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MG parts spares and accessories are available for MG T Series (TA, MG TB, MG TC, MG TD, MG TF), Magnette, MGA, Twin cam, MGB, MGBGT, MGC, MGC GT, MG Midget, Sprite and other MG models from British car spares company LBCarCo.

MG Midget and Sprite Technical - Front dampers - again!

The recon item I fitted 2-3 years ago is of course leaking. I've been through the archives and can't find anything recent enough, but I just want to know who the best suppliers are these days. Either recon or new. In my experience most recon dampers are just repainted. You are lucky if they have changed the oil.
Les Rose

Bought mine from Peter May. No problems after many many miles. Dave
David Cox

Not used them - but https://www.vandcengineering.co.uk/

There is of course - NOS in the US.

I have used Stevson Motors in Birmingham, but he took my shocks and sort of just cleaned them out and checked a few bits.

I have some spares and keep looking the implications of stripping and rebuilding myself.

Malc Gilliver

Didn't Bernie take his to V&C? Did we hear what happened or did I miss the outcome?
Jeremy MkIII

I thought some one did !
Malc Gilliver

Thanks guys - I got a reply from V and C, but they don't do an exchange service and I would have to send my old one to Wales and wait for it to come back. Stevson doesn't seem to offer the service now. I am going to put a Speedi Sleeve and oil seal in one of the spare dismantled ones and see what happens. Might need help to press the arm back on.
Les Rose

Hi Les,

I found the shocks on my MG TF were leaking due to rust and scoring on the shaft where the seals rub. There was plenty of meat in the casting so I just removed a little metal from the bottom of the hole the seal fitted into and repositioned it a little further down on a clean part of the shaft. I found one of the cutters that is used bore holes for kitchen cabinet hinges was the correct size and removed the aluminium from the casing with ease. I simply used an electric drill and the cutter centered itself in the bore. I bought modern lip seals on ebay and cut circular rings to keep dirt out from some thin plastic.

The shafts are splined and I doubt if new ones have been remanufactured. They are the weak point and I would want to know how any reconditioner would addressed this problem before handing over cash.

Jan T
J Targosz

I have played with a few dampers and have made a number of replacement seals using nitrile rubber sheet both to the original size and with an increased bore to fit over a 'wear' sleeve made from a short length of non-corroding brass or stainless steel tube that can be readily bonded to the shaft.
One of the difficulties can be with the retention of the seal, particularly if the damper has been subject to previous reconditioning as the retaining lip can be 'lost'.
I have also encountered play between the shaft and the rocker arm splines that cannot be readily addressed but have found that by carefully impact working around the splined holes the fit can be tightened. I have found that a couple of 'reconditioned' units had been treated to cold chisel impact of the assembled unit in an attempt to reduce play but to little effect.
Shafts are only soft steel and hence vulnerable.
Also found significnat wear in the bores of the bump cylinder on front dampers as this is the region that is subject to wear if the oil level is allowed to drop where only remedy is to bore and sleeve. The original piston ring type seals are made from iron/steel so cause rapid wear in the event of lack of lubrication and where as an alternative I have tried bearing grade plastic for making replacements but yet to be trialled.
S G KEIL

This spring I bough mgb dampers to go in my midget.
Because of their good reputation I bought them from V&C.
In my experience its a great company to do buisnes with.
Cant say much of the dampers yet as it wont be before winter before putting them in the midget(in combination with Mamba plates)
A de Best

I thought you had Frontline suspension Arie? Or are you ditching it - worn out?
GuyW

I contacted V and C engineering in February and they quoted me £65 + vat plus postage to recon standard front dampers. I haven't taken them up on it yet but would be happy to use them. I'd rather recon an original Armstrong than buy a new "copy".
Bill Bretherton

At this rate, the lack of replacement front shocks could prove existential to Spridgets. 🙄.

Surely SOMEONE, must supply decent ones.

But if there are so few of us left needing them, maybe not. Little demand equals no supply.

Fortunately I still have my mk1 FL kit to put new bushes in, -- when I get around to it.

What else is now in very short supply, and or only has crap new copies available? Rubbers of course, but what else?
anamnesis

I have some MGOC magazines from the
late '80s. Standard price for 'reconditioned' front shocks then was £9.95 but there are complaints that all they do is clean them and give them a coat of paint.
Plus ca change!
GuyW

@anamnesis

I think the answer to that is a group/bulk buy from NOS in the US or finding an agent over here ?
Malc Gilliver

It might be worthwhile asking https://www.ahead4healeys.co.uk if they're moving forward
with being able to offer reconditioned front dampers for spridgets as they offer them for the rear https://www.ahead4healeys.co.uk/SHOCK-ABSORBER---REAR--RH--RECONDITIONED--EXCHANGE--id18123.aspx and big Healey front and rear.
David Billington

Appears there are both *new* and recon front dampers[shocks] listed there already, or am I reading it wrong?
AdrianR

Adrian,

I saw they sell new ones as well and one would hope that was a good option but from various comments on the board it seems they're often not fit for purpose. See comment about half way down this thread from boxofbits https://www.tr-register.co.uk/forums/index.php?/topic/82159-armstrong-lever-arm-dampers-is-there-a-source-for-parts/ .
David Billington

GuyW, UK
I thought you had Frontline suspension Arie? Or are you ditching it - worn out?



