Front End Lowering

[MoggyTech]

Morris 1000 Front End Lowering

Before you start, you should ensure that the front suspension is in good order. That means all suspension bushes should be either new, or in known good condition. The dampers must be working well, and have fresh oil in them. The torsion bars should be in good condition and not allowing the front end to sag due to tired torsion bars.

Check that the car is sitting at the correct factory standard ride height. With the car on a flat level surface, bounce the front a few times to settle the suspension. Measure the distance from the inner eyebolt through the wishbone to the floor.

Measure the distance from the outer eyebolt through the wishbone to the floor. Subtract the measurements, and it should be 4.1CM (41mm) If it is less than this, the suspension is either tired, or already lowered.

Assuming the ride height is correct, check which hole is being used in the vernier adjuster plates on the center cross-member. Each hole raises or lowers the car 1/4 inch. Do NOT try to adjust the height using these plates, until the tenion in the torsion bar is released, you must dismantle the suspension to do this.

The maximum I would recommend lowering the front, is 1.5 inches, any lower and you risk the suspension bottoming out, and the upper bump stops will take a hammering, and wreck the inner wings.

To dismantle the suspension. Jack up the front end and firmly support it on axle stands. Remove the road wheel, brake drums, hub, and brake backplate complete with cylinders and shoes, tie this out of the way, taking care not to stretch the flexi hose.

Remove the tie bar through bolt at the tie bar fork on the wishbone, and prise the tie bar out of the yoke. Support the rear portion of the wishbone with a scissors or bottle jack, and make sure the jack cannot slip. Jack up the rear wishbone, until it is clear of the lower rebound stop by 1/2 an inch. Remove the front portion of the wishbone, by removing the two pivot pin nuts, the tie bar yoke, and the single nut and bolt on the inboard portion of the wishbone. The front of the wishbone should now simply pull off.

Remove the other nut from the outer pivor pin that passes through the lower trunnion, then tap the pivot pin out of the trunnion using a suitable drift and a hammer.

Slowly lower the scissors jack, and the tension is now off of the torsion bar. Mark the position of the rear wishbone in relation to the torsion bar, then using a hide mallet, tap the rear wishbone back along the torsion bar, until it is free of the splines on the torsion bar.

Each spline will raise or lower the car 1.5 inches, so to lower by 1.5 inches refit the rear wishbone one spline UP from the original position.

Next remove the top bump stop, and cut away 1.5 inches of the rubber, but keep the pointed profile to allow for progressive bump stop action. You can reshape the bump stop with an angle grinder or a shaving plane.

If you are only lowering the car by say half and inch, you can do this with the vernier adjuster plates at the cross-member end, provided there are enough lowering holes available, which will depend which hole is currently being used. So skip the bit about moving the wishbone one spline. Instead, slacken the large nut at the rear of the torsion bar behind the cross-member, remove the nut and bolt that passes through the torion bar rear lever and vernier plate. Lever the vernier plate away from the crud on the cross-member, and slide it until the hole you want to use is in
line with the slot on the cross-member.

Re-assembly is a reversal of the above. Now go do the other side.

Have the steering geometry checked, and drive easy till you get used to the different handling.

For what it's worth, I found the best setting for my car (Traveller) was lowering by 19mm, Armstrong damper valves removed, and Kayaba Gas Dampers fitted. This suited the disc brake setup and 185/60R14 tyres on Minator alloy wheels. Lowering 19mm cured the under steer, and combined with full poly bush set, made the front end a lot more
stable on uneven road surfaces (all UK roads in other words.)

No clunks or rattles either.

Please stay safe if attempting this job. The torsion bar stores a load of energy when loaded, and give it half a chance, and it will bite you HARD. I would recommend you have an assistant with you at all times, [a] to double check what your doing and help pass tools, and issue first aid if you get it wrong.

[rayofleamington]

The metal above the bump stops takes a real pounding - if it is patched or moth eaten, then lowering will quicken it's demise.

If your top bump stop rubber/s are missing you run the risk of rapidly weakening the torsion bars - if they over travel you can reach yeild condition (i.e. they are 'permanently stretched' won't go back to original position anymore).

Any lowering will create more impacts to the upper stops.... If they come off and the supporting metal is weak you will put the suspension THROUGH the inner wing on a big bump (been there done that)


Second thing to mention in addition is that some dampers have more travel than others. I was looking at inner wing mods for seriopus lowering when I found a new recon damper did not have enough travel to reach the inner wing! This was different to others and seriously not ok as it could cause the damper bolts to shear if your top bump was not there.

[bmcecosse]

I agree - lowering a Minor is really not a great idea unless it's for circuit work only. The supension is quite soft - and so needs good travel with top damping to control the movement. Hammering the bump stops will soon smash the inner wings, and the lower arms also mash the engine bay floor panels ! Your comment about damper travel noted Ray - my experience is that they have plenty of extra travel available - the one you found must have been incorrectly assembled, but it's a point worth checking if working on the suspension.