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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 suspension alternative.

Has anyone got any experience of this?
Ebay item 301503723696.

It's a bit Frontline-ish but the top bit is different in as much as it keeps the lever arm (disabled) as the top link.
Even if no one has experience of it, what do you think of it?

My front shocks are ready for changing and I'm just looking at alternatives to the levers. There are some crap "recon" ones around and the Peter Caldwell ones become very expensive when you factor in all the various costs.

Bernie.
Bernie Higginson

The lever shocks have to be in good condition with no play

I think someone mentioned that with out oil the shock wears out, and your back to sq. 1
But im not sure how true that is

Have you checked with jlh, he.is supposed to be providing a whole new system in the very near future that sounds like the cats meow

Prop
Prop and the Blackhole Midget

JLH started out with minors, and what he sells is top notch and well engineered... but at a price to match
Matt 67&68 mk4 sprite

Matt

Has he matched up a price yet, I was just curious how that project was progressing, or if we are even aloud to buy his products

I know he got pretty pissed off at the BBS several months back and said he wouldnt be back, I guess he meant it

It would have been nice to have seen his new kit

Prop
Prop and the Blackhole Midget

This kit is a development of the early Spridgebits front damper conversion which itself was a copy or something that originated in Australia. The key difference between this kit and the Spridgbits kit is that it uses a near copy of the Frontline bottom wishbone bracket which spreads the load across both sides of the wishbone unlike the original Spridgbits kit.

I do have the original brackets for the Spridgbits kit but not sure if I still have the dampers or anything else.
Daniel Stapleton

No idea prop.

He had a major falling out with the Morris Minor Owners Club a few years ago (mainly because they don't allow business advertising on the forum) and a few weeks later I became a moderator on it... Haven't heard much from him since, but would happily buy and fit/use his products! (E.g. I've fitted his chassis strengthening kit to the zetec minor im making)
Matt 67&68 mk4 sprite

To disable the lever shock you remove the valves.I suppose you could leave oil in to lubricate the arm pivot.

I spoke at length to JLH at the NEC show. He had his new front suspension unit on display there. It is an absolutely fantastic coil over set up, but the price is an eye watering £1500. Well out of my league I'm afraid.

Prop. I agree that the levers need to be in good condition to ensure positive location of the top of the king pin, but that's the case even in standard form.

Daniel. Do you think this kit is any good?
Bernie Higginson

" I agree that the levers need to be in good condition to ensure positive location of the top of the king pin, but that's the case even in standard form."

And if they are in good condition, for road use I think lever arms work very well. So why would you disable a perfectly good lever arm just to fit half a a telescopic kit?

I certainly wouldn't disable a good set to fit this kit.

I wouldn't have bothered with the FL conversion if the replacement lever arms were all good, or you could get genuine good new ones of good quality at a decent price.

At the moment I've gone back to lever arms. I've got an old pair of originals on that I picked up on ebay for a song. No lateral movement yet, but when you get a flat spot in the damping, it's usually accompanied with lateral movement, which would make them no good for this kit.

The reason I'm on lever arms again is because of pin/bush wear in the top arm of the FL kit. When I fix that this summer, I'll go back to the FL kit, unless I can get another good old pair of lever arms.
Lawrence Slater

I agree about the JLH front suspension. A fantastic piece of engineering but very expensive. I have a JLH brake and front hub set up and am impressed but I can't justify the cost of the suspension (sorry Jonathan if you are reading this!).
Chris Hasluck

Spridgbits - were they based in Birmingham? And eventually became part of the Moss empire, a bit like M&G International?
In the dark and distant past I seem to remember buying a couple of bits from them.
Jeremy Tickle

Bernie,
I'm no expert by a very, very, very long way but keeping the LA dampers on doesn't sound a good idea to me as the arms and joints can wear and even break

I might (as often) be wrong but I think I've seen that new LAs are for sale(?)


