Abstract:
Conversion assemblies and conversion assemblies combined with automotive shock absorbing assemblies for automotive use, such as shocks and struts. There is disclosed herein, in combination, a conversion assembly and an automotive shock absorbing assembly for automotive use, said automotive shock absorbing assembly being selected from the group consisting of shocks and, struts.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Shocks and struts are very familiar to those in the automotive repair or installation business. Most known are the smooth outside body shocks without any provision for coils or the like. They are non-re-buildable and are non-adjusting for dampening purposes. There is ordinarily no piston rod protection such as a shield for dust and splashes. 
     For racing purposes, they are usually manufactured from lightweight aluminum and are fully machined for the addition of coils but have no protective bellows or adjustable coil positions. They are re-buildable. 
     For load supporting management, the devices have to be designed during manufacturing such that they have provisions for coils. However, they are non-adjustable, have fixed heights, require complete replacement of the shock, are non-re-buildable and have no piston rod protection. The lightweight materials lack strength and the metallic spherical rod ends transmit noise to the body of the vehicle. They are exposed such that they have corrosion problems from the elements and have very limited life spans. 
     The devices of the instant invention have both front and rear end applications. The invention herein provides strong adjuster shock tubes in that they can be made out of steel as opposed to the aluminum materials used in normal shock manufacturing. The support using the inventive devices is at the top of the shock body as opposed to the load support provided by prior art devices wherein the load is supported at or near the bottom of the shock. Thus, this allows improved clearance for the drive line, steering, tire, and wheels. 
     THE INVENTION 
     Thus, what is disclosed and claimed herein are conversion assemblies. The conversion assemblies are combined with automotive shock absorbing assemblies for automotive use, such as shocks and struts. Thus, there is in combination, a conversion assembly and an automotive shock absorbing assembly for automotive use, said automotive shock absorbing assembly being selected from the group consisting of shocks and, struts. 
     The conversion assemblies have an external housing having a distal end, and a near end, the automotive shock absorbing assembly distal end having a piston rod protruding from it and said the automotive shock absorbing assembly distal end has mounted on it, a means for attaching the automotive shock absorbing assembly to an automobile frame. The automotive shock absorbing assembly distal end has mounted thereon, a means for attaching the automotive shock absorbing assembly to an automobile frame. 
     The conversion assembly has an external spring adjuster tube, the external spring adjuster tube having a near end and a distal end. There is a first piston rod opening in the near end creating a near end housing plate, the near end housing plate having an inside surface, the inside surface being beveled. The piston rod near end has threads on it. 
     The distal end of the conversion assembly is open to accommodate an automotive shock absorbing assembly. The distal end of the external spring adjuster tube has on an outside surface, a threaded profile. There is mounted on the external spring adjuster tube, a coil spring height adjustment ring. There is a piston rod protective bellows surrounding the piston rod. 
     There is a coil spring retainer cap and contained within the external spring adjuster tube, there is a coil spring. There is a shock stem adapter for retaining the coil spring retainer cap, the shock stem adapter being a hollow tube. The hollow tube has an internal threaded surface and an external surface to accommodate a wrench. 
     There is an assembly for locking the external spring adjuster tube on the piston rod the assembly comprising a lower load support washer surmounting the shock stem adapter and coil spring retainer cap; a lower load support stem grommet surmounting the washer; an upper load support stem grommet surmounting the lower load support stem grommet; an upper load support retainer washer surmounting said upper load support stem grommet, and, a locking nut surmounting said upper load support retainer washer, the nut being threaded on the threaded surface of the piston rod. There is a fastening means for the piston rod bellows distal end on the piston rod bellows retainer. The top end of the piston rod bellows is retained by the shock stem adapter. 
     In a second embodiment, there is a conversion assembly that is modified such that it can be readily used with eye type top mount shocks. Such shocks are manufactured with an eyelet being welded on the top of the piston rod such that the components of the first embodiments would not fit over the eyelet in order to assemble the conversion assembly. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a full side view of an illustration of a smooth body shock that is a prior art shock. 
         FIG. 2  is a full side view of an illustration of a McPherson strut that is a prior art strut. 
         FIG. 3  is a full side view of an illustration of a smooth shock of the prior art having threads machined directly on the outside surface of the shock housing. 
         FIG. 4  is a full side view of an illustration of a smooth body shock of the prior art having square cut ring grooves machined into the outside surface of the shock housing. 
         FIG. 5  is a full side of an illustration of a smooth body shock of the prior art having threads machined directly on the outside surface of the shock housing and a square cut ring grooves cut into the smooth body near the lower end of the shock. 
         FIG. 6  is a full cross sectional view of the conversion assembly of this invention showing it mounted on a smooth body shock taken through A-A of  FIG. 7 . 
