bj8 shock conversion and suspension question

[Dturner]

Hey,
Is anyone familiar with a conversion kit for the BJ8 3000 AH that would replace the existing leaver arm shocks?

I am working through a restoration of my '64. Now that it is up and running the car rides terrible and there is a lot of road transfer into the steering column.
what is the next step to alleviating some of these problems?
Thanks in advance,
David

 

[roscoe]

David,
Assuming you have the rest of the suspension set up close to proper, be sure the shocks are serviced and working. One bad front shock can make the steering wheel shake like you're driving with a flat tire. In my case one shock leaked out slowly over a year from the time I instaled it to the time I drove it at speed. I should have topped them off before the road but never gave them a thought after installing them. I had so many oil spots on the barn floor from other work I didn't really notice. When I hit about 35mph I got some shaking I thought must indicate a severe problem I had missed. After checking everything I service the right front shock (it was empty). It still leaks, but if I keep it topped off it drives quite well. I'm sure getting rid of the lever shocks would be an eye opener for me. I look forward to getting to drive in another 100 which has a shock absorber conversion and disc brakes some time. Forgive me for assuming that someone else might make the same lame-brain error I did.

 

[BN6_L1232]

David-The best solution is to purchase the Tube shock kit from Putzke's Fahrspass. Replace all bushings and you will never regret the expanse or effort. Peter.

 

[Randy_Gay]

David,
Another option is to have the stock shocks rebuilt.

https://www.nosimport.com/shoxcatalog.htm
Regards,
Randy

 

[RJA]

Check the and see if your wheels are true. Also see if your tires have high and low spots. If every thing is ok then go inward to remove the shake.

Jerry Anderson
Hendrix Wire Wheel

 

[Dturner]

BN6_L1232, I have checked into this and received a nice email from the owners. $900 without springs seems a bit high for the kit. If I'm paying that I would hope I will see significant road handling and ride improvement.
Since I'm one of the barn find healey guys, I don't have a comparable. Did you replace after using the OEM set up and have a great improvement? I'm hoping that some others who have used this will offer some feedback. I might start a separate thread to get that.
Thanks in advance,
David

 

[red57]

I'm not familiar with the Putzke's Fahrspass conversion but I have been running a Koni tube shock conversion kit for the last 6-8 years. Koni started offering the kit in the early 60's and I happened to find a NOS kit on ebay that had never been installed.
I have been vintage racing my 100-6, as well as driving it to & from the track for the last 12 years. I average around 5,000 miles of street driving and 6-8 race weekends a year.
The Koni shocks are great, a real improvement in handling and they help to reduce the famous 'scuttle shake'
I know there are many opinions out there, but this is my take on the subject:
Because of the leverage advantage of the lever type (distance from the end of the arm to the pistons inside the shock), a small movement at the wheel will not move the pistons inside the shock enough to cause any effect - sometime when you have a shock diconnected, try raising and lowering the end of the shock arm and you will find you can move it up and down an 1/8" or more before you feel resistance. With tube shocks the piston inside the shock moves the same ammount as the shock and you will feel resistance instantly as you compress/expand the shock. I believe the 'scuttle shake' is partly caused by (or, maybe a better way to say it is that the shock 'allows') the suspension to move up and down a bit without resistance. If anything is out of true this will allow the wheels to sort of hop up and down, producing a shake in the car.
Regardless of the above, I found the tube shocks to be a very nice upgrade and makes the car much more driveable. And the Koni's are ajustable for firmer or softer, depending on driving style and desire.
Side note, you may want to have the front ones rebuilt before coverting to tube shocks because they are the upper 'wishbones' and the bearings and shaft must be tight or you will have movement latterally and not locate the wheels/geometry properly, then you remove the shock valve so they are only acting as uppper A arms. Another plus is that since no hydraulic pressures are created inside the shock, they don't leak as much oil out.

My $0.02 worth.
Dave Phillips

 

[steveg]

Hello,
I've done or participated in 3 Healey tube shock conversions, one of which was a BJ8. Some random thoughts:

I think they are satisfying to use but must be done as part of an overall suspension rebuild. If your bushings are shot, the tube shocks will likely be disappointing.

On my car the front upper trunnions were completely gone and that was what was causing the scuttle shake. The suspension consisted of a 1/2" bolt floating around in a 3/4" hole.

Test the suspension by jacking up the lower suspension under the lower spring plate. Then you can jiggle the wheel and see where the play is coming from--this is how I discovered my upper trunnion issue. You can see what shape your kingpin and wheel bearing play is in.

