rear shock absorbers

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stu60
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rear shock absorbers

Post by stu60 »

hi,
my covid driven tinkering has revealed a small leak in rear o/s armstrong lever shock absorber.

1. I assume they are standard MGB units?

2. I have seen refurbished units and "30% upgraded"; i assume the latter is not a good idea as the Hawk is a much lighter car?

3. I did see some in USA which had modified sealing & bearings which looks like a good idea. the puchase price is fine but the shipping is $2-300 and i guess import taxes on top. see this link http://www.nosimport.com/Lever-shocks-r ... ct_id=1286

Any recommendations or reputable suppliers greatly apprciated.

thanks Stuart
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simonjrwinter
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Re: rear shock absorbers

Post by simonjrwinter »

I have 30% updated lever arm shocks on the back of my TR6. The difference is amazing, we’ll worth the upgrade.
Simon
TR6 (V8) Hawk 289 FIA (V8) Doing my bit for global warming.
stu60
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Re: rear shock absorbers

Post by stu60 »

Having done some research i am told Stevsons of Birmingham (see below) is good supplier in uk to use. has anyone used them? Only probem is they don't have any to exchange so i will have to strip them off car and wait a week or so for refurb. Probabable best to replace drop links at same time I presume they are standard MGB units which i can get from Rimmer Bros?
Thanks Stuart


Stevson Motors,
Unit 1, 2a Harrow Road,
Birmingham,
West Midlands,
United Kingdom.
B29 7DN

Tel +44 (0) 121 472 1702
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simonjrwinter
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Re: rear shock absorbers

Post by simonjrwinter »

That’s who I used 👍
TR6 (V8) Hawk 289 FIA (V8) Doing my bit for global warming.
stu60
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Re: rear shock absorbers

Post by stu60 »

thanks Simon
JakeAustin
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Re: rear shock absorbers

Post by JakeAustin »

Has anyone replaced the REAR lever arm shocks with any of the telescopic offerings for MGB's?

such as the spax kit? see link: https://www.moss-europe.co.uk/rear-tele ... -kits.html

And if so, is it a simple bolt on job or are chassis modifications required?

Thanks
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StewbieC
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Re: rear shock absorbers

Post by StewbieC »

The Hawk / Gaz dampers just bolt on as the chassis is bracketed for both options.
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Stu
Hawk 289, 66 Mustang Fastback with a 289 maximum smiles per mile..
JakeAustin
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Re: rear shock absorbers

Post by JakeAustin »

Thanks Stu,

Have you had any experience with them?

Thanks
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StewbieC
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Re: rear shock absorbers

Post by StewbieC »

Hi Jake,
Loads better than the lever arm dampers.
Hope all is well, might see you about soon if this Covid malarkey starts to bate.
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Stu
Hawk 289, 66 Mustang Fastback with a 289 maximum smiles per mile..
stu60
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Re: rear shock absorbers

Post by stu60 »

Hi Stu
i was about to get my lever arms rebuilt as the consensus seems to be the Gaz (etc) struts are too firm and adversely affect handling BUT i think you disagree with this?

Do you have any pictures of your installation? the Gaz MGB conversion kits seem to replace lever strut with a new bracket with welded nut to attach the upper strut to; is this the same on the Hawk Chassis which seems to have the current lever arm attached with one nut and bolt and one bolt into a thread in the chassis.

i like the idea of struts as they are less prone to leaking but many of the MGB forums have people changing back from struts to Levers due to the ride/handling being too compromised by overly hard dampers. if they think this on the heavier MGB I was thinking it would be even worse on lighter Hawk? Also i assume the combination of levers and drop links provides a bit more lateral movement in whole set-up (is this a good or bad thing?)

What's the consensus vote from the engineers on the forum?

OPTION A - get the armstrong levers rebuilt, new drop links etc

OPTION B - replace levers and drop links with Gaz adjustable struts?

please don't suggest OPTION C (IRS)... i've spent enough this year!

thanks Stuart
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