Matt,
if you already know this (I think you might) then ignore me - JHL did/does(?) post on the BBS occasionally
Nigel Atkins

Nigel did you not read Bernie's post #1? The new ones are made by Peter Caldwell, but you knew that.
David Smith

David,
as you know I have a bad memory, I thought Peter Caldwell was the chap with the company in the USA that does the more expensive but better recon LA dampers

and in Bernie's OP the sentence is >>There are some crap "recon" ones around and the Peter Caldwell ones become very expensive when you factor in all the various costs.<< which could suggest to those that don't know or can't remember that the Peter Caldwell are also recon

as usual if I'm wrong I don't mind admitting it and saying sorry - unlike some, hey ;)
Nigel Atkins

Moss sell a new LA for £99.95
Dave O'Neill 2

thanks Dave, for good reasons my mind seems to block out Moss

and it looks like possibly another admittedly rare event has happened, I might be right and David Smith might be wrong - on Peter Caldweld's website it says they're "remanufactured", "rebuilt" - does that sound like they're new(?)

I don't mind who is right and who is wrong as long as the correct info is given - and many times David has corrected my mistakes, hopefully with an attitude of humour :)
Nigel Atkins

New ones are apparently available but various people have mentioned here on the board having issues such as the mounting holes being too small and inconsistent damping rates so sounds like new may not be as good as you would expect them to be.
David Billington

I'm not very happy with the single-shear mounting of the damper for a road car without knowing the origination of the materials and the kit doesn't seem to improve the main problem of the original set-up which is not the damping capacity of the lever-arm but the lever-arm's dual role as a single upper control arm. If I were going to modify my front suspension (I've just rebuilt with exchange dampers and turned the bushes to size for a better fit) I'd add an upper link to triangulate the existing arm of the damper.
Nick Nakorn

The 'new' lever arm dampers are made here :- http://scp-uk.com/index.html

I understand the factory is "well connected" with Moss, so you buy new LA dampers and they come from Moss.

I bought four 'NEW' LA dampers from AH Spares last year - they were garbage.

When priming for first use two of the four locked up at full travel and wouldn't move, one had damage on the side of the body.

I have just ordered four MGB LA dampers off Stevson Motors - he will buy, strip and rebuild the damper and supply to me with the bits needed to modify the damper rates as I'm fitting them to a kit car, so it will cost me more than new LA dampers, but hopefully be better, we'll see !!


Spridgebits, were on Church Hill Lane - Paul at PBW has got their old place, they sold out to Ron Hopkinson in Derby, who was bought up by Moss and shut down.

Since then, Moss stopped registering the name Spridgebits and Paul has since obtained it https://www.companiesintheuk.co.uk/ltd/spridgebits

Malc
Malc Gilliver

getting good quality LA shock absorbers is easy, You just need to know the right Source: I have never heard a bad comment about these guys.

http://www.nosimport.com
dominic clancy

Lawrence says that disabling a good lever is pointless. I agree, but mine aren't good, hence this thread. The front left is notchy and creaks like a haunted house door. I don't know if it's the valve causing the problem or the shaft. I'll find out tomorrow. There's no lateral movement on the arm, so if it's the valve, I could just remove both sides and use this kit.
Also, Lawrence's reason for using the Frontline kit is exactly why I'm looking at this kit and other alternatives.I just don't know who to trust when it comes to recons.I think some just clean the outside, refill with new oil and paint them. Voila! "Fully reconditioned sir".
The main advantage with the kit is that you can easily change to adjustables if you wish. But, as Nigel says lever arms can wear and break and if the disabled lever seized or even partially seized the tube shock would be affected.
I'm starting to go off the idea! Booo :-(

Bernie.
Bernie Higginson

Heads up

Nosimports = peter cardwell

Does peter cardwell rebuild levers???

yes and NO !