         FIG. 7  is a full side exploded view of the combination of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 8  is a full side view of a coil spring retain cap. 
         FIG. 9A  is a full side view of a bellows retainer of this invention. 
         FIG. 9B  is a full top view of the bellows retainer of  FIG. 9A . 
         FIG. 10  is a full top view of a coil spring retainer cap of this invention. 
         FIG. 11  is a full side view of a cap adjuster of this invention. 
         FIG. 12  is full top view of the cap adjuster of this invention. 
         FIG. 13  is a full top view of the riser top of this invention. 
         FIG. 14  is a full top view of an adapter stem of this invention. 
         FIG. 15  is a portion of a riser top and housing wall showing a snap ring or key for attaching them to each other. 
         FIG. 16  is a portion of a riser top and housing wall showing threads for attaching them to each other. 
         FIG. 17A  is a full side view of the combination of the conversion assembly and shock. 
         FIG. 17B  is a portion of the bottom of the assembly of  FIG. 17A  showing the smooth external surface of the housing at the bottom. 
         FIG. 18  is a portion of the bellows assembly. 
         FIG. 19  is a fastener useful in this invention. 
         FIG. 20  is a fastener useful in this invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     The invention described and claimed herein deals with a conversation assembly for shocks and struts in automotive uses, along with a description and claims directed to a combination of such conversation assemblies with automotive shock absorbing assemblies. 
       FIG. 1  is a full side view of an illustration of a smooth body shock  20  that is a prior art shock. Shown in  FIG. 1  is the smooth housing  21 , the piston rod  22 , a seal  23  for the piston rod  22 , the chassis attachment means  24  (a ring) for attachment of the shock  20  to the chassis or frame of an automobile, the top end  25  of the piston rod  22  showing the terminal end threads  26 , by which the upper end of the piston rod  22  is attached to an automobile, along with a surfaced segment  27  for using a wrench. 
     This device has the disadvantage that the threads for adjustment are machined directly on the body of the shock and therefore, the walls of the shock have to be thicker. 
       FIG. 2  is a full side view of an illustration of a McPherson strut  30  that is a prior art strut. Shown in  FIG. 2  is the smooth housing  31 , the piston rod  32 , the chassis attachment means  34  (a solid plate with attachment openings  33 ) for attachment of the strut  30  to the chassis or frame of an automobile, the top  35  of the piston rod  32  showing the terminal end threads  36  by which the upper end  35  of the piston guide  32  is attached to an automobile, along with a surfaced segment  37  for using a wrench. 
       FIG. 3  is a full side view of an illustration of a smooth shock  40  of the prior art having threads  43  machined directly on the outside surface of the shock housing  41 , the piston rod  42 , the chassis attachment means  44  (a ring), for attachment of the shock  40  to the chassis or frame of an automobile, the top  45  of the piston rod  42  showing the terminal end threads  46  by which the upper end  45  of the piston rod  42  is attached to an automobile, along with a surfaced segment  47  for using a wrench. Also shown is the adjustment ring  48 . 
       FIG. 4  is a full side view of an illustration of a smooth body shock  50  of the prior art having square cut ring grooves  53  machined into the outside surface of the shock housing  51 , the piston rod  52 , the chassis attachment means  54  (a ring), for attachment of the shock  50  to the chassis or frame of an automobile, the top  55  of the piston rod  52  showing the terminal end  56  by which the upper end  55  of the piston rod  52  is attached to an automobile, along with a surface segment  57  for using a wrench. Also shown is an adjustment ring  58 . In addition, there is shown a snap ring  59  that provides the adjustability. This device does not have infinite adjustment nor is it possible to do fine adjusting. In addition this device has questionable load capabilities depending on only one snap ring. 
       FIG. 5  is a full side of an illustration of a smooth body shock  60  of the prior art having threads  61  machined directly on the outside surface of the shock housing  62  and a square or round cut ring groove  63  cut into the smooth body near the lower end  64  of the shock  60 . The square cut or round ring groove  63  contains a snap ring  65 . Also shown is the chassis attachment means  66  (a ring) for attachment of the shock  60  to the chassis or frame of an automobile, the piston rod  67 , the adjustment ring  68 . This device also suffers from questionable load capabilities owing to the single snap ring. In addition, the spring loading must be removed in order to adjust this prior art device. 
     Turning now to the invention and with reference to  FIG. 6 , there is shown a full cross section view of the conversion assembly  1  of this invention mounted on a smooth body shock  2 . 
     The conversion assembly  1  is to be considered by itself in this explanation of the invention, the shock and its component parts being included for clearer illustration of the conversion assembly  1 . The combination of the conversion assembly and the automotive shock absorbing assembly in combination will be considered in detail infra. 
