Reply to "Stupid question about Hall/Alden billet shocks..."

I have these shocks. There is always some residual spring pressure on them, so the spings don't come off. I've never backed off the tension that much. Motocross dirt bikes were first to mount gas charged shocks upside down. The purpose was to reduce unsprung weight, which is not going to be noticable on a Pantera, so mine are just mounted conventionally. My local Honda motocycle shop sold me a spanner wrench for $16 that has two sizes on either end and fits them perfectly. The springs can move around a little, and rubbed a decal off. One of the adjustment knobs got in the way of a wrench and broke off, so be careful. I can't tell what the dampening adjustment is, because the knobs go around infinitely. Anyways, the ride is tight, and I've never bottomed out, and it doesn't bounce, so I guess the dampening is fine. You can lower or raise ride height, which is pretty cool. But to lower will cause softer spring rates and could cause bottoming out. I may decide to cut 1/2" off the springs to lower ride height on back, but haven't measured for that project yet. I've adjusted the spring settings a dozen times and it's pretty fine tuned, but removing them is a pain. I use a lug nut to clamp the shock onto the axle to hold it firmly while using the spanner wrench to adjust spring tension rates. If you think there is a potential the spring may fly off, listen carefully to your instincts, that can send you to the hospital. Safety first, right?