[Mgs] In Defense of Rear Shock Kits

[Jack Feldman]

>Date: Sun, 31 May 2009 22:31:04 -0700
>From: Aaron Whiteman <awhitema at panix.com>
>Subject: Re: [Mgs] In defense of rear shock kits
>To: MG Mailing List <mgs at autox.team.net>
>Message-ID: <1552BAB6-16A4-4AA4-9B66-0E022F8E5AC1 at panix.com>
>Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII; format=flowed; delsp=yes

On May 31, 2009, at 5:35 PM, Jack Feldman wrote:


> When I first got my C, it wallowed in the corners like a drunken
> sailor. The
> first time I tried a sharp corner I though I was going to roll.
> Since it was
> released wiser heads of mine have overcome the initial objections..
> I added
> Spax all round, and an uprated front roll bar. Tamed the beast, and
> turned
> it into an excellent road car for long trips.

*>>Invalid comparison.  New cheap gas struts will beat old worn expensive
>>Armstrongs.  But would they be better than new Armstrongs?
*
*I"m not sure what you mean. A gas strut is what holds my bonnet and rear
deck lid open. If you mean a shock, Monroes are not gas shocks. Jim Evans,
president of the Chicagaoland MG Club, who had many years experience as a
muffler shop owner installing shocks, and who has experience with tube sock
kits, thinks the Monroes are the better. Newer isn't necessarily better, but
if I did't have one of those cube gas pumps as backup when my SU pump
failed, I would still be sitting by the roadside. It is still running, but
then it isn't 45 years old.
*


> Why not replace a shock that was developed years ago, and  take
> advantage of
> years of shock development? I have made many changes to my BGT to
> modernize
> it,  and will replace any part that has failed with a more modern
> one if it
> is available.

*>>Because it's a bodge.  Why bother replacing a very well (IMHO)
>>designed component of the suspension with something that is designed
>>rebuilt lever shocks should give you the same or better performance as
>>new gas struts, and if WWAP's warranty is to be believed, the rebuilt
>>Levers will last longer than a pair of Monroes too.*

*Thinking a rear shock kit is a bodge is OK, but many reputable vendors sell
them. As mentioned above, an experienced mechanic who has installed them
thinks they are OK.*

Thanks for the comment, that is what this list is about.

Jack



>>Newer isn't always better.  Sometimes it's just cheaper.