L.E Suspension rebuild
Gents, and Ladies
Nell is due for an MOT in August and I'm planning a suspension rebuild and lowering at the same time.
Front end should not be a problem, I'm thinking new shocks and lowered springs, new 3/4 anti roll bar and poly bushes all round.
Rear end....I'm torn.:| Do I go for the parabolic springs, shocks upgrade with lowering kit or just new rear springs, shocks and lowering kit? I also plan to change out rear anti roll bar and bushes all round for the poly version
Has anyone fitted the parabolic spring upgrade and lowering kit on the L.E.?
Is the ride height OK afterwards?
Any advice / thinks to watch out for / stories gratefully received
Cheers
Col
Fitting brand new rear leaf springs and lowering blocks makes a massive improvement to handling. Also installed new poly bushes all round which help tighten things up. I did this when restoring my Jube, as it needed a good refresh. I re-topped up the oil in the shocks and didn't buy new ones, as I felt they were ok. You can buy uprated shock absorbers now which are 30% more efficent.
Before
During
After
After it settles, bear in mind that jacking at the front via the crossmember won't happen unless you have a flat trolley jack!
Hi Northener51,
Was there any reason you didn't go for the parabolic springs?
I fancy them but not too sure how they'd work OK with the lowering kit re ride height.
Cheers
Col
Hi Nellie,
Parabolic rear springs as quoted by Moss are, "..an ideal compromise between ride ht and comfort and performance. The parabolic shape of the spring allows small bumps and undulations to be gently absorbed by the thinner section of the spring. As the spring compresses the thicker section of the spring starts to take the load with greater resistance, ideal for fast road driving.
It is recommended that they are fitted with telescopic performance shock absorbers conversion and a set of polyurethane bushes and axle plates. This will greatly improve the handling of MGB's and GT's.
They can be used with rear spring lowering blocks."
But here's the killer, if you were to buy just the springs they'll set you back £153.21.:o which are I think a pair, rated at 116lbs for a rubber bumper car then add on the rest.:o
I'd go for uprated springs that Moss do and probably other places sell them as well. Moss has designed theirs to lower the ride ht. by 1" for road use and no other mods needed. For a roadster (6 leaf 93lbs) they are £76.95 each, for the GT (7 leaf 110lbs) they are £76.57 each, but no need to buy the rest of the upgrade kit apart from bushes.
You can also get an uprated road leaf spring rated at 124lbs and slightly lowered and give a firmer ride. These go for £66.36 each and can be got with a package of front springs to match.
In the case of lowering the front of the car you may have to fit shortened bump stops as well otherwise the suspension won't go it's full travel.
Hope this helps.:)
Hi Phil,
Thanks for that information, I didn't realise you could get uprated and lowered rear springs - I've just downloaded the Moss catalogues for a bit of armchair shopping :p
Luckily I've a few month to come to a decision on which way to go, either way Nell definately needs new rear suspension.
Cheers
Col
Hi Col
You mentioned about changing the rear anti-roll bar (I think). If so I would definitely suggest going for the moss anti-roll bar kit (EHK101) as it alone will transform the handling and if you also lower/stiffen the suspension then things will be improved on even further
Hi Colin,
Yes, that was the plan, but having had a quick skim of the Moss catalogue there may be an issue re using lowered / uprated rear springs and the rear anti roll bar - they advise calling if unsure, 🙁 so I guess I'll be doing that, hopefully before I leave the country on Tuesday.
Cheers
Col
Hi Col.
The rear bar has two different length link bars which go from the anti-roll bar to the spring. These are different in length from chrome to r/bumper (1 inch) so you should just need to fit the c/b kit but please double check to be sure-it makes a massive difference.
OK,
After numerous emails and chats with Moss, I have today ordered all the bits. New shocks all round (recon Armstrong) lowered front and rear springs, new poly bushes all round, uprated ARB front, Castor kit, rear lowering block / kit etc etc. Also new fuel tank plus various seals etc to (hopefully) clear my garage of the smell of fuel. 🙁
Tried to get uprated stub axles at the same time from MGOC but none in stock at the minute - I'll keep bothering them on a weekly basis. 🙁
Have my tame (retired) mechanic all ready to go - he's really looking forward to it, he used to have an MG back in the day and is quite excited about working on a "real" car again. 🙂
Bits are due Monday, hopefully work will start Tues / Wed next week. I'll try to get piccys sorted and uploaded as the work progresses.
Once all this is done I'd like to get the paint and wheels A-1 this year as well, leaving me next year with interior and engine. Ideally I'd like to run her next year as is with engine work over the winter, but we'll see.
Cheers
Col
Jubilee-Man wrote:
Hi Col.The rear bar has two different length link bars which go from the anti-roll bar to the spring. These are different in length from chrome to r/bumper (1 inch) so you should just need to fit the c/b kit but please double check to be sure-it makes a massive difference.
Just chatted with James at Moss (again:)) and yes I'd forgotten them and yes they are needed and are now on the order
Thanks for that
Cheers
Col