Front suspension- very hard ride.

[jammmorris]

Hello, I'm hoping someone can help me figure out what's best to do in order to improve the ride quality on my '66 convertible please.
I've owned her since February and done lots to her already to improve things. However, a big thing that I would like to improve is the ride quality.

It is currently rock hard and very unforgiving. I can't go near uneven road surfaces or large bumps in the road. If I hit an unsuspecting pot hole it's awful- a great thump followed by the obligatory stop to check nothing was broken by the impact. When going over any hard bumps on the road or something like a cattle grid, the passenger has to hold the glovebox to prevent it flying open and distributing the contents everywhere! The front bump stops are very close to the striker plates- 1cm on the offside and 2cm on the nearside. I thought they had to be about 1.5"?

It has had gas shocks installed at some point. I believe it still has the original shock absorbers in place which I think have no oil and are just acting as a linkage? So, if anyone has any information as to how to make the ride a lot softer I would be really grateful.

I think the shocks are the mid range ones sold by ESM. I've heard that upgrading to the adjustable Spax ones won't make a massive difference. What I am concerned about is that the bump stops sit so close to the striker plate without passengers that when passengers are in the vehicle they are almost touching. How can the shocks work with such little room to move before hitting the bump stops? I can't see any evidence of the bump stops being forced into the body from impact though.

I know that the torsion bars can be adjusted to raise the height but I'm worried that it might then be a bit high as currently the visual gap from tyre to wheel arch looks even front and back.

It does handle well so perhaps the previous owner set it up for this instead of a comfortable ride.

Potentially stupid question from a newbie- if the front shocks were taken out and the original shocks were refilled with oil would that work? Or has something else been taken out/adjusted to fit the front shocks?

For info, it has had a lot of Marina parts added including the wheels which are 13s. I wonder if it has been lowered to account for this?

Sorry there's a lot of information there, I'd be grateful for any help/advice. I'm no expert! I've got the workshop manual but it's not that helpful with after market mods.
Photos attached for reference.

Thanks very much

Andy

[philthehill]

There does not appear to be sufficient clearance between the front bump stop and the striker plate.
The first thing you need to do is check the measurements of the front lower arms. There is a relative measurement between the inner and outer pivot pins.
See the attached drawing.

Suspension height setting.jpg (194.86 KiB) Viewed 519 times

You should be looking for a measurement difference of 1.625" (B in the drawing) between the inner and outer pin pivot points when unladen.
The relative measurement is not effected by the size of the wheel.
Marina torsion bars may have been fitted. To determine if they have measure the dia of the bar in an area that is clean of crud/underseal etc and come back on here for additional information.
I note that you have Marina discs fitted on the front.
As regards the original dampers it is recommended that the damper valves are discarded when tele dampers are fitted. The damper then acts as the top link only. There still has to be oil in the dampers to lubricate the internals.
A useful booklet called 'Marina to Minor'/'Minor Modification Manual' is helpful and is available from ESM. It covers the use and fitment of Marina parts to a Minor.
https://www.morrisminorspares.com/misce ... on-p831093

[jammmorris]

Hi Phil
thanks for your reply. The diameter of the torsion bar is 20mm if that shows what type it is?
Regarding the measurement difference, to my untrained eye it looks like the arms are level. In which case does that mean adjusting the plates at the back of the torsion bar, adjusting the torsion bar, or doing something else?! If I increase the height via the torsion bar or plate would that create a big gap from top of the tyre to the wheel arch?
The torsion bar plates look to be set up a little differently to each other. Nearside by the exhaust photo looks in a different place and seems to be obscuring the rest of the holes. Photos not helped by the copious amounts of waxoyl!
Thanks for the book tip. Yes, Marina front discs, rear axle, drums, engine.

[philthehill]

At 20mm dia I suspect that you may have Marina torsion bars fitted with Owen Burton adapters on the rear of the torsion bar. But unless you strip out the torsion bar you will not know.
The suspension height is wrong and needs to be reset as per the BMC diagram. It will allow the suspension to travel further giving a smoother ride without compromising the suspension geometry.
Adjust the plate at the rear of the torsion bar is a good first step. Each hole equates to 1/4" suspension height adjustment.
Below are the Owen Burton Marina to Minor torsion bar adapters.

Owen Burton torsion bar converters.JPG (948.14 KiB) Viewed 490 times

[jammmorris]

Thanks Phil. Having never done it before, do I have to take the lower arms apart before attempting to move the adjuster plate? Some forums say yes, others no. I assume the hole in the chassis rail is elongated? This video seems quite good but he doesn't have front shocks https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_0YfWp7jm4Q

If that doesn't work and it's beyond me, does anyone know of a good Morris Minor mechanic who could set this up properly for me please? I live in Wimborne, Dorset.
Thank you

[philthehill]

The thing you have to do is release the tension on the torsion bar before you do anything. It can be done as in the video or by just separating the top trunnion from the top pivot pin. If you do it that way make sure that you tie the swivel so as not to put strain on the brake hose.
The hole in the chassis crossmember is vertically elongated. The Vernier plate just moves along until you have the required alignment.
What ever you do do it safely as there is a lot of force in that torsion bar. Make sure that the car is safely supported.

[jammmorris]

Great thanks for your help Phil.