MGA-Register

ALTERNATIVE SHOCK TREATMENT

by ANDY SARGENT

You’re probably wondering what on earth this is all about, well, it’s nothing to do with any radical new treatment to help you give up smoking. It is however a look at an alternative to the now infamous lever arm shock absorber fitted to the back of our MGAs.

The subject of this piece is. Barry Davies’ MGA Twin Cam, which as some of you may know, is a regular winner at various Concours events. Although Barry’s car is a Twink the modification is identical for the standard MGA.

The story started some weeks ago when Barry lifted the body off the chassis to reveal two rather rusty Koni shock absorbers fitted to the back of the car. Barry cleaned them up enough to be able to read the Koni part number which is 801244. He then spent the next week phoning just about every Shock absorber specialist in the Yellow pages until he finally came across M.R. Holland Ltd. Barry gave the man at the other end of the phone the part number but didn’t say what car it had come from thinking that it may be some non standard accessory that someone thought might be a good idea to fit. The man at the other end left the phone for a minute and on returning said that this was a period shock absorber fitted to a 1959 MGA. He went on to say that he didn’t actually have any but would make some enquiries and phone back later. The man contacted the Koni factory in Holland and arranged for some to be shipped over. 6 weeks later and £125 worse off, Barry had the bright orange Koni Classic Adjustable Shock Absorbers in his possession. I must add that although they are adjustable, you have to remove them to make the adjustment by inserting a small screwdriver through a small hole in the top of the shock. However the instructions state that they should be fitted straight from the box, using the factory setting.

TOP BRACKET

BOTTOM BRACKET

Fitting was quite straightforward as Barry already had the brackets, which were just cleaned up and painted. For anybody wishing to fit this modification I have included some photographs and sketches showing the critical dimensions. I must add that anybody making these brackets does so at their own risk and the Register takes no responsibility for any problems arising from this modification. The top bracket is fitted using the same nuts and bolts used to fit the original shock absorber so the base plate requires the same clearance holes on the same centres as the shock. The base plate is made from 3/8" thick steel. The top of the shock fits on the 0.628" diameter with a washer each side of it and is secured using a nut. The thread could be any form as long as it is just smaller than the 0.628" diameter. The nut must be able to tighten against the shoulder and still allow the shock to swivel. The bottom bracket is a little more complex, the base plate having four holes spaced to fit onto the ‘U’ bolts that hold the axle. This then has a 3/8" thick plate dropping down from it with a 1" diameter boss welded to it. The spigot and thread attached to this mimic the top bracket and the shock is fitted in the same manner.

TOP BRACKET WITH SHOCK ABSORBER FITTED

BOTTOM BRACKET WITH SHOCK ABSORBER FITTED

SHOCK ABSORBER

APPROXIMATE DIMENSIONS OF TOP BRACKET

APPROXIMATE DIMENSIONS OF BOTTOM BRACKET

For anyone wishing to buy these shock absorbers the address is as follows:

M.R. Holland Ltd.,

Unit 2, Benner Road,

Wardentree Lane Industrial Estate,

Spalding,

Lincolnshire, PE11 3UG

United Kingdom

Tel: +44 (0) 1775-766455