Its truebhe starts out with an old LA, but then he goes a differant direction, he guts them then machines them, then uses his own parts that compensates for all the old flaws, he has a standard and a high performance adjustable LA that looks like something from the Borg on star trek next generation...very cool

Bernie,

What about one of those peter may LA stablizer bars that helps keep the arm more rigid...im not sure what its called...but keeps the arm more centalized ... that could be used with or with out the kit

Matt... thanks for the heads up on JHL front suspension im assuming the 1500 is in british pounds or is it in euros

I dont think JLH is to far off, Considering




the FL kit was around $1200 plus I still needed to get barry king primium wishbones, red poly bushings, and an adco front roll over bar, plus a rose hymn jointed secondary cross bar credit to rob armstrong for that
mod

And id say thats not that far off from JHLs kit

Any chance someone can post a kit of JHLs kit, last attempt he wasnt wanting to post a photo here

Prop
Prop and the Blackhole Midget

Dominic. You linked to Peter C. http://tinyurl.com/lh3lx4k

Bernie. I didn't say it's pointless, I said " --when you get a flat spot in the damping, it's usually accompanied with lateral movement, which would make them no good for this kit."

Get someone to hold your brakes on, grab the road wheel, and see if you can rock the lever arm sideways. If you're sure you have no lateral movement, ok. But how long before you do? Then you'll be looking for another la with no damping and good lat's. You might end up with a pair with good damping and good lat's. And then you'll have to disable the damping just to use the tele's.

How much would it cost to copy the FL top arm and brackets I wonder?



Lawrence Slater

"""""I just don't know who to trust when it comes to recons.I think some just clean the outside, refill with new oil and paint them. Voila! "Fully reconditioned sir". """"

Bernie....

That would be our very own usa company called apple hydraulics *¿~

Prop
Prop and the Blackhole Midget

IIRC when disabling the lever arm dampers you unscrew the cover/guide nut, remove the valve assembly and springs, then put the cover/guide nut back in so that without the valve oil can freely flow backwards and forwards between the 2 chambers leaving the oil in place to lubricate the assembly.
David Billington

"""How much would it cost to copy the FL top arm and brackets I wonder?"""

Depends... for me, it would be very expensive as id need to reverse engineer, then sub it out to a professional fabericator, then head scratching.time.and.extra materials to fix all the design flaws I over looked ... so about 4 weeks and several hundered dollars


For Rob Armstrong... about $20 and 1/2 hour

Prop
Prop and the Blackhole Midget

Sorry Lawrence. Crossed wires. I was referring to where you said "So why would you disable a perfectly good lever arm to fit half a telescopic kit?" But mine are not good.
I have sometimes wondered about copying the top bit of the Frontline kit, but first you'd have to have one to copy.
I have a very competent enginneer friend who could do it. Just need to get hold of one that's off the car.

Bernie Higginson

The kit may be good if used with a good lever arm damper.

A good lever arm damper with a Peter May top link kit would be better than this kit and would weigh a lot less.

This kit or a Peter May top link would still benefit from negative camber trunnions, also from Peter May.

So, you can see why the Frontline kit is so successful: better top link, good weight and more negative camber than standard but may still need additional negative camber.

Daniel Stapleton

"you can see why the Frontline kit is so successful"

But how long does it last? My Mki kit, with the oilite type bushes, needs new bushes and new pins. FL don't supply them, and went to MKii kits with IGUS plastic type bushings. How long do they last? I recall someone on here had problems quite soon with the MKii kit.

I'm going to get new -- longer -- oilite bushes myself from bearing boys or similar and have the top bracket modified to take them, and have new pins made. Actually oilite was a waste of time, since you inject grease to lube the pin, which seals the oilite.

Lawrence Slater

Bernie. Maybe you could ask David B for the specs/dimensions. He designed the basis for the FL kit in the first place I recall from earlier threads.
Lawrence Slater

Lawrence,

I fitted a grease nipple to mine for lubrication but always injected oil into them as I was aware not to grease oilites, I also found it easier to lube them when I had them apart for inspection by inserting the pin part way then filling the annular space with oil and then fully inserting the pin. If you can get some try using case hardened precision ground shaft for the pin.

Many machines tools are fitted with grease nipples but can be screwed up if grease is incorrectly injected instead of oil.
David Billington

There are no seals on my FL kit David. So if I squirted in it would just come straight out again. I didn't know there were oilites in their either as the units came fully assembled. I remembered previously you saying that I could try and fit some o-rings to the ends, and that's what I'm going to try and do.

