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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 TD TF 1500 - Rear shocks, TD TF

Hello all;
As a TF owner, I have the luxury of being able to buy NEW Armstrong rear lever type shocks. However, the Moss kit featuring Spax tube shocks and the required attachments, is available (for a price).
I ask of you out there....which is superior? Are the tube shock conversions worth the money? Is the "seat of the pants" ride any smoother? Or....are the OME type lever shocks better?

Tom
'54 TF
Tom Norby

Tom - I have always used the OEM lever shocks so I have nothing to compare them to, but all of the experts say that, the cars being designed for lever shocks, the tube shocks are not as good. Also, shocks don't determine ride smoothness other than to damp out spring oscillation when a bump is hit. I think that the Brits using the term 'damper' is more accurate than the Yanks using the term shock. Cheers - Dave
David DuBois

In my opinion, lever type shocks/dampers give a softer, smoother ride than tube shocks and last much longer before service is needed. Most lever types can be rebuilt, most tube types are throwaways. I think the lever type shock took a back seat to the tube types because of manufacturing costs, not because of superiority of one over the other. JMHO. PJ
P S Jennings

Tom - I strongly recommend sticking with the lever shocks, which can be rebuilt easily by Peter Caldwell at Worldwide. Excellent, fast and guaranteed service. The damping rate was designed for these little cars and gives the best balance of control. If you were racing where comfort is secondary to control I would say to go ahead with the SPAX.

Way back in the 70's I was asked to put Moss's Koni kit on the rear of a guy's car who insisted (against my advice) that they would be far better than the stock shocks, that his car would handle on a dime. He spent the next few months adjusting, balancing, re-adjusting, testing, etc., and finally came back to have them removed and replaced with stock shocks. I rebuilt the front and rear suspensions and put in new shocks, and he was very satisfied.

Tom
t lange

tom, i have no experience with tube shocks on TD's either, but i have the same opinion as david. shocks dampen out the rebound, ride characteristics are more a factor of springs and frame stiffness. mostly i have the car because i like the idea of experiencing 1950's technology. if i want something else i use my Ford. regards, tom
tom peterson

I have a friend who is building a modified Austin A40 Devon (modified as in a Camaro V6 engine and gearbox and a Ford nine inch rear end, along with a Mustang II front suspension). The front is now coil over, but we kept the lever shocks in the rear. They can be quite superior because they are not purely linear in motion.

I've never heard anyone say that the change over made an improvement on their MGB or other LBC.

warmly,
dave
Dave Braun

I put the Spax conversion on my MGB. Improvement? Not so much as you would notice. Had fun playing with the settings. On the front of the B I installed a coil over set up that Moss no longer sells. Definate improvement over the stock dampers and yes I've driven B's with good stock dampers. That said I have stock Armstrongs all the way around on the TD and the TF. All rebuilt by Peter. New rear springs on the TF and rebuilt on the TD. I'd say they could stand a little more dampening on the rear than they provide. Just my two cents.
LED DOWNEY

Well, this is conclusive for me! Thank you gentlemen. I will no longer even consider a tube shock changeover.
While on this subject, my left front Armstrong shock is clearly bad. It leaks fluid and does not do the job. I plan to send it to Worldwide for rebuild. The other side seems good. They are not the original shocks, but were purchased new in the 70's. Is there a problem rebuilding only one??
Thanks guys.

Tom
Tom Norby

Call Peter and ask, but my suspicion is that he could test the other one and if it is good, match the rate to the one he gives you as rebuilt (I think he does exchange unless requested). The fluid probably also gets old and contaminated.

Tom
t lange

Hi All:

The previous owner of my TF changed one rear shock to that of an MGB. They fit if you swap left to right and vice versa. He threw the original shock away so I not have it to rebuild. In order to balance the ride I changed the opposite side over to MGB as well. I have not noticed any adverse handling from other T-series that I have owned but my driving is now more subdued than it once was. Does anyone know how the two shocks differ in stiffness etc?
Also I foolishly threw the good TF shock into a box of old shocks – midget, B and who knows what else. How do I identify the original TF shock?

Thanks for any help

Godspeed in Safety Fast
Jc
John Crawley

John,

IF you are planning a rebuild, it doesn't really matter as its all in the bushings and valving.

If you're sending them to Peter Caldwell, of course I expect you will be stating the use.

If you're not planning a rebuild, and some of them are good and re-useable, then you do indeed have a problem.

Gord Clark TF4592
Rockburn, Qué.
Gordon A Clark

John, the MGB rear shock shouldn't be used on the TF. The arm on the B rear shock is farther away from the mounting face than the TF or MGA (interchangeable size-wise)by a 1/2". This means that the link is stressing the bushing a fair amount and loads the suspension a bit. An MGB rear shock will have the part number 8178 stamped on the lower portion of one of the mounting ears. The TF would have 5698 and the MGA has 6066.

Peter
Peter Caldwell

This thread was discussed between 06/08/2010 and 09/08/2010

MG TD TF 1500 index

This thread is from the archive. The Live MG TD TF 1500 BBS is active now.