I am coming to the end of chassis my repairs. Most of the front and mid sections have been repaired or replaced.
I have turned my attention to the rear. One shock mount is completely severed off. Looks like it cracked near the folds of the mounting bracket and propogated across both bolts. I was given this shock in a box of parts.
As I think through reinforcement options, I am wondering if it makes any sense to convert the rear to tube shocks? With the welder out it wouldn't be too hard to make a few brackets if one knew where and what to install.
Also, if anyone has come up with a nice reinforcement design and would like to share I am all ears.
I'm running mine on vertical, adjustable dampers. I have had cars with leaver arm dampers on before and vowed never to have them again!
mine fix in a "U" shape bracket welded to the flat area on the De Dion tube, behind the brake drum back plate. and then fix at the top where the rear parcel shelf tube comes across and the angled tubes of the boot...sorry trunk and seat tubes rise.
I feel the same about the lever arm shocks. I had all four rebuilt on the Healey. The rears loosen up and clunk and the fronts weep.
Your explanation makes sense. Pictures would be splendid. If you recall the adjustable shocks and length that you used that would be even better. I have adjustable AVOs on the Lotus and they are pretty sensitive to the adjustments, which is good.
Conversion kits sold for the TR3 work well, these have an "eye" fitting both ends and are sold under Moss part No TT3311. A simple U bracket under the parcel shelf tube at the top, and on the flat part of the de-dion at the bottom of the shock works well enough. If I can figure out how to post pictures I will put some on here. I know that this means that the shocks are not truly vertical and will apply some twisting force to the de-dion but it seems to be OK for road use. I had no problems in five years of use. Lots of cars don't have vertical shocks anyway (remember the MK2 Escort!) Folklore has it that Spax shocks are not the best and can leak. The best are allegedly KONI but they are three times the price.
Thanks Frank. I'll see if I can find a pair of shocks stateside.
I am a half hour from Moss in Santa Barbara/Goleta, so that part might be easy, but why why why are the Moss UK part numbers different from the US part numbers???? It drives me crazy! And why don't they have a real picture of the actual shock and the specs.
mine has tube dampers on the rear.... like nigel says, U brackets on the dedion up to brackets on the cross tube under the parcel shelf.... mine uses dampers off old style bmc mini front seems just the right stuff.....
also put in some triangulation. extra tubes, from top of tub rear to lower horizontal rail to rear spring, plus bottom of tub by rear spring eyelet up to cross tube end of parcel shelf tube.