But does it really matter if there is grease in there? It defeats the point of oilites, but won't it still lube the pin and bush?

I'm also going to see if I can use Igus top hat bushes instead. But that's for the summer. Not urgent as my LA's are still ok.
Lawrence Slater

From memory, the new Frontline top links are lasting longer than the original oilite bush types. I say from memory as I don't have accurate mileage/age to hand to check that for a fact.
Daniel Stapleton

For information, our front coil over kit will be on sale in feb this year.
Just finalising prices at the moment. The price I offered folk at the NEC was the worst price based upon one off costings so the final price should be below this £1500 guesstimate.
Our kit differs in many ways to established kits from the likes of FL.
We manufacture upper and lower A arms which allow for a 7mm decrease in track or 15mm increase in track. This is useful if chassis legs are mis aligned and maybe offer a neg camber rom the outset. Both top and bottom arms are adjustable and we have offered a generous 8mm range of fore and aft movement to adjust / correct caster angles.
All adjusters are fitted with stainless sleeves and poly bushes, although rose jointed versions will be released later in the year.
Each kit features Aircraft grade alloy uprights with bolt in stub axles , the latter will have either a 1mm radius or the more usual 2mm radius for std bearings. The uprights use a modified standard steering arm, and the height of the upright is extended 65 mm to correct the poor geometry of the original set up. Ie on compression of the std set up, the wheel will gain positive camber before adding negative, our units allow only neg camber under compression.
Both A arms are manufactured from CDS11 tube , with generous ball joints from the Mini , so any future spares will be both cheap and plentiful to find.
There is some cutting and welding required to fit the kit, but those who prefer not to perform this themselves ,can take advantage of our in house fitting service.



J L HEAP

I took the plunge yesterday and went to Moss to buy two new front shocks.
They had four in stock, two of each left and right.
One was leaking oil from the welch plug and another had a markedly different (weaker) damping resistance to the others. I bought the other two.
When I tried to fit them I found that one had a burr on the bottom surface near an edge, where it had been dropped, which would not allow the shock to fit flush on the mounting point. I managed to fettle it with a file, but then discovered one of the bolt holes was so badly reamed that it would not take a bolt. I set about it with a round file until I thought WhyTF am I doing this? On examination I found that all the bolt holes, although they would take bolts were very poorly reamed.
I took them back and got a full refund. At the same time I looked at the recon ones they had. What a joke. Two were brought out, one of which was completely solid.
I went home and made a decent one out of two that I had kicking around the garage as a temporary fix. It seems OK.
I emailed Moss's customer service dept and complained that one good new shocker out of four is unacceptable and they should do something about their quality control.
I await their reply (if any), and will report here either way.

Bernie.
Bernie Higginson

Complaints re shocks are common place.
One Kent member had shaft come out whilst another had two with varying resistances- all new from Moss.
I inspected five - a mixture of new and recon at an MG Shop supplied by Moss. None of the five were acceptable.
I went to Caldwell for shocks. Time will tell.
Alan
Www.masckent.org
Alan Anstead

J. L. Heap, it looks great.
Nick Nakorn

I noted that Malc Gilliver posted a link earlier to a company that apparently make the new LA dampers, does anyone else make them as a 2nd source? I find it difficult to understand why anyone would bother to produce such an item if it has such poor QC and seemingly high reject rate.

Having said that I seem to recall BMH turning out poor quality shells early on and upped their game when they were threatened with legal action for the product not being fit for purpose. I seem to recall BMH's excuse was they were trying to keep the cost down but then if the customer wanted a good end product, and couldn't do the remedial themselves, they would have to pay a body shop £1000s extra to get good fit and finish to factory standard.
David Billington

Thank you Nick.


