a-body's?

[rfrankb4]

Ramey,

I have a 66 Chevelle with SPC upper and lower control arms. The lower arm is little deeper than the stock version. The cheepy front shocks I currently have are a little shorter than I would like. Are front shocks available with slightly longer rod ends to make up for that extra inch of distance between the mounting points?

If so how much for a pair of front shocks with the threaded body so I have the option to change to the coilover springs in the future. I currently have DSE stock height springs that are advertised at 550lb but feel like they might be softer than that.

Additionally, since we have you cornered in this thread I am attempting to straighten out my clusterFck of a rear suspension that is currently a poorly thought out mash up of QA1 coilovers, UMI control arms and upper control arm frame side mounting points that are about 1.5" higher up than the stock mounting location. My question is what spring rates do you typically recommend for the rear of these cars. My car has full interior, 1sub+ amp. in the back. Battery is still under the hood. So rear weight should just slightly over normal for these cars. Shocks are mounted straight up and down not at an angle.

[UMI Tech]

Is there a rear coil over set up in the works for the rear of a-body's?

Hey Alpina.

We have a rear coilover kit in the works (early stages) and also are currently selling QA1's new version which is totally bolt-on. It's not the "universal" one which requires welding the cross bar up top.

thanks

ramey

[UMI Tech]

Hey Frank.

Are your current front shocks mounted below or above? With the Viking hybrid, we tend to mount the shock on top of the mounting pad since the pad is holding the load of the car. You could do the same thing with the Vikings and possibly make up that difference. Looks like $174.25 per during our sale until 10/2. Also, if you provide dimensions, I'm happy to work with you on providing travel and end to end data.

Are you looking for a replacement big spring or attempting to optimize the QA1 rates? I checked your photobucket but couldn't see what was up. Typical linear rates are around 150 lb/in with "heavy" springs being in the 170 lb/in range.

Do you still have the stock mounting location for the forward upper? Why did it move up 1.5"?

Oh, and by the way, you really know how to pick some cool wheels.

ramey


Ramey,

I have a 66 Chevelle with SPC upper and lower control arms. The lower arm is little deeper than the stock version. The cheepy front shocks I currently have are a little shorter than I would like. Are front shocks available with slightly longer rod ends to make up for that extra inch of distance between the mounting points?

If so how much for a pair of front shocks with the threaded body so I have the option to change to the coilover springs in the future. I currently have DSE stock height springs that are advertised at 550lb but feel like they might be softer than that.

Additionally, since we have you cornered in this thread I am attempting to straighten out my clusterFck of a rear suspension that is currently a poorly thought out mash up of QA1 coilovers, UMI control arms and upper control arm frame side mounting points that are about 1.5" higher up than the stock mounting location. My question is what spring rates do you typically recommend for the rear of these cars. My car has full interior, 1sub+ amp. in the back. Battery is still under the hood. So rear weight should just slightly over normal for these cars. Shocks are mounted straight up and down not at an angle.

[rfrankb4]

Front: Currently they are mounted from the top for the same reason you stated. The additional shock height is not from a change of the upper mounting point but is built into the SPC lower control arms (SPC part number 94344). So they would just require an additional 0.75" of shock length.

For the front I am looking to just use the DSE springs I have for now with the option of going to something else in the future.



On the rear: During the frame narrowing the stock brackets were removed for coil buckets/shock mount, and upper control arms. The rear upper control arm mounting point was moved a little higher with the intention of getting those angles back somewhat closer to stock since the car is lowered a decent amount. I am still trying to figure out what to do with this side of the suspension but just need to spend some time figuring out where to place the brackets but I will be addressing this mess in the near future.

[zombiekiller]

Viking has Fairlane stuff. Too small?

And Falcon.


150% different suspension. The galaxie suspension design is what ford used for nascar setups for about 20 years. Just about 0 parts interchangability between it and fairlane/falcon/mustang. Oh well. C'est la vie!

for reference lots of interchangability between galaxie, thunderbird, post 72 torino and post 74 cougar ( as well as all the full size mercury stuff). Minimal aftermarket support though.

[UMI Tech]

Hey Frank.

I believe we can get you set up with a longer shock, no problem. Hit me with a PM for part number and pricing information. I'd like to verify a few measurements if you're able to get them from your car.

thanks

ramey


Front: Currently they are mounted from the top for the same reason you stated. The additional shock height is not from a change of the upper mounting point but is built into the SPC lower control arms (SPC part number 94344). So they would just require an additional 0.75" of shock length.

For the front I am looking to just use the DSE springs I have for now with the option of going to something else in the future.



On the rear: During the frame narrowing the stock brackets were removed for coil buckets/shock mount, and upper control arms. The rear upper control arm mounting point was moved a little higher with the intention of getting those angles back somewhat closer to stock since the car is lowered a decent amount. I am still trying to figure out what to do with this side of the suspension but just need to spend some time figuring out where to place the brackets but I will be addressing this mess in the near future.