     The conversion assembly  1  is comprised of a cylindrical housing  3  that is configured to and fits around the outside of the shock  2 . The length of the cylindrical housing is dependent on the desires of the manufacturer and it is noted that the length should be a minimum of about 3 inches and a maximum of about 12 inches. 
     The cylindrical housing  3  has a distal end  4  that is open such that it will slide down over the shock  2 . It is noted that the bottom edge  5  of the cylindrical housing  3  is crenellated (see  FIGS. 6 and 7 ) such that a spanner tool can engage that end of the cylindrical housing  3  using the notches  6  in the crenellation. 
     The upper end  16  of the cylindrical housing  3  has an opening  17  through which the piston rod  38  projects. This opening has a seal  18  through which the piston rod  38  projects. 
     The under surface  19  of the top plate  29 , adjacent the opening  17  is beveled such that the thickness of the top plate  29  at or near the opening  17  is thinner than the thickness of the top plate  29  near its outer edges. This so such that the lower end  8  of the piston rod bellows  49  can be fitted into the opening  17  and laid underneath the edges of the opening  17  in order to retain the piston rod bellows  49  inside the cylindrical housing  3 . This upper end of the piston rod bellows  49  is also attached using a fastener  28  (see  FIG. 7 ). 
     Near, and just above the crenellation notches  6 , is a threaded portion  7  on the outside surface of the cylindrical housing  3 . The number of threads in this profile can be a few, such as, 4 or 5, or the threads can extend the entire length of the cylindrical housing  3 , depending on the desires of the manufacturer and the end use for the conversion assembly  1 . Mounted on the threaded profile  7  is an adjustment ring  39  that can be moved up and down on the threads. 
     Surmounted on the outside of the cylindrical housing  3  and on the surface of the adjustment ring  39  is a coil spring  9 . The coil spring  9  is surmounted by a coil spring retainer cap  10 . The coil spring retainer cap  10  is configured on the bottom surface  11  such that there is a retainer and centering ring  12  that allows the coil spring retainer cap  10  to center, and hold the coil spring  9  essentially in alignment with the outside surface of the cylindrical housing  3 . In addition, the coil spring retainer cap  10  has a larger opening  15  in the bottom to allow the entry of the piston rod bellows  49  to be inserted therein. The piston rod bellows  49  is essentially captured by inserting the upper end  69  of the bellows  49  into the larger opening  15  and allowing the upper end  69  of the bellows  49  to extend over the top of the hollow piston rod bellows retainer  70  and be clamped by the coil spring retainer cap  10  down over the end, thereby securing the end of the piston rod bellows  49  in the assembly  1 . 
     The coil spring retainer cap  10  has a centered aperture  13  that allows a piston rod  22  (discussed infra) and a hollow piston rod bellows retainer  70  to be inserted therein. The hollow piston rod bellows retainer  73  is threaded down over the threaded top end  56  of the piston rod  22 . In this manner, the upper end  69  of the piston rod bellows  49  is clamped into the assembly  1 . 
     There is mounted on the piston rod  22  and surmounted on the coil spring retainer cap  10 , a locking assembly  80  for locking the retainer cap  10  on the stem adapter  73  comprising a lower load support washer  81 , surmounting the shock stem adapter  73  and coil spring retainer cap  10 ; a lower load support stem grommet  82  surmounting the washer  81 ; an upper load support stem grommet  83  surmounting the lower load support stem grommet  82 ; an upper load support retainer washer  84  surmounting the upper load support stem grommet  83  and, a locking nut  85  for retaining the assembly  80 . The grommets  82  and  83  are manufactured from flexible urethane materials having a durometer in the range of from about 65 to about 100. The washers  81  and  84  are typically manufactured from metals such as aluminum or steel. 
     In a second embodiment, there is a conversion assembly that is modified such that it can be readily used with eye type top mount shocks. Such shocks are manufactured with an eyelet being welded on the top of the piston rod such that the components of the first embodiments would not fit over the eyelet in order to assemble the conversion assembly. Such a device  100  in combination with a shock  101  with a top eyelet  102  can be observed in  FIG. 17 . Also shown is the bottom eyelet  123 . 
     Turning now to the individual components of the device  100 , and the shock  101 ,  FIG. 8  is a full side view of a coil spring retainer cap  103  showing a left half  103   a  and a right half  103   b . There is a centered pass through opening  105  in the coil spring retainer cap  103  to allow passage of a piston rod  108  ( FIG. 17 ). There is a counter bore  106  that helps a cap adapter  107  ( FIG. 9A ) locate the coil spring retainer cap  103  in the correct position within the centered pass through opening  105 . The dotted line designated  122  shows the open interior of the coil spring retainer cap  103 . 