J L HEAP

Are SCP the suppliers to Moss then? - http://scp-uk.com/index.html

Mabye it's worth a number of us bombarding them with complaints and see what they say about it.
Lawrence Slater

Bernie I must have been lucky, the two I bought 2 years ago actually worked albeit with a dead spot i.e. no damping for 10mm at any position. I was forced to use them to get the car going. Changing to a frontline style of set up as soon as I can build some, with rose joints not bushes. cheers all
R W Bowers

Lawrence. You could well be right about SCP being Moss's suppliers. I seem to remember some time in the nineties that Moss or someone to do with Moss, had aquired Armstrong.
I'm going to wait to see what sort of reply I get from Moss's CS dept and if I'm not happy I'll find out who the CEO is and write to him/her.
We all moan about Moss et al, but we Brits just don't complain enough.
Thanks for the link.

Bernie.
Bernie Higginson

Bernie,
if you have the same response as I got when talking to a Manager at Moss then he'll basically tell you it's your fault - I'm surprised they let you return the damper after you filed it but to my mind this shows they know and accept what poor quality finish they are on at least this occassion
Nigel Atkins

JL,
sorry to be negative but is that oblong upright the finished item as it looks ugly to me

others please note I put "looks" and "to me"
Nigel Atkins

Nigel.
I only corrected some damage on the bottom of the shock and I gave up trying to sort the bolt hole when I realised that I shouldn't have to be doing it. There was no evidence of my filing.

JLH's upright has to be that size and shape for strength and to accommodate the top and bottom ball joints and steering arm. And anyway, you don't see it when in use. I think it looks very business like and well engineered and finished.

Bernie.
Bernie Higginson

Bernie,
I'm not saying you were wrong to take it back or them wrong for accepting it back just that on occasion if they know it has been touched at all they *might* (or might not) use that as an excuse to be awkward about accepting the return

I understand the strength size issue with JL's upright but it seems too blocky to me, if the holes were more ovaled and edges of the block more rounded it would look better for sales and marketing purposes perhaps as people do value the aesthetics of even engineering components and will even pay more for them or help to accept the value of the price asked
Nigel Atkins

Nigel, I have to differ in the opinion of the uprights, often function defines form. These uprights were originally std size (as previously shown) and were extended to improve geometry. Yes,they could be more rounded, but there has to be an end to development and as I was happy with the design, this is how they will be presented.
I don't think prospective customers will feel short changed either with the aesthetics or engineering. Maybe in the future this aesthetic could be re visited if there is a need.
I feel that even at the maximum suggested price, this kit is excellent value for money, given its development costs, and time in R and D. As I say the engineering is first class , using top grade materials and welding. Comparison to kits which are in no way as adjustable or capable will show this kit to be the bargain it is , for those wishing to upgrade and exploit the handling of their midget, A30 / 35/ 40 and some Westfields.
J L HEAP

Rare it has been that I agree with JL. But I do agree. Function is more important than form in many instances. I like the simplicity of that upright. Certainly a lot easier to access and keep clean.

Why isn't there a disc dust/muck cover? I've often wondered if the original is really needed. Especially when I get a stone caught in it, and it sqeals like a stuck pig.
Lawrence Slater

Ha ! I never fit dust guards on my disc kits for exactly that reason Lawrence.
J L HEAP

Finally a solution to the Spridget version of the West Lothian Question aka Front Wheel Bearings, albeit at a price, but does it also cure the Engine Breather Sucking Oil saga?
Jeremy Tickle

4 out of 5 on line doctors like it, the 5th is a dentist

Prop
Prop and the Blackhole Midget

Nigel

I had reason to escalate a complaint over a 1000 GBP order to the MD of Moss Europe a few years ago. He wasn't at all hard to reach, was very happy to talk to a customer, and sorted the issue inside an hour the way it should have been done in the first place. He was an absolute pleasure to deal with, not looking to blame anyone, and just looking for the right solution that was fair to all. If you have a good reason to complain, and explain the issue politely, I am sure you will have the same experience I did.
dominic clancy

Makes you wonder about the reason for the disc cover in the 1st place then JL. Mine are rusty now, I might dump them. Although I supppose they do keep the pad dust off the k/pin bushes to some extent.

Jeremy. Wrong solution. There's another solution to that problem.

