Anybody seen this Front Shock Conversion Kit before?

[Csarneson]

I found this front shock conversion kit on ebay a while back and largely forgot about it for a couple years. I got it shockingly cheap so the risk was very low. I'm now researching it a little to verify that it's a good idea. It requires cutting away the bump-stops on the chassis and drilling a large hole in the shock tower mounts. While these are semi-drastic steps on a typical chassis, my chassis has had several modifications made already so these changes aren't very troubling to me but they also aren't reversible. My chassis is still on the rotisserie so the mods are pretty easy at the moment.

The shocks are mounted inside the springs in this kit. I can find no brand-name anywhere but the workmanship is excellent. Does anybody have any experience with this design or information about the kit itself? Who made it?



Chris

 

[red57]

Chris,
I have the 'normal' Koni conversion. I have not seen one like yours before but it may well be by Koni. IMO, the tubes work much better than the stock levers. Don't know about yours but I think most Koni shocks are adjustable & that is a nice feature.

Did you get the shocks too or just the mounting kit? If you have the shocks, call Koni North America in Hebron, KY at (859) 586-4100 and ask if they know about the kit & who made it.

I like the looks of your kit, should work well. As you probably know, the 'normal' kit has the shock mounted to the rear of the a-arms and looks very much like an add-on (kinda tacky looking actually, but work well). I like the nature of your kit better and it wouldn't be too hard to reverse since the bump stop is not visible when assembled (keep the pieces you cut off and the stock bottom spring plates).

The reason I have the phone number & address is that I have broken two of mine a few years ago and found that Koni will rebuild/repair their shocks forever, no mater the age or rarity I gather. The last one I had repaired was a rear and involved replacing the main rod and internals and cost me just under $300 in 2009

Dave

 

[Csarneson]

I just realized that the first photo was not included in my original post. Yes the kit includes the shocks themselves. The kit tells me they are adjustable. I like knowing that Koni will support them long term. One of my concerns with the kit was that I don't know the specifics of the actual shocks if I ever needed to replace them.

 

[red57]

Chris, Now that I see the box and the entire kit, I think it probably is a Koni kit..... If you decide not to use it, I would be happy to buy it from you.

Dave

 

[Csarneson]

Thanks Dave. I'm planning to use the kit unless I hear some horror stories from the healey-veterans here.

 

[Deleted member 21150]

WoW, I like that kit. Where can I find one?

 

[bob hughes]

It looks good from my house.

I have heard tell that handling is much improved with this type of suspension mod.



Bob