An upper mounting assembly for a suspension telescoping shock absorber strut operatively connected between sprung and unsprung masses of a vehicle about a vertically disposed principal axis of the shock absorber, the strut provided with a piston rod adapted for reciprocal movement along the strut axis, means for connecting the mounting assembly to the vehicle sprung mass and means for connecting an upper end of the piston rod to the mounting assembly, the upper mounting assembly comprising:
- a composite isolator mount having a central inner metal cup formed with a bottom wall and an upstanding side wall concentrically disposed about the principal axis whereby an elastomeric ring surrounds said side wall with said side wall embedded therein;
- said ring having an upper radially outer upper periphery defining an annular end face and an upper radially inner periphery defining an annular upstanding jounce collar, said ring having a lower outer periphery formed with an integral concentrically depending tubular extension of conforming radial extent relative to said upper end face, said ring having a lower inner periphery formed with an integral radially inwardly extending rebound collar bonded to an underside of said cup bottom wall;
- said cup bottom wall formed with a central hole adapted to receive therethrough the piston rod upper end for attachment to said cup bottom wall, said cup side wall having its upper end terminating in jounce stop means;
- said mounting assembly further comprising an outer housing concentrically disposed about the principal axis defined by upper and lower one piece metal closures, said upper closure having a cylindrical outer wall for concentrically surrounding said ring in a radially press-fit manner, said outer wall lower end terminating in a radially outwardly extending flanged brim, said outer wall formed with an upper cap portion defined by a radially inwardly extending shoulder and an axially upwardly extending riser terminating in a radially inwardly extending cap web defining a central access aperture;
- said lower closure having a circular disc concentrically disposed about said axis bordered by a U-sectioned annular channel defined by interior and exterior axially extending channel walls joined by a radially extending bight wall, said exterior channel wall of predetermined diameter equal to said upper closure outer wall, said channel exterior wall terminating at its upper end in a radially outwardly extending terminal flange, whereby upon an upper surface of said terminal flange being secured in flatwise engagement with an undersurface of said flanged brim;
- said composite mount configured and sized such that upon being enclosed in said assembled housing with said ring upper end face abuting an interior portion of said upper closure internal shoulder and said ring tubular extension being sized and configured for press-fit reception in said lower closure channel with a free lower end face of said extension is in abutting contact with said bight wall;
- whereby with said upper closure flange brim and said lower closure terminal flange affixed in flatwise abutment said ring is axially compressed in a pre-loaded manner such that said jounce and rebound collars are axially spaced a predetermined extent from an underside of said cap ring and an underside of said disc, respectively, with said piston rod in its neutral mode.