But JL's setup does solve all the other problems with the f/suspension. No more crap w/bone fulcrum pins/bushes, no more deshimming/greasing the kingpins, no more lateral play in the lever arms. I like it, if not the price of it.

Speaking of fwbs JL, Can it utilise angular contacts, or is it only designed to take tapers?

Edit. Just read the answer in your previous description. You've covered all bases there then. :).
Lawrence Slater

JL.
Would you post a link to a fuller desrciption with more pictures? And is there a detailed cutting/welding/fitting description?
Lawrence Slater

JL,
I'm sure you're right for early adopters, racing types and many/most customers and it's only my opinion but to get more and later customers a more aesthetics appearance might (or might not) help to get a few more buyers subject to development and sales costs

I know there has to be an end to development and certainly didn't suggest the kits weren't good value


Dominic,
I dealt with a Moss shop worker, Technician and one of the Managers, I can assure you despite all that happened I was polite to all and had very good reason to complain

for decades I dealt with the general public which included ordering parts and appliances among other things so I know how it is from both sides of the counter and it's possibly why I'm (too) easy going with suppliers and polite

before ordering the part I exchanged many emails to check I was to order and get the right part as their website was very ambiguous to the correct part description and part number plus I'd been caught out with the similar part from a different supplier so was very careful to check this time

I later found out that they'd made the same error with their part description and number to customers a couple of years earlier

all three Moss employees suggested it was the fault of my car or my fault for ordering the wrong part when clearly it was neither

in the end the parts were return and I got my money back for them and postage both ways but not the considerable extra the mistake cost me but I very successfully got and fitted similar parts from a much better supplier with much better customer service
Nigel Atkins

As a hobby machinist ... I know that making it look "purdy" requires much more machining time and that would just add to the cost. I say focus on quality, function, and price.
I do not know what finishes Jonathon is planning for the kit, but I'd rather buy it without paint or powder coat to inspect welds and possibly save money and time (since I would probably want to repaint it anyway).
Trevor Jessie

Bernie, I think you will find that the problem bolt hole in the new L/As is not caused by bad reaming but probably a worn out mould as they are not machined. If they were like mine which I purchased a couple of years back the problem hole was the single inner one and they were tapered I.e. the hole was large enough both ends but too small in the middle. Soon sorted by running a drill through, although I admit you shouldn't have to, but it was the quickest way out at the time. Thinking about it there is very little I have bought new for the Midget lately that hasn't wanted a degree of fettling or returned for replacement. As I have said before it seems that of the big suppliers and manufacturers nobody bothers with quality control any more. I suppose we shouldn't be surprised when you look at the quality of "so called" training these days compared to what we had in our day.

Trev
Trevor Mason

Trevor J,
I understand what you've put and agree, I was only thinking of a later wider potential customer appeal and admit the work/cost and size of potential/actual customers may not be worth the extra work but it is a proven way to extend sales even on engineering kits
Nigel Atkins

I reckon, if you care enough to put the full JLH kit on the front of your Spridget, then aesthetics most definitely takes a back seat to engineering and quality. Something that is designed to work properly rarely needs additional prettyfying.

For those that just want to fix the FWB issue then the hubs also come separately. I've just fitted (and got bedded in) a set of 260mm vented brakes with alloy hubs and calipers on mine. Top class engineering and work really, really, really well. (and not even on commission! But I don't buy stuff that often (as you might have gathered) and I'm well pleased I bought these)

Oh, and I've still got my dust shields, or at least part of them, as they make a decent lock stop bracket so that my tyres don't catch on my DIY telescopic top link.
Rob Armstrong

I removed the dust guards years ago, the only problem I find is I now always end up getting grease on the discs when greasing the suspension!
john payne

David, Lawrence,

I got that company name from a person who expected to remain anon - so I can't repeat that bit.

It is my understanding that SCP have all the original tooling, from Armstrong and are the only people capable of making things like the damper body.

I have also been told that the refurb costs for the tooling was so high as to be "not viable", so it never happened and that is why the quality is in a downward spiral.


