• The Roadster Factory Recovery Fund - Friends, as you may have heard, The Roadster Factory, a respected British Car Parts business in PA, suffered a total loss in a fire on Christmas Day. Read about it, discuss or ask questions >> HERE. The Triumph Register of America is sponsoring a fund raiser to help TRF get back on their feet. If you can help, vist >> their GoFundMe page.
  • Hey there Guest!
    If you enjoy BCF and find our forum a useful resource, if you appreciate not having ads pop up all over the place and you want to ensure we can stay online - Please consider supporting with an "optional" low-cost annual subscription.
    **Upgrade Now**
    (PS: Subscribers don't see this UGLY banner)
Tips
Tips

Tube Shocks Conversion

BJ8TONY

Senior Member
Silver
Country flag
Offline
Hello

I am considering converting from the stock lever shocks to tube shocks and am looking for the opinions from those who have already done this.
Is there a significant difference or am I better off just staying with rebuilt lever shocks.

Thanks and have a great day
 
Last edited:

Jerry

Darth Vader
Gold
Country flag
Offline
One of the best improvements I did to my BJ8. No more bottoming out, smooth ride and they work great with the sway bar to make the cornering better. I give it a thumbs up!
Jerry
 

Genos2

Jedi Trainee
Offline
Many years ago I put Konis on my BJ7, they're great. I've got another set of brackets & set of new Konis that I plan to but on my '67 BJ8 when shes put back on the road. Ride is firm, but cornering is amazing. cheers
 

Hoghead

Jedi Trainee
Offline
I have the Bilstien conversion from Farspars on my BJ8

Bloody brilliant and while expensive, it is money well spent. As the front lever shock is the upper A-arm, I send the old shocks to World Products to be rebuilt, less hydraulics, thereby removing the slop in the control arm.
At the same time I used the urethane suspension bushings from Farspars and suspect that both these mods added to the noticeable improvement with the shocks
 

BigGreen

Jedi Warrior
Silver
Country flag
Offline
My BJ8 has the Spax (Gas) version with valve removed from standard shocks and Poly bushes

DSC_6960a.jpg
 

steveg

Yoda
Gold
Country flag
Offline
I built my own fronts and fixed faults in a Cape setup for the rears - SPAX all around - and it wound up being only slightly less expensive than the Udo Putzke Fahrspass kit (I paid for welding and machine work).
Have helped install at least three sets of Udos. IMHO the ride is better with the Bilsteins than the SPAX - and yes it's a noticeable difference over the lever shocks.
Good shocks are expensive and make up around half the cost of the Udo kit.
 

BobHaskell

Jedi Warrior
Silver
Country flag
Offline
A friend that owns a 1956 100 with the LeMans conversion and front disc brakes from a 3000 is thinking about fitting the Fahrspass kit. Anyone done that?
 

RDKeysor

Jedi Trainee
Bronze
Country flag
Offline
I installed the Fahrspass kit on my Series 1 BN7. It wasn't particularly challenging, though I think I actually removed and replaced the front shocks (the valves were removed, as noted by an earlier responder) in the process. The details elude me, but it was a minor change from the instructions supplied with the Bilstein kit. I probably don't drive this car hard enough to really notice the improvement from this upgrade.
 

HealeyPassion

Jedi Warrior
Country flag
Offline
IMHO the Fahrspass kit (Udo Putzke) is fantastic. My last BJ7 rode better and handled better... all good. I will have Udo's kit on my current BJ7 build... I have it on the shelf ready to go... I believe it is definitely worth the cost.
 

twas_brillig

Jedi Knight
Country flag
Offline
Our BJ7 has the Udo Putzke Fahrspass Bilstein shock conversion and polyurethane kit. We also went with the 5.5" wide chromed wires, replaced the top of the shock towers with camber/caster adjusting plates, and added trunnion bearings. The shop doing the work felt that the car was the best riding/handling Healey that they'd ever had. A buddy who is restoring his BJ8 took it for a ride and commented that it was much better than his stock Mk III. Good fortune on this. Sure looks like the consensus is that Mr. Putzke has done a magnificent job in designing his kit and specifying the characteristics of his Bilsteins.
Norton Commando AND a Triple? I'm hoping to have my 69 Kawaski 500 triple back this spring after effectively parking it half a century ago; also hoping that the old body can still ride it. Doug
 

