MG-Cars.net

Welcome to our resource for MG Car Information.

Recommendations

Parts

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 MGB Technical - Lever Arm Front Shocks

One front shock absorber has developed a leak so I am looking to replace the pair, sticking with lever arm due to event regulations for one thing. I have done a search of the archive but most posts seem a little old or looking at telescopic conversions. Any thoughts:

Recon or new noting the significant price difference and the fact there seem to be different grades of reconditioned ones

Also, standard or uprated? We use the car for HERO events including special tests but we also use it for leisure trips so nothing too harsh. I will be fitting polybushes at the same time

regards

Mike
Mike Dixon

Stevson Motors in Birmingham are the best guys for reconditioning shock absorbers.

I would probably uprate the valves but speak to them.

Colin
Colin Parkinson

With two cars and eight lever-arms I've only ever bought reconditioned from the usual suspects and have only had one that I considered a premature failure leaking again in 12 months.

I've not used Stevson for dampers but I have for oil hoses and would certainly consider them for reconditioning. The only drawback with that is sending them away for a period of time, I prefer to start and finish the job in one go where I can and not have one of the cars out of action. With Leacy nearby I can take exchange stuff off to drop them off when collecting the replacements and save messing about with core charges and returning old units.
paulh4

Just check where the leak originates. The back plate, held on by machine screws, has a cork gasket.
An easy fix.
In reference to cheap re-builds, .............I had a pair, one of which started leaking badly, within a week. Turned out the back plate had two gaskets and was held in place by self tappers!!!! Those were returned, and the company didn't get any more business from me!!!
Allan Reeling

Thanks - quick call to Stevsons, 3 week turnround at the moment. They will not supply but need my units - so with postage allow a month?

If I go this route it might be a pair from ebay to send off - I am with Paul on having the parts ready to go on if I know I need them

Now off to check the back plate......


Mike
Mike Dixon

A lot of reconditioners just change the oil seals but if the shaft bearing are worn they will just leak again. I had mine done by Contract auto engineering in Stourport who do brake bits. They sent them away to someone in Wales (does anybody know who ?) Turn around was a month. We have set in our local club so was able to fit straight away whist mine were being reconditioned. Cost was £92 the pair. No problems so far a year down the line. Stevson has let a couple of friends down recently. You get what you pay for.
Paul Hollingworth

Mike, you say one leaks, but does it still operate correctly on the bounce test? One of mine leaks slightly, but still works fine. I've got uprated valves in mine and run them on 15w40 rather than damper fluid. If ever I'm doing work with the front wheels off, I check fluid level and top up as necessary. Obviously, if it's bouncy then replace both as a matched pair. I seem to recall somebody selling new ones a couple of years back, but haven't seen them since.
Peter Allen

£92 per pair is a bit pricey, Moss and B&G have them at £30 each, front and rear.
paulh4

With UK labour rates, price of seals etc, it does make you wonder what is done for £30. A leaking damper is handed in, and the customer receives a non-leaking painted damper in exchange. Alchemy! Is there some trick where they can seal them without taking anything apart?

£92 a pair would appear more realistic (depending on what's been done!).
Peter Allen

Mike,
it might be possibly to get a good pair of recon dampers from the usually suppliers at the ridiculously low prices but it might be just after the monkeys type Shakespeare.

Someone here recently refurb his own dampers.

Malc on midget and Sprite section on here is the man for refresher valving kits.

You can also now get Armstrong lever arm adjustable damper valves, MGOC Spares have them back in stock apparently but hidden on their site, they quote the part as AHH7217Q at 79.95 each. I forget if this is the manufacturer or not - https://ajbengineering.com/products/armstrong-lever-arm-adjustable-damper-valves/

As for leaks and topping up, Peter Caldwell of World Wide Auto Parts (USA) who used to post on here and is very well respected for his better than new exchange service on LA dampers, Peter Caldwell on filling the dampers. -
" ... That is the filler hole. Of course you can't see how much to add as you are filling the air reservoir. Unlike a differential or transmission, the oil should NOT be at the level at the threads, but a half inch below, which you can't see. So, just add some, if you must.
On the rear, the same size wrench opens the plug on the side of the shock just below the lid gasket. This is easier to not overfill.
The danger of overfilling is you will cause a future leak by displacing the air space necessary for the expansion of hot oil and force the oil out of the shaft packings.
The only reason you would want to add or top up the oil is if you are certain oil has leaked from the shock. Oil otherwise does not get consumed. Adding oil thusly is only a remedial repair.
Peter c".