Malc
Malc Gilliver

I also bought new shocks from Moss some years ago (5+?) when I did my Heritage reshell - they were in my opinion poor for new items, with some arm alignment issues - some closer to the shock body and the already mentioned mounting hole issue.

I selected the ones I purchased from the available stock.

Even if the moulds are worn it isn't difficult for the manufacturer to run a jig drill through them to finish to original tolerances etc.

richard boobier

Lawrence, I have no written instructions as yet, but the kit is designed to be very simple to fit.

The original suspension system needs to be removed and the rack and roll bar moved to clear the new A arms.

First leap of faith is to remove the domed extension panel which the top bump stop is mounted too. A 1mm cutting disc on a grinder will allow this to be removed cleanly, and if performed carefully this panel could be welded back on, if the owner wished to restore the car to original spec.

Second procedure is to remove the inner brackets which hold in the original lower arms. I had originally intended to use these to simplify the kit, but many of the cars we inspected, had very worn and elongated pin holes' unsuitable for our kit. So it was decided to beef up the chassis leg with the new lower A arm mounting.

This and a cover plate to tidy up the removal of the bump stop area is the only welding required. The brake pipe wing fitting needs repositioning and
and a small amount of trimming is carried out on the inner wing to clear the upper arm.

Once purchased , the kit will arrive fully assembled and set to a 1 degree negative camber angle but neutral A arm positioning, which will replicate the original geometry. Presenting the kit whole should allow customers to visualise how it fits. Once the welding is performed the top plate simply bolts onto the lever arm plinth using the original bolt holes as datum points, the lower arm can then be positioned onto the new lower arm bracket and bolted up.

Our factory setting will give a reasonable base on which you can then set up as you wish. There is 4mm worth of front to rear adjustment on both top and bottom arms to allow a huge range of castor angle should you need it. Each A arm adjuster can be altered to give simple camber change and /or align discrepancies in leg alignment.

The Kit will come with an option of a 1mm or 2mm radius on the stub axle , so both standard and our taper roller kits can be fitted. The uprights will accommodate any commercially available disc kits and upgrades.
All parts of the kit will come with an E Coat finish as per our hubs and bracketry. This is industry standard and can be over painted easily should you desire to do so.

This kit is intended to vastly improve the front end geometry of the Midget, and allow a huge range of easy adjustment for those wanting fast road or race set ups. It eliminates the tedious bushes,reaming and limitations of the original set up. Consumable parts i.e. bushes, ball joints etc are available at minimal cost and are easily obtainable. Spring rates can be altered cheaply and upgrades to the coil over damper are available. All dampers are rebuildable.

The construction may be seen as 'over' engineered, by some, but this is how I like to work, as most of our performance products ,be they MG or Minor based are used on increasingly powerful versions of the original cars with unto 311bhp as with my track day Minor.

I will try to post more photos, but I'm having difficulty re sizing images, due to a new Mac and unfamiliar programs. Bare with me they should be along shortly.

J L HEAP

Hope this works


J L HEAP

This early prototype photo shows the removed bump stop mount and an early lower chassis mount


J L HEAP

Lawrence,

wrong solution for the wheel bearing problem?
"...with bolt in stub axles , the latter will have either a 1mm radius or the more usual 2mm radius for std bearings."
Surely having a choice of fittment for two different bearing types does solve the bearing issue or have I missed something again?

Jeremy
Jeremy Tickle

Thanks JL. I'll digest that. It looks really good, I'm almost tempted.

Jeremy. "Finally a solution to the Spridget version of the West Lothian Question aka Front Wheel Bearings, albeit at a price, -- "

FWBs are no longer a problem. Chris Buckenham is going to be (is?) supplying modern face adjusted angular contacts with a 2mm inner radius, at a FAR cheaper cost than this kit will be. Not a very cost effective solution for fwbs.

But as I said before somewhere, if you were replacing the lot anyway, and you couldn't get the original spec fwbs, then it would make sense to go with tapers, since you wouldn't have a choice.

