Mike:
Here is a post from Jarrid that convinced me to leave my shocks
original. Mine are still working fine after 43 years, and as Jarrid
says, why try to fix that?
Also, I think someone on the list once said that the MG Midget used the
same shocks, so this might be a source of parts/replacements/tuning.
Ron Tebo - Series I - B9000627
Subject: Re: Series I Shocks
Date: Thu, 15 Mar 2001 21:50:14 -0800
From: Jarrid Gross <jarrid_gross@earthlink.net>
To: AlpineDriver@aol.com
CC: alpines@autox.team.net
AlpineDriver@aol.com wrote:
> << While I am not going to get into why the knee action shocks are
superior
> (or
> will I?)................
> Jarrid Gross
> SII with rear original 1961 knee dampers. >>
>
> Why not go into it? and while at it could you suggest what, if anything
> can/should be done with them if one is reconditioning all [most] other
> systems.
>
> Rob Carpenter
> SII based Harrington
Well it pops up from time to time that people want to replace
their armstrong lever action dampers with real shocks.
The best argument anyone could give me about telescopic
shocks over the lever types is gas charging (keeps the fluid from aerating)
but the pressures inside normal gas shocks isnt high enough to do that
much good.
Let me start off by saying that properly maintained, the lever shocks
last seemingly forever.
There are a few issues with thes shocks though, and one is if you
run them out of fluid, two things happens.
The first is that you have no damping, the second is that soon after,
the pistons sieze, and stop the rear from moving at all.
If they havent been run out of oil, then they seem to work fine,
are cleanable, servicable and can even have the danmper oil
removed and changed.
In answering question #2, if your shocks are working now,
(not siezed or clunking) then you can clean them and install
new fluid. Make your own top gasket when you tear
the 40 year old gasket upon removeal.
If the main shaft weeps fluid, theres a few people who
advertise in hemmings who can seal them up for you.
Want more damping?
The bound and rebound springs can be removed and shimmed
to whatever daming rate works for you.
Garnted not as easy to alter as a set of spax, but that set of
spax aint gonna last 40 years either.
Jarrid Gross
Mike McMahon wrote:
>
> Hey Gang,
>
> here's a big general question...
>
> What's the deal with the rear lever shocks on my series 1? Are they
> servicible, tuneable? Are there replacements available? Can regular shocks be
> fitted somehow?
>
> Thanks a bunch.
> -mcmahon
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