(PeterA) I'm not against experimenting with oils but Peter Caldwell also cautions about using thick oil, 30w max -
"Stick with the 20W oil recommended (AW68 spec). At most use 30W (AW ISO 100) Best are synthetics like Silkolene or Redline suspension oils. They hold up under heat waaaaay better than standard hydraulic oils.... and these shocks get hot."

IIRC Peter said there were several ways of mechanical uprating (not oil) but IIRC for DIY heavier valve springs (but as always don't go on my memory).



Nigel Atkins

MGB front dampers have the filler plug on the side and the rears have it on top under the plastic plug by the battery cover.

Side fill can simply by filled until it runs out, which leaves loads of air space. Contrary to what is quoted above one can see the bottom of the threads on the rears, and if in doubt you can use a small, clean hooked tool to confirm that and confirm the level is below that. You can use the same probe as a 'dip-stick' to show how much there is above the mechanism - 1/2" below the bottom of the hole leaves quite a lot.

I'm not aware of the "plug on the side of the shock just below the lid gasket" that Peter mentions. Looking at pictures of several MGB dampers online all I can see in that area are untapped and unplugged holes as in the attached. Oddly one has two such holes and the other only one, and Moss shows similar.

If nothing else accessing the side of the rear dampers would be awkward in the extreme, which is surely why access is through the body from above. There _are_ rear dampers with a side fill/level plug like the fronts, but they must be for other applications.



paulh4

Sorry, my quote was a general use rather than specific, the quote might have related to a front Spridget I can't remember now, the idea was to highlight the air gap, not to overfill, how hot the oil gets, oil weights (and types recommended by an expert).

I thought the "That is the filler hole" would show the quote is from a different thread

In the Archives are the original posts.

As I'd just put the post on a M&S thread I thought I'd just paste it here too, lots of different LA dampers applied to different vehicles, but the quotes were from this BBS so would relate to MGs.

With more time I'd put in what Peter Caldwell does to recon his dampers and it shows £30 is ridiculous as a retail selling price for a proper refurb. Take off 20% VAT and you're down to £25 allowing for transport, warehouse, retail costs and a profit what's left for the actual refurb work.

IIRC someone recently put on a M&S thread here that a recon damper he bought even seemed to have the old oil in it.
Nigel Atkins

I have had my roadster for 13 years, I replaced all shocks with refurbed ones within 3 months of owning it. One started leaking almost immediately so was replaced by the supplier, had no more problem from them since. Sod’s law I have probably talked up a leak. They came from where the bees live.
Trevor Harvey

I think it's all down to how good the ones are that have been handed in. For £30 the most that can happen is that they're cleaned, the gasket on the cover is replaced, and then they're repainted. The likes of Stevson may go a stage further and extract the pivot or somehow replace the seals.
Peter Allen

World Wide Auto Parts (USA) do a lot more - http://www.nosimport.com/Lever-shocks-remanufactured/mg-b-lever-shocks?product_id=1284

The thing with the recon ones sold by the usual supplies is that it all about luck, as said how good they were when handed in, plus how many times have they been 'refurbed', even going back 20-30 years they were often poor quality so I doubt those ones have improved with time, age and use.

As I have nothing but bad luck with cars if it was me I'd just get them from USA and forget the surcharges.
Nigel Atkins

Thanks for all the advice - I am going to go for recon uprated, if I can find a pair.

And of course, if I can shift the fulcrum pin one of which is proving to be a challenge.

In the interim it is all back together and I will top it up for what I suspect will be the last 12 car of the year and replace it in slow time after that.



Mike Dixon

In the past I've had to remove the damper arm clamp bolt and wedge the arms apart, then hacksaw down through the pin both sides between the trunnion and the damper arms.
paulh4

This thread was discussed between 11/10/2020 and 15/10/2020

MG MGB Technical index

This thread is from the archive. The Live MG MGB Technical BBS is active now.