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Winter project...shocks

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jaybird

jaybird

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Since the B is resting comfortably in the garage and it's the middle of winter & the hubby can't do much fishing...I have a project for him. Shocks for the B. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

My question is, replace the lever shocks or do a tube conversion? I know the price on the conversion runs more, but I'm more concerned with which is actually 'better?'

And, if I want to keep my B as original as possible, should I just replace the lever shocks, regardless of performance?
 
Hi Jaybird,

I'm very interested in the responses to this question, as a suspension rebuild is in my future! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

I would guess that the tube conversion would give better performance, but I'm sure some other members will know better than I.

I'd imagine it just depends on how hung up you are on keeping things original.

I was amazed at the difference new tires made on my B,..it was like driving a different car,..so I'm guessing that new shocks will make it even better! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Jerry
 
Jerry, I'm snooping around on your restoration site right now.

I agree about the tube shocks, but I really want this car to stay as original as possible, at least cosmetically. Anything underneath isn't as important to me though. I'm not going to drop a v6 or v8 into it, but I don't think shocks will matter much!

But - I will go with whatever the majority think here I suspect. And I suspect I'll get a dozen replies, 6 for one, half dozen for the other. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

New tires are on my list before spring too. Tread is still good, but showing signs of dry rot. A month or so ago, I asked at Dobb's (here in the STL area) Kid said, "We don't carry tires for a German car." I bit my lip, gave him the tire size and politely mentioned it was a British car. He said they didn't carry that size and I'd probably need to order them from England! Hehe.
 
Jaybird, I vote to stay with what you have, if they are the originals, they lasted pretty well. Unless you plan to drive the car hard in autocross or something, new originals will give you a nice ride. Wayne
 
Jaybird-
LOL about the tires (and the attendant)! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

My mechanic had suggested a set of Michelins, I forget the name, but they'd been discontinued.

I ended up going with a Michelin Hydro-edge,..they give a great ride, minimal road noise and were pretty reasonable /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

As far as the shocks go, I'll end up going with what the mechanic suggests, he's building the engine, so I guess I can trust him with the suspension. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif

He's not so happy with the color I've gone with, it's not an MG color,...but it is a Rover color from 1975,...I did not like the choices for blue I had if I'd stayed original, but heck,..I'm building a whole new car, I'll go with what I like! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif
 
I say go with the originals and if you want to run it harder in autocross go with the stuffer valves and some thinker oil. I'm getting my car ready to run Solo 1 and I'm aobut to rebuild my suspension with the lever shocks.
 
Jaybird, The rear end of my 73B was sagging and leaf springs as straight as a board. I decided to replace springs with new GT springs (1 extra leaf). While springs were off realized there was no resistance on lever shocks. 2 more bolts and they were off. Cleaned up, drained and refilled with 50 wt hydraulic fluid. Read on a forum somewhere this would make them grab like tiger paws. Once that was done I thought I'd do the same to the front shocks,(a little more tricky), because front end bounces all over the place when hitting a bump. Not sure if I put enough fluid in front shocks because bounce is the same. After wintering B noticed puddles of fluid under back shocks. It was cheaper to convert to tubes than buy new re-cored shocks. So I did. The only negative is tube shocks will need to be changed after X miles whereas lever shocks are supposed to be good for the life of the car, hmm?
 
I rebuilt the front suspension last winter....this year I am doing the rear...new Springs (how did the GT springs do on your roadster?) and shocks. I bought the front shocks from World Wide Auto Parts of Madison..they are great folks to deal with and provide a lifetime warranty.

I have been planning this since last year, and almost everything I read lead me to use the Lever shocks instead of the tube conversion...you will probably hear the same here.

Now, if I can only get the link off of the shock and the spring bracket, I will be set to go /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif

Good luck!

Bruce /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cheers.gif
 
Stick with the lever shocks. You can have yours rebuilt or exchange for a set already done. Either way you can get a "heavy duty" rebuild. For what it's worth, that's the way I'm going on my MGA.
 
[ QUOTE ]

Now, if I can only get the link off of the shock and the spring bracket, I will be set to go /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif
Bruce /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cheers.gif

[/ QUOTE ]
Hi Bruce,
You can usually get the tapered joint link on the shock end loose with a "pickle fork" tool. The spring bracket end is not a tapered joint & may be rusted in place. If heat doesn't loosen things up, you can always saw the link stud off. In any event, you likely need new links. Good luck,
D
 
Talk to Peter @ World Wide Auto Parts in Madison, WI. They will rebuild or exchange what you have. They do it in house. I was able to watch them rebuild mine for my C. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbsup.gif They will perform as MG designed them to, the tubes will not. You can reach Peter at 608-223-9400 or nosimport@mailbag.com. He's great! They also have TONS of new old stock. Plus he's a owner and a driver.
 
Thanks Dave...I have been coming to that conclusion, but didn't really want to spend another $55 without someone else saying it, I guess. Will try heat and the gear puller to get it off the shock to be used as a core trade in at Worldwide.

Bruce
 
A cheap and useful thing to do before getting into a complex modification is to fully clean-out the stock lever-dampers and fill them with new, clean oil. Most folks just top up the dampers, but over the years, there may be all sorts of goo inside them.
Use the proper damper oil. I have heard of some folks using hydraulic oil or motorcycle oil. Some motorcycle fork oils contain an additive to reduce seal leakage, so this may be a good idea for "saving" shocks that are weeping a bit. Whatever you use, do not use motor oil in the dampers.
If you decide to have them rebuilt, I would be very careful about choosing a vendor. In particular, I would not recommend the folks out on Long Island (NY) that run adverts in Hemmings. Their rebuilds are very "spotty"....some good and some bad. Three local foreign repair shops around me will not use them due to quality problems. (I am not mentioning their name on purpose, since that's considered bad form here at BCF....e-mail me if you like to know who they are).
If I were going to stick with the lever dampers, I'd probably buy new ones.
For the record, I have a Spridget and not a "B" and I have converted to tube-style dampers all around (the car is a racer, but also does a slight bit of street driving). On my Spridget, the front conversion made a huge improvement and the rear was worthwhile but less noticable. Some of this improvement involves less "stuttering" (on bumpy turns) and less "fade" of the dampers after a number of hard laps....this may not be such a big deal with a pure-street car. Some tube-shocks are adjustable, which is a neat feature (but usually pretty expensive).
We also have two other Spridgets in the family and both are fine with the stock lever-dampers for street use. On your "B", I'd say you'd be fine for normal street-driving with good-conditon lever dampers.
New A-arm bushings, decent king-pins, decent tie rod ends, a good steering rack and proper clamps on the rear leaf springs will all contribute to good road handling as well. The poly A-arm bushing are fine for street use in my opinion.
If you are curious to see what is involved in a home-brew, tube-shock conversion (for a Spridget....similar concept to converting an MGB), here's mine:

https://npmccabe.tripod.com/spritetubeshock.htm
 
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