[Fot] Fw: Lever arm shocks vs. tube shock conversion

[Jack Wheeler]

 My thoughts expressed earlier on the subject.....

  
 I can only speak from my experience racing a 1967 TR-4A IRS for 25 years.  My car was very competitive, finishing top 6 at the Runoffs from 1987 to 1991, including a win in 1990.
I used the stock lever arm shocks.  I did replace the shock fluid with heavier fluid and installed competition rear springs, which stiffened the suspension and lowered the car.  I used the stock control arms, but adjusted the mounting brackets to give me more positive camber.  And, I used nylon bushings to attach the control arms.  If you looked at my suspension, it looked stock, but ohhh did that car handle.  And I didn't even need a rear sway bar.  That's where I gained all of my advantage over the competition, as that big flat front end was not very aerodynamic and the car was pretty heavy, so I didn't streak down the straightaways.
If it were me, I wouldn't waste the time & money on a tube shock conversion.  In fact, I bought an MGB a number of years ago, and the first thing I did was to remove the tube shocks a previous owner had added, and replace them with stock lever type shocks.  Spend the money on stiffer springs and heavier shock fluid.  And, solid bushings would help too.
Good luck.
Jack Wheeler

    On Monday, January 18, 2021, 12:07:40 PM EST, Dave Connitt via Fot <fot at autox.team.net> wrote:  
 
 Hi all,
I am new to the FOS list. I own a 1967 TR4A-IRS that I finished restoring back in 2013 (DavesTR4A. com). It’s running stock lever type rear shocks that other than cleaning and painting and adding new links, I just reinstalled in the the car during the restoration. They seem to have resistance when I push/pull them so I am pretty sure they work as designed. 
The car has always been kind of skittish on rough roads and I am considering switching to a tube shock conversion, specifically the one that bolts directly to the existing shock mounts.
Originality isn’t my main focus here. I like to drive it aggressively.
I would be interested in anyone’s experience with switching from rear lever shocks to chassis mounted (using the stock shock mounting points) regarding handling improvement or not.
Thanks in advance,
Dave Connitt
‘67 TR4A-IRS

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