Your right Guy, second pair is wearing out.
I was already planning to recondition and improve the Frontline kit untill I was directed to Mamba sport where they sell adapterplates that wil make mgb dampers fit and adjustable to create neg. camber.
The dampers I got from V&C are also adjustable in stifnes.
I am very curious how this will work out on the car.
A de Best

Well Arie, if you have worn out 2 frontline kits in 20 years then I think you will get better value with lever dampers. Especially the twin arm mgb ones. At least you can change the oil in them!
GuyW

@David Billington

I bought 'new' lever arm dampers from AHSpares about 8 years agom they were truly awful, when I took them back and showed the guy at the counter he just refunded me.

@A de Best Holland

I'm going the MGB/Mamba route - after chatting to Malcolm Le Chevalier I bought some MGB dampers off ebay and had a play by taking them all apart - all to find different springs in all of them !
But then it got cold and I needed to repair the garage floor and then bust the oil pressure gauge line !
Malc Gilliver

Who sells NOS front shocks in the US Malc?

anamnesis

Maybe I am wrong but I argue that the main issue with leaver arm shockabsorbers is seal failure and loss of fluid, and perhaps valve spring pressure. There is a crude secondary seal outside the main one and this is supposed to keep dirt and water out but it is not very effective. I have stripped a number of units and every one had scores or rust on the sealing surface. If your shocks don't work and they have no oil try filling them. If they are now OK you probably only need to sort the seals. You can either drop the seal in its housing or slide a small piece of speedy sleeve over the main shaft. The problem with the latter could be cutting down the sleeve since you will only need a narrow strip. A cutting disc in a Dremel? I partly base my arguement on the number of cowboy reconditioners out there who wire brush, paint and refill. The shocks will work fine until the oil leaks out again because they have replaced the seals but not attended to the shaft.

Jan T
J Targosz

Not only those problems Jan. Lateral play too. And without the tools, taking them apart fulky, is nigh impossible.

NOS Malc. Who in the US sells them? How much?
anamnesis

When I had LA dampers on my Sprite I don't recall any leak issues rather free play due to wear which I could feel when driving as a small range of undamped motion, a sort of floating sensation. The cheap recon dampers didn't address the issue so replacing the worn ones with recon that were no better didn't help. I fitted telescopics to the rear and that highlighted the problem at the front even more so led me to designing a front telescopic installation.

I've nothing against LA dampers as in good condition they're excellent, the front pair on my Austin A40 Farina were mint and worked well, of course it had telescopics at the rear as standard.

NOSimports https://www.nosimport.com/



David Billington

Do you mean these Malc?

Not nos, but rebuilt/remanufactured, said to be better than new.

Only the web address says 'nos'.

http://www.nosimport.com/Lever-shocks-remanufactured/mg-midget-lever-shocks


anamnesis

Yes that NOS the one that doesn't call themselves NOS but have it in there web address !! lol

Trouble is there is another $40 on each damper for the surcharge plus shipping, plus I guess VAT.

So 139+40 = $179 x2 = £278 plus VAT gets you to £332 plus shipping
Malc Gilliver

MGOC want £44 per side for reconditioned ones, and your old shocks, and a surcharge of £45 per side. I guess no guarantee you get your own ones back...

No mention of what they do ...
Tim Carter

I have resolved my own question via the alternative route I suggested. I have a pair of dampers from which Dave Billington remove the arms for me. I now realise this isn't the best way to do the job, but what's done is done. Dave machined a blank for a sleeve nut, to be used to force the arm back on. I had this drilled and tapped by another engineer friend. I had already put punch marks on the shaft and arm to make sure they went back in the right position.

The Speedi Sleeve I put on the shaft was about 2mm too long, but that was easily rectified with a junior hacksaw and a needle file. I had already bought a lip seal of the right size, although the fit in the casing was a bit loose, so it was sealed in with silicone. I had retained the thin steel retainer ring and was able to pop that back in.

The damper went in the freezer for several hours, and I heated the arm up with the propane torch. Even so the sleeve nut couldn't push the arm fully home, and I resorted to a lump hammer and a socket of the right size.

The damper is on the car now, and after about 50 miles is not leaking. It's full of SAE30 bike fork oil, and the handling feels very good.

Of course, there are lots more sources of wear in a lever arm damper, and it's still an open question as to what reconditioning really means to most suppliers.
Les Rose

I should add that when I resorted to the lump hammer I had already removed the welch plug from the other end of the casing. Hence I could support the shaft directly so the impacts were not transmitted to the thrust washers and casing. A new welch plug and job done.
Les Rose

Sorry for being late to the party, but my MGB shocks from V&C are excellent. Not only did they reduce the resistance for the lighter Sprite, they also altered the “droop” on the shocks to allow them to fully contact the bump stops because on the B they are mounted flat, but on the Spridget they are angled upwards.
V&C are very friendly and when I suggested that our other members would like to see how they operate, they said they could give us a guided tour if we can get numbers together and give them sufficient notice.
b higginson

That's good news Bernie, glad to hear your MGB dampers are working well and thanks for the update.
All 4 of mine need refurbishing so it's handy to have first hand experience of V&C.
If you're looking for people to visit V&G, count me in 😊
Jeremy MkIII

This thread was discussed between 07/07/2024 and 03/08/2024

MG Midget and Sprite Technical index

This thread is from the archive. The Live MG Midget and Sprite Technical BBS is active now.