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Rear Suspension Conversion

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One thing to think about is that if you are going to do any racing or real fast motoring, anything you do to stiffen one end only of the car is going to unbalence you through the corners. Stiffening the back only will loosen up the back on corners.
Bob
 
Piece of cake - I've done it myself fo around $60 including the Gabriels..but, gotta ask you: WHY? There's no real appreciable improvement in handling over properly operating OE shocks....its trick looking but you better have good anti-sway bars & bushings or your rear end will get a bit wild!
 
I'm using an original sway bar with my rear conversion (along with a Panhard bar) but oversize on front with coilover conversion there.
 
I have a '72 which only came with a front 9/16" sway bar and it had definite understeer and leaned quite badly in corners and through a slolum flopped back and forth really scary. I went to aftermarket sway bars, 7/8" on the front and 3/4" on the rear. It was unbeleivable how that changed the handling. It stayed flat through corners and instead of mushing through a corner it felt balanced (more neutral). They came with a book describing the effects changing the stiffness of either end of the car would do and recommended changing both ends of the car not just one so as not upset this balance.
I use the original shocks and have plenty of stifness as long as I keep them topped off with fluid.
Bob
 
<blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><hr> I have a '72 which only came with a front 9/16" sway bar and it had definite understeer and leaned quite badly in corners and through a slolum flopped back and forth really scary. I went to aftermarket sway bars, 7/8" on the front and 3/4" on the rear. <hr></blockquote>
So, that worked out alright? I have heard differing opinions on putting a rear swaybar on a c/b car, so have never tried it.
 
<blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by chris roop:

So, that worked out alright? I have heard differing opinions on putting a rear swaybar on a c/b car, so have never tried it.<hr></blockquote>
Yes, it worked fantastic. The rear sway bar came with an adjustable link so you could adjust when it started taking affect. But if I had only done the rear, it wouldn't have helped me. It would have made things worse.
Sorry I digressed so much from the original question. I often thought of changing shocks too and probably would have if I had been able to afford the adaptors.
 
<blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><hr>The rear sway bar came with an adjustable link..<hr></blockquote>

What brand sway bar? Where'd you find an adjustable one to fit? How'd you connect it to body? Inquiring minds want to duplicate!
 
I wouldn't go the rear tube conversion route again. I have them on the GT and the Midget. Both rides are rough. I'm switching the Midget back to the levers this off season. As odd as they look, the originals are a good setup.
 
<blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by tony barnhill:


What brand sway bar? Where'd you find an adjustable one to fit? How'd you connect it to body? Inquiring minds want to duplicate!<hr></blockquote>

I ordered mine from JC Whitney when they handled some parts that fit MGs. They weren't advertised in their catalog as being Addcos but that is what came. Check out the link below. Others handle that brand.
I connected to the body with clamps and bushings. Had to drill a couple of holes for the rear but the front bolted in. The only theing I didn't like was how it connected to the rear shackles. The place they chose to connect wasn't strong enough and eventually broke the corner off the shackle. I came up with a better connection with muffler clamps around the spring where the shackle is.


https://www.addco.net/products/mg.shtml

Bob

[ 02-27-2004: Message edited by: mrbassman ]</p>
 
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