Front telescopic dampers & other mods

[Chris Edgar]

Hello all,

I'm thinking of a few mods to my recently acquired '68 Traveller...

Electronic ignition ( has anyone tried the Accuspark system at £25) or should I stick to Lumenition at about £80
Also front tele dampers...what is involved in fitting them?
A S/S exhaust...I have read that they are quieter...how much quieter I wonder? The present mild steel one "booms" a lot. I know that it is a distinctive sound but it does tend to resonate a bit in the back of the Traveller.

any advice much appreciated!

Chris

[Peetee]

The stainless system is actually louder than an equivilent mild steel system in the same condition.
I have heard of people cutting up the rear of the exhaust and adding in a silencer from a modern car but you would have to pick and choose very carefully.

[bmcecosse]

Welcome to the forum Chris! Before getting into tele dampers - try draining out the horrible smelly old fluid in the standard dampers and refilling with sae 30 (or 40 (but that's NOT 10W40!) for even better damping) engine oil. Tesco sell it in the gardening section in handy 1/2 litre bottle. You will not be disappointed - provided the old dampers are not leaking badly of course. Slight weeping is considered 'normal' - but should be carefully wiped away before MOTs! The 'good' teledamper installation involves welding on upper brackets. The 'bolt-on' kits are to be avoided................
My personal view on ignition for this simple A series engine is - stick with good old points! Just make sure they are in good condition. But many do fit leccy ignition - and the cheaper systems seem to be just as good as the more expensive ones.
The stainless exhaust is - as mentioned above - if anything noisier, especially after a year or two! But they do last a long time.
Don't worry - you will soon find plenty to spend your money on! If using the car at night - headlamp upgrade to halogen units is highly recommended!

[linearaudio]

And fitting a decent disc brake set-up.....
I would put an alternator at the top of my wish list if using the car as a daily driver.
Considering the patchy quality of contact breaker points nowadays, I would go for any electronic version that dispenses with them, having spent a season adjusting/ replacing points when my moggy was first aquired. My route was to adapt a late Metro/Mini Lucas electronic dizzy, partly as the £20 it cost from the Leyland graveyard also gave me a functioning vacuum advance unit, which had died some months previously on my old dizzy.
Lever arm dampers are much maligned, as are Wolseley 9" drums in some circles

[bmcecosse]

As LA hints - you don't need disc brakes at all! But the larger Wolseley drums are a much more economic alternative if you find the standard 8" front drums inadequate - which frankly they shouldn't be - if in good working order.

[Chris Edgar]

Many thanks indeed for all the advice...some of the parts dealers seem to suggest that their SS exhausts are quieter!

As for the lever dampers. all noted on the SAE 30 or 40 oil. There are certainly no leaks at all, so that should be fine (hey, this is all savng money)

It already has an alternator & halogen h/lights, so that's fine.

I MAY try the Accuspark ign as it's only £25. The feeling I have always had about points is that they start to deteriorate from the moment you fit them.

I bought the car 3 weeks ago from a specialist MM restorer ( don't know if I can mention names) & am very pleased with it. It has a 12 month mechanical warranty & a 24 month warranty for MOT items. The bodywork. above & below, are superb & the interior very good.

If I fit the Accuspark, I will report back.

I spent a few hours last weekend with part of a Lakeland run with the Lancashire Branch & was made very welcome. An enjoyable day.

In the early seventies I owned a '57 four door saloon...so it's a bit of a memory trip.

Once again, many thanks

Chris

[alex_holden]

Many thanks indeed for all the advice...some of the parts dealers seem to suggest that their SS exhausts are quieter!

Do they perhaps mean the expensive (British-made) SS exhaust is quieter than the cheap one? I can confirm that is true (I think it's made from thicker metal). The more expensive one seems to fit better too.

I bought the car 3 weeks ago from a specialist MM restorer ( don't know if I can mention names) & am very pleased with it.

You can name them, as long as you're not negatively criticising them.

[bmcecosse]

The exhaust may start off quieter than a rotted out old system - but after a year or two (I found) the baffles seem to go and it gets decidedly noisier! But not as noisy as the straight through Cooper S exhaust I have on the car at the moment!

[hotrodder13]

The exhaust may start off quieter than a rotted out old system - but after a year or two (I found) the baffles seem to go and it gets decidedly noisier! But not as noisy as the straight through Cooper S exhaust I have on the car at the moment!

think you need to hear mine

[jonathon]

I'd suggest that you do a full 4 wheel alignment and set up of the front suspension, adding in a 1.0-1.5 negative camber. This along with correct tyre pressures will be a good start from which you can develop the mods suggested above.
I'd recommend that you view the suspension as a full package, ie do both front and rear as they will effect each other. Reliable companies have been down this route for you and can supply kits which will transform the ride and handling.

[Chris Edgar]

Yes, Alex, the SS exhausts mentioned are British made, apparently. Come in 3 sections to make fitting easy.
I will make some enquiries with the parts dealers. The existing one is not shot yet, I'm just trying to plan ahead.
The car came from the MM Millenium co, in Manchester BTW

Hotrodder, are you a member of the Lancs Branch? I see that you are in Preston. I am in Lancaster. If so, I may get to hear your exhaust, one of these days.

Thanks for the advice concerning the suspension set up, Jonathon. It already has had rear telescopics fitted.

I think that I'm just itching to do a few "improvements" . Seems that the advice of those who have been down the route & gained more experience is the way to go.

Thanks all

Chris

[linearaudio]

Interesting snippet about the negative camber, Jonathon. Doesn't often get much mention, let alone a figure put on it!
Most mogs I have laid in front of seem equipped with a noticeable amount of positive camber "as standard". My own one took a fair bit of adjusting just to get near zero!!

[bmcecosse]

It's more or less THE biggest improvement you can make to the Minor front suspension as far as 'handling' is concerned. However - if you do a lot of straight line driving (ie mostly Mway) it will cause the inside edge of the tyre to wear more quickly.