Rear lever arm dampers

[midnat]

Hi
Could anyone give me advice please on: Rear lever arm dampers, convert Telescopic conversions? and can you do anything differnt to front. all to get that smoother ride.
Would it be best to go with a servo system for brakes, or leave them as they are?

Many Thanks
Paul

[PSL184]

There is no reason why you should not have a smooth ride on standard dampers all round. If the oil hasn't been replaced in them then this is your first step. 30w oil from Tesco's (gardening section as it is for lawnmowers) and drain and refill. Instructions in workshop manual.
No need for a servo IMHO if your brakes are properly serviced and working as intended.
All this assumes normal road use for a Minor and not a rip roaring track day car

[bmcecosse]

That's it - new oil in dampers - front and rear, will transform the suspension. The old oil will be ruined - and very smelly! You may need to change it a couple of times to flush out all the horrible old stuff. The lever arm dampers are just folded up tele dampers anyway, with the advantage you can 'tune' them by using different viscosity oil For even better result - use SAE40 oil (that's NOT 10W40!) - but it's s bit harder to find - motorbike place will likely be best source. Try the SAE 30 first and see how it goes. If your drum brakes are in good order - no servo required - it doesn't make the brakes any 'better' - just drops the pedal pressure - which should not be high IF your brakes are in tip top order. If not in tip top order - overhaul them urgently. They should be able to lock all 4 wheels at 30 mph on a dry road.

[mike.perry]

Roy, do you recommend a particular grade oil for speed humps??
I suppose that I ought to change mine, the front dampers have not been changed for 32 years that I know of.

[bmcecosse]

Just go with the sae 30 and see how it works. But for speed humps - best just slow down. Although actually - my TR7 has long travel well damped suspension - and rides over them beautifully!

[mike.perry]

I am down to 10-15mph over most of the humps, I can build up quite a queue behind. On some local roads I can drive down the centre line of the road through the gap beteen the humps, aslong as there is nothing coming.

[midnat]

Thank you for all the replies. I do drive slow, it’s the pot holes, and ramps. Will try different oil

Kind Regards
Paul

[bmcecosse]

Nothing will save you from potholes!