     The centered pass through opening  105  has enough clearance (slot  109 ,  FIG. 10 ) such that there clearance for the piston rod  108  to allow assembly of the cap adapter  107  and the coil spring retainer cap  103  around the piston rod  108 .  FIG. 10  is a full top view of the coil spring retainer cap  103  in position along with the cap adapter  111  and showing the centered pass through opening  105 . 
     The cap adapter  111  ( FIG. 11 ) locks into the counter bore  106  in the coil spring retainer cap  103  which shows a second pass through opening  112  for the piston rod  108 .  FIG. 12  is a full top view of the bifurcated halves of the adapter stem  107  showing the left half  111   a  and the right half  111   b  provided by cut lines  118   a  and  118   b . It should be noted that the cap adapter  111  has a groove  114  around its outside perimeter to accommodate a snap ring, not shown.  FIG. 9A  is a full side view of the adapter stem  107  and  FIG. 9B  is a full top view of the adapter stem  107  showing the cut  113 . 
     There is a housing  120  for the conversion assembly  100  ( FIG. 17 ), and  FIG. 13  shows a full top view of a riser top  115  (the top) of the assembly  100 . In this embodiment of the invention, the method of providing for the attachment of the riser top  115  to the top edge of the housing  120  is shown in  FIGS. 15 and 16 . Shown is a centered through opening  116  for the piston rod  108  ( FIG. 13 ). A vertical cut line  117  ( FIG. 13 ) provides for a bifurcation in the riser top  115 . 
     There is a taper  121  on the underside of the riser top  115  that allows for guidance of the piston rod  108  of the shock when inserted through this opening. 
       FIG. 17  is a full side view of the combination of the conversion assembly  100  and the shock  101 , the top eyelet  102  and the bottom eyelet  123 , the eyelets being the means of attachment to a vehicle.  FIG. 17B  is a portion of the bottom of the assembly of  FIG. 17A  showing the smooth external surface  141  of the housing  120  at the bottom. 
     The conversion assembly  100  therefore consists of the housing  120 , and for the embodiment shown in  FIG. 17 , a riser top  115  that is welded into place. Surrounding the housing  120  are threads  124  that are cut into the outer surface of the housing  120 . Mounted on the threads  124  is a height adjusting ring  125  that is used to adjust the coil spring  126  which is surmounted on the top of the height adjusting ring  125  around the outside of the housing  120  and extends to the bottom  128  of the coil spring retainer cap  103 . The bottom  128  of the coil spring retainer cap  103  has a circular protrusion  129  that helps keep the coil spring  109  in a centered position. There is a seal  127  in the opening  116 . 
     Located in the hollow space  122  in the coil spring retainer cap  103  is the adapter stem  107 , which abuts the underside of the cap adapter  111 . Located in the bottom edge  129  of the housing  120  are crenulated notches  130  that are used for spanner tool engagement. These crenulated notches  130  are generally evenly spaced around the bottom edge  129 , but it is not critical to practice the invention. These crenulated notches  130  allow the holding, or turning of the housing  120  without destroying the housing  120 . It should be noted also that the threads  124  do not extend down to the bottom edge  129 . 
     Shown in  FIG. 18  is a portion of the assembly emphasizing the bellows portion of the conversion assembly  100 . The bellows  131  covers the piston rod  108  to protect it from water, salts, dirt, debris&#39;, and other materials so that it does not rust readily. The bellows  131  is placed such that the bottom  132  of the bellows  131  surrounds the notched portion  133  of the riser top  115  and then it is secured by a tie fastener  134  shown in  FIG. 19 . 
     The top end of the bellows  131  ( FIG. 17A ) is secured by pulling the top  135  of the bellows  131  over the top  136  of the adapter stem  107  and then securing it with a second tie fastener  137  ( FIG. 20 ). In addition, the compression of the spring  126  against the coil spring retainer cap  103 , and further against the cap adapter  111  also constitutes an additional fastening means for the bellows  131 . 
     When fully assembled, the conversion assembly  100  can be adjusted for pressure by compressing or releasing the coil spring  126  by adjusting the height adjusting ring  125 . It should be noted that the trailing end  141  of the housing  120  does not have any threads  124  cut into it. This portion of the housing  120  is smaller in diameter than the threads  124 , in order to enable one to move the adjusting ring  125  on and off of the threads  124  and the housing  120 . 
     In another embodiment, there is a method of attaching the riser top  115  to the housing  120 . In  FIG. 16 , there is an example of the riser top  115  being attached to the housing  120  by threads  138 . Also shown in this Figure is a portion of the bellows  131 . 
     In yet another embodiment of this invention, there is a third method of attaching the riser top  115  to the housing  120  by using a notch or groove  139  in the housing wall  120  into which there is inserted a key  140  (See  FIG. 15 ).