My BN6 has a combination of Cape rear shocks & homemade Spax front shocks. I like the Spax because they have a lot of adjustment positions and need not be removed to be adjusted as the Koni's were (not sure if they still are).

Don't recommend the Cape rear setup because the lower mounts have a tendency to bend, due to insufficient extended length of the shock itself. My setup is 5 years old and they may have fixed this. They have proven unresponsive to my questions regarding a possible return.

There are Koni factory plans on the internet for a build-it-yourself rear Koni setup--do a google search for them.

Putzke's shock kits are very well built and include everything you need as well as good instructions. Putzke is an engineer for Bilstein and he custom-revalves the shocks included in the kit especially for Healeys--they are not available from any other source. I've participated in the installation of two of the Putzke kits on friends cars. Udo Putzke is a long-time Healey owner & junkie and is very involved in west coast and national Healey clubs. No financial interest yada.

I was convinced I could build a setup and save a lot of money but it didn't happen because I had to buy the machine work and welding. I'm sure my costs after all were within a couple hundred bucks of the Putzke kit.

FWIW

 

[57_100_6]

Here is a link for the Koni:
https://www.vintage-sportscar-touring.ca/pdf/KONI.PDF

On my BN4 I stayed with the stock configuration because I did the front and rear seperate from one another. After installing rose-jointed shock links at $100ea on the rear last winter that $900 for a bolt on installation configured for a BJ8 don't sound too bad. As others have stated it needs to be done as part of the overall suspension.

 

[Dave Russell]

Because of the leverage advantage of the lever type (distance from the end of the arm to the pistons inside the shock), a small movement at the wheel will not move the pistons inside the shock enough to cause any effect - sometime when you have a shock diconnected, try raising and lowering the end of the shock arm and you will find you can move it up and down an 1/8" or more before you feel resistance. ---- I believe the 'scuttle shake' is partly caused by (or, maybe a better way to say it is that the shock 'allows') the suspension to move up and down a bit without resistance. If anything is out of true this will allow the wheels to sort of hop up and down, producing a shake in the car.-------
Dave Phillips

It amazes me how many folks compare worn lever shocks to new tube shocks & come to the conclusion that ALL lever shocks are inferior to tube shocks.

The reality is, lever shocks in good rebuilt condition will have ZERO free movement at any position. Certainly NOT 1/8" of free movement.

Some rebuilders of lever shocks may cut corners & leave worn parts in the shock. I can guarantee that a lever shock that is rebuilt by Peter C. will have no "free play" at any position in it's travel & will remain that way for many thousands of miles. -AND- It will not leak & require occasional "topping up".
D

 

[red57]

"It amazes me how many folks compare worn lever shocks to new tube shocks & come to the conclusion that ALL lever shocks are inferior to tube shocks."

Actually I was comparing freshly rebuilt shocks from Apple Hyraulics, not worn shocks. And I did not mean to infer that lever shocks are bad - or that it was impossible to have 'tight' lever shocks. I've just never encountered ones with no free play at all. I am by no means a shock expert, and all I was doing was experessing my thoughts and experiences.

That's why I ended my post with "that's my $0.02 worth", and I don't think for a minute that my opinion is worth any more than that.

Respectfully,
Dave Phillips

 

[Dave Russell]

Hi Dave,
Just my $0.02 also, not worth much more. Shocks rebuilt by the company you mention compare in no way with the quality of Peter C. rebuilt shocks. In fact, they might fall in the category of "some rebuilders".

If you want really good quality rebuilds, no free play at all, look here. Free shock replacement if anything is wrong, including leakage.
https://www.nosimport.com/shoxcatalog.htm
D

 

[Ed Kaler]

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:]Free shock replacement if anything is wrong, including leakage.[/QUOTE]

You left out <span style="font-size: 14pt"><span style="font-weight: bold"><span style="font-style: italic">Lifetime</span></span></span>, Dave.:banana: :hammer:


Ed

 

[Dave Russell]

Hi Ed,
I purposely left out "lifetime replacement" because I'm not sure who or what the lifetime actually refers to. If it's my lifetime it could be rather short!
D

 

[TodE]

Dave,

I am sure I will say DAH!!, but who is Peter C? Is it Nos Import?

Thanks,
Tod

 

[Dave Russell]

Hi Tod,
Yes, NOS Import is Peter Caldwell. He is frequently on BCF forums. Go here, scroll down, & click on "Shock Absorber Information"
https://hometown.aol.com/bgahc/jimwerner.html
D