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King shocks and ORC springs install on 2013 G63 AMG
Hello all, I have used this site many times for information in the past but mostly stayed in the shadows. I recently made a few modifications to my 2013 G63 and learned a few valuable lessons. I shared the experience on expedition portal. I've been contacted by a few people thanking me for the info so I decided to post on this site as well.
I'm posting mainly to describe some of the good and the bad with my latest project. Hopefully I am able to save someone else some of the pain I encountered. I have a 2013 Mercedes G63 AMG (and a 1981 Mercedes Unimog 1300L). I decided to add the ORC blue springs and after market shocks to improve the ride on and off road. Bottom line, the modifications have greatly improved the ride but I do not recommend the King shocks on the AMG due to having to cut a substantial bracket on the driver's side front. Other options are available that do not require cutting this bracket.
First off, the ORC springs were an easy install. No issues. I started to installed the shocks on the same day. I was feeling pretty good and thinking that I might be finished sooner than expected (rookie mistake).
While shopping for shocks, Jack Wagon (also on this forum) gave me a great deal on a pair of King shocks that someone else had ordered prior to Covid and no longer wanted once they actually became available. The shocks were the correct model for my 2013 G63 AMG. I confirmed with the King website. They have received lots of good reviews and are adjustable, so I pulled the trigger on the Kings (2.5 in., remote res., adjustable).
The two rear shocks went in, no issue. The passenger front required trimming back and bending some metal near the wheel well. Structurally not an issue. Aesthetically, not really an issue because I did not need to trim the plastic that goes over the sheet metal in the wheel well. This was expected from the King Shocks install instructions that shipped with the shocks. Slowed me down a little, but still ahead of schedule on the project at this point.
But then came the driver's side. The shock would not fit on the upper mount. On the driver's side of the AMG there are two upper shock brackets. A front primary bracket and a rear secondary bracket. The body of the Kings will not fit between the brackets. This was not even hinted at in any of the install literature from King. This is when I reached out to Jack at Jack wagon overlanding. Jack was very helpful. He dug up a few contacts for me and was able to get a few pictures from a previous client who had ran into the same problem on a different year model. That client had cut the secondary bracket off, this was something I wanted to avoid since I plan to use this truck off-roading even more after the mod.
I then called King shocks. I must admit, this first call was not very fruitful. I then called Viking Off road to see if they had a fix. Maybe a bracket I could purchase. Viking was very helpful. Even did a video chat to see the issue. In the end, they did not see any way to make the shock fit other than cutting the bracket, which they recommended against. I then called King shocks again. This time was much better customer service (maybe the last guy was just having a bad day). Anyhow, the sales rep spoke with the King engineers who sent some pics of how to remove the bracket. Apparently this was a known problem. Honestly, though the shocks are great,I would not have purchased the King shocks if I had known installing would require cutting the bracket off. Maybe this isn't a big deal to some, but I trust the Mercedes engineers to know what they are doing.
Then I weighed my options. Getting my money back on the shocks did not sound likely. Selling them myself would take a loss as well. The shocks themself seemed to be just what I was looking for if I could get them to fit. With all this in mind, I took the plunge and removed the bracket. I spoke with a fabricator that could move the bracket and re-install for less money than I would loose if I ditched the shocks and started over. Again, not ideal, but the best option considering my truck was up on blocks. Others had apparently removed the secondary bracket without replacing it and had reported no issues. I haven't replaced the bracket yet either, but will before I do much serious off-roading. Of note, the passenger side only has a single shock upper bracket, but the single bracket on the passenger side is much more robust than the front primary bracket on the driver's side. This design is likely due to the lack of space because of the steering knuckle on the driver's side. In addition to helping bear the load, the secondary bracket on the driver's side is probably to prevent the bolt from pivoting as much as anything since the contact space on the shock mount is not as large.
After cutting the bracket, things sped back up. The end product is great. The higher stance looks more natural for an off road beast with military service heritage. The King shocks are great. The ride is better on road and off. Jack Wagon and Viking Off Road went above and beyond. Took calls on the weekend, and really tried to help even though neither stood to make any money from my problem. They are just good people helping the community. King Shocks came through with the pictures of removing the bracket. But I do think that they should be more forthcoming with that info. The directions I received with the shocks were for an older model and stated that only slight trimming of sheet metal may be required. An updated install instruction shipped with the shock would be great. In their defense, I'm sure that off road shocks for a G63 is not King's biggest seller. I'm not hating on King Shocks, just describing my one time experience. In the end, they helped out and sent the pics I needed to get the job done. Hopefully this thread will help someone in the future. I'm pretty sure a Mercedes Engineer would have an aneurism if he knew I cut that bracket.
Pic from King shocks showing the bracket being removed.
Pic from King Shocks showing the place where the bracket was removed from.
Comparison of the out-going AMG spring and in-going ORC front spring.
Picture from Jack Wagon showing the removed bracket.
Install complete. I have also removed the front grill and original running boards then installed ORC double-sill protector rails and removed most of the AMG badging. Tires are still 275/60 R20 which did not rub before the install. I plan to go a little larger in the future but will likely change wheels and get rid of the shiny spare cover by then as well.
Looks like the pics aren't loading. Trust me there are some things on these trucks that would make you want to back hand some of those engineers, so they can roll in their grave over you cutting a bracket LOL.
Thanks for the heads up on the images. They are showing up on my end for some reason, but I have attached again to see if this fixes it. User error I'm sure.
Almostordinary - Good point on the engineers. Since posting I received some pics of the top shock mount on an older model. The single bracket I left on the driver's side is more substantial than the one on the older model, so I am likely good to go.
Shiann, Thanks - good luck with your mods and let me know if I can help.
Pic from King showing the rear bracket being cut away. Pic from King showing the bracket removed The out-going AMG front spring next to the in-going ORC front spring for comparison. Pic from Jack Wagon showing the removed bracket Another view of the bracket Finished. I plan to go a bit larger on tires in the future but am trying to make up my mind on wheels and get some milage out of these tires first. I have also replaced the original running boards with ORC double Sills and removed most AMG badging and the chrome brush guard.
I have been meaning to update. A friend and I re-attached my front driver's side secondary shock bracket. The job was easier than expected. I know it is not 100% as strong as the original, but I believe it is strong enough for off roading and washboard roads and much better than not having a secondary bracket at all. Pictures are below, but in short, I created a 3/8 inch offset in the original bracket and re-attached to the original location. I used a hardened washer on each side of the shock bushing to account for the offset. When installing, I initially just tack welded all parts until I knew all parts were aligned and could bolt in place. The cross bolt is still removable and everything seems to be working well. I disconnected the battery before welding and as you can see from the pictures, the electrode placement helped reduce the electric current spread. I did remove one small sensor (part of the stability control system) that was close to where I welded. I did not want to risk frying it. I also had to use a longer cross bolt. In all, I'm happy with the bracket re-install.
06-17-2020, 03:02 PM
