> Ok, can anyone clue me in as to what a hydroelastic suspension is?
Well, by now you've seen some of the other responses, so I'll just try to
correct some of the errors and some further info.
The Hydrolastic (this is the trademark spelling) suspension links the
front wheels to the rear wheels with a 220+ psi hydraulic line on each side
of the car. The fluid used is antifreeze, with a small dose of water added
to further lower the freezing point.
It was first used on the Austin/Morris/MG 1100 (the early, British version
of the Austin America). Quickly it was adapted to the Mini Mark II. The
previous rubber suspension wasn't restored to the Mini until '68 or so --
the term 'Hydrolastic' is NOT applied to the rubber suspension (which
uses shock absorbers to damp the rubber cone springs). All Mini sedans/
wagons/pickups built from '64 to '68 had Hydrolastic suspensions... if you
ever see one of those years without it, then either the car has a fudged
title or a previous owner has done the swap. The Mini Moke, as far as I
can tell, has always used the rubber suspension. The Hydrolastic was
gradually phased out of the Minis starting in '68 depending on the model.
The Mini Cooper S, Mk. II, used auxiliary shock absorbers on the front to
control noselift. Since the front and rear are linked, only one pair of
shocks needs to be used (a shock on the front is equivalent to a shock on
the rear).
To convert a wet Mini to a dry Mini requires the appropriate subframes and
a bunch of other suspension parts. If all new parts are used, the cost is
around $800, so it's not likely to be done. The cheap way of doing it is
to buy an 850 Mini that was built before '64 (non-runners can be had for
$200) and take the necessary parts from it -- it also leaves you with a whole
mess of spare parts!
There are no dry suspension Austin Americas/MG 1100s, so conversion is more
drastic.
Longevity of the Hydrolastic parts is better than the other hydraulic systems
(brakes, clutch). Of the wet cars I know of (about a dozen), only one has
needed to be overhauled -- right front bellow burst -- and they're all
over 20 years old.
Performance additions to the 'Hydrospastic' (what racers usually call it)
are limited. Inline restricting valves (reduces pitching), machining
the strut (lowers/ changes camber), and trying different pressures (changes
response, raises/lowers the car) are about all that can be done. BL used
to sell performance bellows, but the last of that stock disappeared about
three years ago -- somebody, somewhere, probably has a few sitting in their
garage.
Hydrolastic-type suspensions were also used on a few French cars (Citroen?),
but never gained any popularity. The Austin America weighs around 1900 lbs
and seems to be ideally suited to the system. The Mini is really too light
for just about any suspension... I'm continually sent airborne over bumps
that don't affect heavier cars (yeah, yeah -- if I didn't drive as fast, I
wouldn't have any problem).
<next installment: How to Modify Your Austin America>
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George Emery - via FidoNet node 1:105/14
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