Bob_Spidell

Yoda
Gold
Country flag
Offline
Our BJ7 has the Udo Putzke Fahrspass Bilstein shock conversion and polyurethane kit. We also went with the 5.5" wide chromed wires, replaced the top of the shock towers with camber/caster adjusting plates, and added trunnion bearings. The shop doing the work felt that the car was the best riding/handling Healey that they'd ever had. A buddy who is restoring his BJ8 took it for a ride and commented that it was much better than his stock Mk III. Good fortune on this. Sure looks like the consensus is that Mr. Putzke has done a magnificent job in designing his kit and specifying the characteristics of his Bilsteins.
Norton Commando AND a Triple? I'm hoping to have my 69 Kawaski 500 triple back this spring after effectively parking it half a century ago; also hoping that the old body can still ride it. Doug
Would you mind revealing which adjusting plates you have--Kilmartin, Monaco, or ?--and your caster/camber settings? Stock Big Healey settings are 1deg pos. camber and 2deg pos. caster, but I don't think they were set all that precisely from the factory.
 

twas_brillig

Jedi Knight
Country flag
Offline
Bob: I bought the plates used (probably more than ten years ago). Have a look at Moss Motors https://mossmotors.com/media/instructions/856-115_INST.pdf as the notes there (made by Kilmartin; sold by Moss) match what I was able to find in my files. Also note their comment about the precision required for welding: the shop (and I have no complaints or criticisms for their work) weren't able to quite get the front end alignment figures they'd hope for on our Healey, presumably because they hadn't been able to get the plates mounted as precisely as hoped for. And I'm afraid I don't have a record as to what they were trying for when they did the alignment. The resto shop we used has moved away from that work, but I'll touch base with them and the alignment shop, just in case they have the specifications that they used. Doug
 

twas_brillig

Jedi Knight
Country flag
Offline
I dropped a note to Mr. Putzke, suggesting that he look at the praise his efforts were getting in this thread, and got this reply back:
"Thank you Doug for the information. Over 1000 kits world wide and still counting. And it is still a hobby."
Cool.

Also - when trying to dig out stuff for Mr. Spidell, I found a note from a Healey owner we had met at the VanDusen show in Vancouver a few years ago. His only suspension change had been the Fahrspass kit, and he raved about it. Later, Doug
 

Bob_Spidell

Yoda
Gold
Country flag
Offline
Doug,
Thanks for the reply. Unless they were modified, you can't get much, if any, caster adjustment with those. The caster setting would have to be done when welding them in; which would be tricky. My BN2 had extreme neg. camber when we bought it, and we could never determine why (chassis measurements weren't out of whack, but the car did have front-end damage). I don't know if the welder even tried to set caster, but the car tracks straight and I was able to get near zero camber.
Bob
 

twas_brillig

Jedi Knight
Country flag
Offline
Just dropped notes to Denis Welch, Kilmartin, and Norman regards optimum settings for the front end (I mentioned running 5.5 inch wide rims). And forgot to chase the long shot of records for our alignment, many, many years ago. I'll add whatever I learn; would appreciate hearing waht advice others have received. Thanks, Doug
 

Bob_Spidell

Yoda
Gold
Country flag
Offline
I've been doing some investigation on front-end alignment, and bought a rig to measure and set tow, camber and caster. Zero camber is generally recommended for 'street' cars with radials. Zero or slight toe-in or out is usually recommended; slight toe-out provides a little better 'turn in.' Caster isn't easily adjustable, but you can us shims to change damper angle slightly; the shop manual for Big Healeys calls for 2deg pos. caster, but I think it varies. Most newer cars appear to have slight neg. camber.

