[Mgs] MGB lever shock replacement questions

[Barney Gaylord]

William,

See World Wide Auto Parts for maybe the best rebuilt shocks with 
guarantee at reasonable prices:
http://www.nosimport.com/Lever-shocks-remanufactured/mg-a-lever-shocks

My prior experience with Apple Hydraulics has been dramatically less 
thay desireable.


At 07:32 PM 7/25/2018 -0400, William Killeffer via Mgs wrote:
>Hi everyone,
>
>I've noticed that two of the lever shocks on my MGB are having 
>issues: the left front and right rear. RR seems to be less 
>problematic with a slower leak, and the LF can be leaked out within 
>maybe a month of any kind of regular driving. It looks like the LF's 
>leak is coming through the seals on the arms. I took the LF off and 
>did a refresh procedure that I saw at some LBC website, and filled 
>it full of new hydraulic oil. While it worked, it felt great, but 
>once it stopped, its lack of damping was noticed.
>
>Now, my most basic question is whether or not all four shocks need 
>to be replaced at the same time. It's ok if the answer is yes, 
>though it could slow the process down a bit. If all four really do 
>need to go, financial realities may dictate that the fronts get done 
>firsts, then the rears.
>
>Next question relates to sourcing the shocks. One of the well-known 
>parts companies sells front shocks for around $383US with a $250 
>core charge, which means the shocks are around $133US/each. New, 
>non-rebuilt ones are $290US/each, which seems a little dear... Even 
>accounting for the core charge, it's a lot of cash to have to front 
>to get the process started, and that just assumes they accept my 
>cores. I did find another company that seems pretty well known 
>that's named for a fruit, and specializes in lever shocks and other 
>parts for older cars. They sell a pair of rebuilt front shocks for 
>about the same amount that the other company charges for just one. 
>While I hate to come off like one of those people who votes with 
>their wallet every time, that's a difference that's hard to ignore. 
>Are the shocks from the fruit company any good?
>
>Last question: Both companies offer a heavy-duty option for just a 
>little more money. Is this worth it over all? I'm tempted, but at 
>the same time, when I got her new tires today, I got the ones that 
>tend to end up on econoboxes and minivans. Nothing wrong with that 
>since 1.8l of fury and double-digit horsepower doesn't seem to 
>warrant spending $250+ per tire, and all but the cheapest tires are 
>better than what was available when the car was new. But I wonder if 
>performance-oriented shocks might not match up well with ordinary tires.
>
>Any advice would be appreciated.
>
>Thank you,
>-William