[john31s]

I ordered a set yesterday, so I'll soon have first hand experience with these. Just probably not till Thanksgiving (next time I'll be home).

[musclecarmatt]

i mite be up for this....looks to be reasonably priced and made usa...good news.....i'm really interested in double adjustable shocks..mite be interested in front and rear ...i want ditch theres qa1's i got on my car now...they do ok but setup for my car properly......do they make them for lowered applications?...my car is lowered 3 inches in the rear and 2 1/2 in front.....

[musclecarmatt]

We have quite a few miles, including back road corner carving, on our '72 LeMans. It has the hybrid coil front with 550's. All four corners are double adjustable.

We're working closely with Viking, providing feedback, etc., and so far have been very pleased. Obviously we're trying to sell the product but also want to be sure it's as good as we think it is. Nice quality, Made in USA stuff.

Let me know if you have any particular questions.

ramey


viking need let me test there double adjustables on my 71 camaro....definately give them a test...and with GG autox in few weeks be perfect for testing lol...:)

[UMI Tech]

i mite be up for this....looks to be reasonably priced and made usa...good news.....i'm really interested in double adjustable shocks..mite be interested in front and rear ...i want ditch theres qa1's i got on my car now...they do ok but setup for my car properly......do they make them for lowered applications?...my car is lowered 3 inches in the rear and 2 1/2 in front.....

Hey Matt. Off the shelf Vikings have a similar damping curve to the QA1's. Email me at [email protected] and I can send you the dyno sheets for both. Depending on which QA1 you have, the Viking could be very similar or could be an upgrade (for example, if you have SA's, the Double Adjustable could help).

For custom length applications I'd ask you to do some measuring to make sure we don't bottom out the shock. If you have factory bump stops and are lowered with a spindle you should be ok. If you truly need a shorter shock, it'll take some work and we would have to be careful and measure twice/order once.

thanks

ramey

[musclecarmatt]

Hey Matt. Off the shelf Vikings have a similar damping curve to the QA1's. Email me at [email protected] and I can send you the dyno sheets for both. Depending on which QA1 you have, the Viking could be very similar or could be an upgrade (for example, if you have SA's, the Double Adjustable could help).

For custom length applications I'd ask you to do some measuring to make sure we don't bottom out the shock. If you have factory bump stops and are lowered with a spindle you should be ok. If you truly need a shorter shock, it'll take some work and we would have to be careful and measure twice/order once.

thanks

ramey

thanks...i sent ya an email...shocks play a big role especially on leaf spring car...looking to improve my shock package..

[AUS.NOVA]

Hi Ramey

I have a 66 Chevy II 2 door sedan LS1/t56 with a jim weimers mustang II front clip with coil over conversion lower arms. It has (I think) the QA1 economy non adjustable shocks with 500lb springs which I have never been happy with. My questions are: What do viking have for me in double adjustable? Is the A202 suitable? (I will confirm lower bolt diameter tomorrow) I need the bushed lower in the shock as heim joint lower is not road legal in Australia. I was hoping to re use the springs I already have, will they fit viking shocks OK? Shipping weight of 2 shocks only please?

Thanks, Neale

[UMI Tech]

Hi Ramey

I have a 66 Chevy II 2 door sedan LS1/t56 with a jim weimers mustang II front clip with coil over conversion lower arms. It has (I think) the QA1 economy non adjustable shocks with 500lb springs which I have never been happy with. My questions are: What do viking have for me in double adjustable? Is the A202 suitable? (I will confirm lower bolt diameter tomorrow) I need the bushed lower in the shock as heim joint lower is not road legal in Australia. I was hoping to re use the springs I already have, will they fit viking shocks OK? Shipping weight of 2 shocks only please?

Thanks, Neale

Hey Neale. Thanks for the interest. I'm working on an email to you now.

thanks

ramey

[shmoov69]

I'm thinking about coil overs on the front with my new ride tech stuff, but didn't want to spend that much cash on theirs. These look pretty affordable. What gives? I saw that they are made in the USA... Does that mean assembled in the USA with overseas sh...stuff, or actually MADE in the USA? Sounds tasty if they're the real deal man! There's a market as you already know! LOL

[UMI Tech]

I'm thinking about coil overs on the front with my new ride tech stuff, but didn't want to spend that much cash on theirs. These look pretty affordable. What gives? I saw that they are made in the USA... Does that mean assembled in the USA with overseas sh...stuff, or actually MADE in the USA? Sounds tasty if they're the real deal man! There's a market as you already know! LOL

From talking with Viking, the components are sourced from machine shops across the USA and assembled in Minnesota.

The price is lower because (1) they are a newer company made up on shock industry veterans who are business and manufacturing savvy and (2) they only offer double adjustable which keeps inventory down and piece volume up. If they have to buy 10000 of one shock body instead of 3333 each non/single/double adjustable it keeps costs down.

Also, their springs are wound in the USA.

ramey

[shmoov69]

Thanks for the info, that is definitely making me think even more about them. Dooh!!