I like this kit mostly because it solves at a stroke, ALL the problems associated with the Spridget front suspension. AND, I'm pleased to see you still get a choice of taper, or maintenance free angular contact fwbs.

Even if you could get good cheap new original parts for the Spridget front suspension, this is much better than the original design, if only for being what appears to be maintenance free.

It's a pity BMC didn't do this to begin with.

How long would the top and bottom joints be expextec to last -- on a road car? Similar to on a Mini? How long is that?
Lawrence Slater

Trevor M. Yes the problem hole was indeed the single one and it did appear to get smaller the further in I tried to get the bolt. If the are, as you mention moulded, it wouldn't take much, as Richard says, to drill them out before they leave the factory. It's as if quality control doesn't matter. But at nearly £100 a throw, I did expect to at least be able to bolt them straight on and for them to work properly and to last for a while.

I agree about modern "training". It seems to stem from people who have themselves been badly trained, training other people, who will go on to train more people, and all the time the quality of training is getting worse until you end up with Monkeys, or is that an insult to Monkeys?

BTW. Still not heard from Moss's CC dept.

Bernie.
Bernie Higginson

Bernie, I agree that at the price, or in fact at any price, you do expect the holes to accept the bolts that need to go through them and as Richard says a cheap and quick fix would be for them to run a drill through them, but I find it hard to believe that the cost of a new pattern or fixing the original is cost prohibitive especially if you are the sole manufacturer. Seems more like a case of can't be bothered to make them properly.

Trev
Trevor Mason

To most retail outlets in the motor trade , the care factor is zero when it comes to quality. Unfortunately this also extends to some manufacturers . I offered to make some free wing jigs for 'Hadrian' on the Morris Minor front wings, which were very poorly aligned, the reply was that it would take over a minute to fit and fab which was not worth the bother on such a cheap 'pattern' part. Strangely, they are no longer in business !
J L HEAP

Hi JL. When you say the rack has to be moved, do you mean forwards? How does this affect the column, I assume it doesn't have to be lengthened??

Fully assembled? So it includes top and bottom joints, springs/shocks? Or does the buyer use their own tele's/(if they have them)/springs, and buy the top and bottom swivels?
Lawrence Slater

Lawrence, the rack and roll bar are simply disconnected from the original assembly, pushed down on their mounts to clear the way to fit the upper and lower arms. Once the new kit is installed then they are simply bolted back into the same place but on the new A arm and original steering arm.
Nothing is changed in this area, simply moved out of the way temporally.

The kit will come assembled to show its orientation. Included will be both A arms and their chassis mountings. top and bottom ball joints, new uprights with choice of stub axle, and the coil over unit itself. All fixings and full instructions are included along with a photographic guide. The kit should take no longer than a weekends work to fit, but will require correct setting up to suit individual cars and customer geometry requirements. I'm at the end of the phone if customers have any questions or issues.

Legally we can only sell full kits, as with our disc kits. Consumables are naturally supplied and we will keep a data base of kits and customers, to help with feedback or should any upgrades / options be required.
J L HEAP

Thanks JL. Pretty straight forward to fit then. Hmmm. Do I or don't I? The kit's probably worth more than my car(s) lol. But I guess I could part fund it by selling a couple of conventional full Spridget front suspensions, plus the then redundant FL tele conversion.

Something to think about for something ELSE in addition to do in the summer. :).
Lawrence Slater

Lawrence,

thanks for update on the bearing front. Hadn't kept up to speed with the thread once it passed the 400 comments mark...
Hope they're available in the near futre as I'd like to get a set in for when they're needed.

Jeremy
Jeremy Tickle

Email Chris B jeremey.

Graeme from Kent has his email address I think? So do I, come to that, -- I think. I'll have a look.
Lawrence Slater

Hi jeremy.
Chris Buckenham for the 2mm radius fwbs.
cbuckenham1@gmail.com
Work 01787 479475
Mobile 07770 807070

Lawrence Slater

Thanks Lawrence,

info much appreciated.
Have emailed Chris for further info.

Jeremy

Jeremy Tickle

This thread was discussed between 07/02/2015 and 16/02/2015

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