[Healeys] Front suspension dismantle

[John Harper]

Peter

I have had many Armstrong lever arm 'shocks' come my way going back to 
early Austin saloons in the 1950s.

The general approach I use is to first check for major leaks, physical 
damage or rough action. If any of these I either scrap or leave any 
further work to a specialist shop.

If OK as above I then take off the back plate. If I see that the 
interior is dry anywhere or that there is excessive sludge or any 
obvious damage I again give up.

However if all looks good I drill out the centre ring and dismantle. I 
pull the pistons to check for scoring or ring damage then remove the 
valve assembly and clean everything. I then remove the oil seals and 
check the shafts for wear or scoring. Also are the plain bearing 
surfaces in good order?. If all these test are passed I fit new oil 
seals, assemble with a new centre ring and refill and paint.

I don't try any actual repair; I leave this to the specialists

>John,   Just push the shaft out of the shock, the ring will deform, and 
>you can reuse it.
>
>Curious, what were you servicing?
>
-- 
John Harper