Craig,
Two cautions: Use locktight or some other means of preventing the rear tube
shock conversion hardware from becoming unfastened while you drive. There is
some vibrational phenomena at the rear of my GT that caused the right rear upper
tube shock mount to loosen itself periodically, resulting in the self-removal
and loss of the bolt that holds the shock to the bracket. After this happened to
me three times in the first season of use, I applied 5 minute setting epoxy to
the threads (extreme I admit, but when yer pissed, yer pissed). The epoxy
worked, but so would Silicone RTV or LockTite.
Second caution: When I attempted to remove the old rubber rebound straps on my
1960 MGA 1600, I found the nut on the lower left frozen to the mount. I applied
PB blaster, heated it with my propane torch, even said mean things to it. As I
put some muscle into loosening the nut, everything felt normal for a rusty nut
being removed from a rusty stud: with no warning the entire threaded portion of
the bracket snapped off. The only way to fix this is to drill and tap a new stud
into the vacant spot. Not an easy locale for such a job as you shall see.
It was this experience that taught me to CONFIRM THAT THE NUT IS TURNING AND THE
STUD ISN'T, before going too far, and breaking something. The next time I
encountered a similar problem on a bumper mounting bracket, I bought a Craftsman
Nut Cracker, and did crack the nut in half without damage to the stud. I also
destroyed the nut cracker, but you know Sears Craftsman Warranty: they
cheerfully replaced the tool with a new one, and I continue to cheerfully keep
buying Craftsman tools for the past almost 4 decades. So, if the nut is
stubborn, don't break the stud off, crack the nut off.
Good Luck!
Jim (the older one with the bashed knuckles)
"Craig D. Niederst" wrote:
> Going to be installing the Moss tube shock conversion kit for the rear of my
> '71 MGB tomorrow. Directions look simple enough, but I was wondering if
> there are any pitfalls to be careful of? Will be replacing both of the
> broken rebound straps while I'm back there, and also the rubber spring pads.
> Surprisingly, the bump stops are in good shape. Should I replace anything
> else while I'm back there? TIA.
>
> Craig
> '71 B
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