Niva Resource: Reinforce the front damper mounts

Reinforce the front damper mounts.

If stiffer than original shock absorbers are used, or rough off-road use, Nivas can be known to break their mounts. The weakest is the front top mount (standard Niva front shocks are excellent for off-roading and don't usually need upgraded btw).

Broken Niva shock mount

This can be reinforced by either welding it up better than original, adding a some flat or angle steel, or replacing it with a new mount:

Welding

Simply making sure the mounts are welded as best they can be around all 3 sides of the top plate will make these mounts stronger.

Welded Niva shock mount

Plates & Angle

A new top section of thicker steel can be welded on.

Plated Niva shock mount

You could take this opportunity to box in the old mount for increased strength.

Reinforced Niva damper mount

Alternately a piece of angle-section with a hole in 1 side could be used as under the top plate, with its second side attached to the inner guard. You could even make a whole new mount from angle that fits inside the old mount's sides:

Box Section

The entire mount can be replaced with one fabricated from a piece of thicker box-section steel and welded to the inner guard.

Box section niva shock mount replacement

Of course once you reinforced one thing, generally the next weakest link will break if the Niva is used for rough driving - the bottom shock mount. These also can be easily up-rated with some channel-section:

Ensure that the steering can not make contact with any new lower mounts on full articulation from lock-to-lock.

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