I used offset trunnion bushings to get 0.6-0.7deg negative camber with 1/16" toe-out on my BJ8, and it feels more responsive but tracks true. I have 185/70 radials on 6" rims, and steering is ponderous, even with torrington thrust bearings, but the neg. camber reduced that some.
 

twas_brillig

Jedi Knight
Country flag
Offline
Got this reply from Denis Welch Motorsport:
"Thank you for contacting DWR, With regards to your question it does depend on what the car is being used for and what tyres you have on the car. But for a typical road car you would be looking at 3/4 & 1 degree negative."
Doug
 

twas_brillig

Jedi Knight
Country flag
Offline
Got this reply from Kilmartin:

" I think most people would go for around 1 degree negative camber for road going Healeys. For competition maybe 3 – 5 degrees negative.

Kind regards

Greg Kilmartin

Kilmartin Automotive Sheetmetal
 
Similar threads
Thread starter Title Forum Replies Date
C Shocks: Rebuild Lever Arms or Tube Conversion??? Triumph 23
Morris An argument against tube shocks... Spridgets 2
KVH Replacing Rear Lever Shocks with Tube Shocks Triumph 24
Morris Tube shocks on all four corners! Spridgets 13
W tube shocks part # MG 15
AUSMHLY After market rear tube shocks Austin Healey 28
davester MGB MGB rear tube shocks...which ones? MG 18
mgbmedic MGB rear tube shocks for MGB MG 20
R TR6 TR6 rear ride height with tube shocks Triumph 5
T tr4-rear tube shocks Racing 2
bobmga62 MGA Tube Shocks form MGB to MGA MG 4
R Tube Shocks Triumph 14
C Tube Shocks on Midget? MG 1
aeronca65t Spridget Tube Shocks Austin Healey 8
tinman58 TR2/3/3A Vent tube Triumph 3
J MGB Jet Tube to Float Chamber Fuel Leak MG 7
WHT BJ8 Rear Seat Surround Drain Tube Grommets Austin Healey 0
glemon TR5/TR250 Answering My Own Question Rear Tube Shock Conversion Numbers TR4a-TR6 Triumph 0
K TR2/3/3A The Amco chrome tube type grille ....... Triumph 9
D Capillary Oil Tube Fastener Austin Healey 5
P MGB Tube axle wear MG 3
M Capillary Tube repair Spridgets 4
AUSMHLY BJ8 Overdrive Accumulator Spring Tube Austin Healey 1
G Stator Tube Nut and Olive Austin Healey 9
Cutrog1 BJ8 Fuel Tube Installation Austin Healey 10
P Classic Tube Pre-Bent Brake Lines Austin Healey 5
71TR6 TR2/3/3A TR3A Breather Tube Attachment Triumph 6
C TR2/3/3A stator tube Triumph 6
B TR2/3/3A Control Head/Stator tube orientation Triumph 8
M TR2/3/3A Removing Wires From Stator Tube Triumph 7
K TR2/3/3A Making your own steering wheel stator tube? Triumph 16
aero3113 For Sale Big Healey Tube Shock Conversion Austin Healey Classifieds 2
T TR2/3/3A Can someone confirm size and thread count on fuel line tube nuts [brass fittings]? Triumph 16
Jim_Gruber Pages from Porter Spridget Restoration Manual on Seat Recovering, You Tube Videos Spridgets 4
D TR2/3/3A stator tube will not go down Triumph 0
AUSMHLY Tube vs Tubeless discussion :] Austin Healey 28
F TR2/3/3A Tie member[front apron support tube] Triumph 11
S Wanted stator tube Austin Healey Classifieds 0
S stator tube nut Austin Healey 7
D Best little tube bender Restoration & Tools 8
D TR2/3/3A tr3 temp guage capillary tube thread size Triumph 3
K TR2/3/3A The rear axle "tube" seal replacement. Triumph 6
D You Tube made me do it. I bought a Milwaukee dry cut saw. Restoration & Tools 6
K For Sale Curved tube intake manifold...2" Triumph Classifieds 2
M Questions about stator tube and trafficator fixation Austin Healey 31
X BE jacking tube access holes and top bows. Spridgets 1
Sarastro General TR How is the axle tube attached to the diff housing? Triumph 16
D BT7 stator tube Austin Healey 39
J TR6 TR6 Cross Tube Differences? Triumph 6
R Capillary tube temp gauge Austin Healey 7

Similar threads

Top