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MG MGB Technical - Rear Tube Shock Conversion

About four years ago I converted the lever shocks on my wire wheel 71 MGB to tube shocks. Everything worked fine, except the car had too much rust for me to affordably fix. So I bought a relatively rust-free 73 MGB body and am now transfering the parts from the 71 over to the 73.

In renewing the original 71, I converted the rear lever shocks to tube shocks. Everything fit and worked fine for the year I ran the car on the street. But when I tried to install the Monroe Sensitrac shocks on the rostyle rear wheels of the 73, I found the rim of the wheel rubs against the top bolt that connects the shock to the body. The bolt and the bushing used to connect the shock extend too far from the car body.

Is this a problem anyone else has experienced? If so, how did you fix it? Cut the bushing? Any suggestions will be appreciated.

Curt
C Pieper

Go back to lever arms ...

Have you got studded hubs on a wire-wheel axle?
PaulH Solihull

Paul, I thought about that. I even checked prices etc with Peter Caldwell of World Wide Auto Parts. You see, I'm on a really tight budget, and I counted on the tuibe shocks to save me the cost of dealing with the cost of reconditioning lever shocks.

No, the axle and the wheels are rostyle and came with the 73 body. They are not wire-related.
C Pieper

Got a picture? I cannot envision what you are talking about. The entire shock and all its mountings should be inboard of the spring, while the wheels are outboard.
And, what is wrong with the '73 shocks?

FRM
FR Millmore

Rear dampers are about £12 exchange in the UK, whereas telescopics are between £70 and £100 typically. The PO fitted them to my V8 and I did replace them once, but refused to pay that much again, so picked up a couple of lever-arms complete with drop-links and bottom plates from an mg spares show, which were a much cheaper deal even if they had needed replacement straight away. As it was they were fine for a couple of years, when one started leaking I swapped both as I didn't really know what spec they were. Unless you want a filling-loosening ride telescopic dampers add nothing.

From Curt's description the heads (I assume!) of one or other of the damper to body mounting bolts are extending too far into the wheel well. But why is the bushing that side (if indeed it is)? Surely if there is a bush or spacer it should be between the two mounting surfaces i.e. between body and damper and not in the wheel well.
PaulH Solihull

This thread was discussed between 20/06/2011 and 22/06/2011

MG MGB Technical index

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