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MG MGB Technical - Shock seal size

1967 MGB GT. Had an “oops”. I need to find out the sizes of the lever shock seals. Does any one have their sizes? I could not find them in the archives. A while ago I topped up the shocks with petroleum based engine oil. The front ones are now leaking a lot and the suspension is a mess with oil. Searching the archives for answers, I have discovered that the rubber in the seals is “allergic” to petroleum products - oops. I have the ability to replace the seals myself. As my car is my daily driver, I need to do this over a weekend and would prefer to get them before I start.

Thanks,

Richard Davidson.
RH Davidson

Richard,I'm not too sure that they have a rebuild kit for us do it people
Rich Osterhout

Richard,

it is an interesting question and i have never read about a source for spares of the Armstrong shocks, although i would also do a rebuilt on a spare set i have in my garage for years.
For not ruining the shocks further more, i would try to dismante an other defective one first and mesure out the seals.
I think small outboard engines should make use of that size for prop shaft seals but you aught to investigate upon it first.
If you can not pick the right size just from the shelf, industry supplies do have large stocks of such items and can also order nearly any size if not in stock.

Keep us posted, please.

Ralph
Ralph

Richard, Rich, and Ralph ;-)
The original "seals" are and were a thick packing about a 1/2" thick... and they are completely compatible with engine oil. There is no direct replacement seal for the size. Various rebuilders of lever shocks attack the problem in different ways. One uses a radial lipped oil seal that is slightly too small on the OD, and some blue RTV to hold it in, with some success. Another rebuilder packs in several layers of rubber washers and then uses a steel washer abutted to the arm to hold them in. Another uses a metal cap that presses into the body which holds a seal, of sorts. We, and this is not an advert, machine the body to accept a proper fitting oil seal, but we also have to sleeve the shaft to get the dimension and concentricity correct. I wish we could have found a seal that would work directly. In our extensive experience, we have found that the bodies are not always the same dimension.

Richard, I suspect you over filled the shock, which is why it leaked, or the shaft had gotten so worn it could no longer seal. I hope that helps some. Peter
Peter Caldwell

"We, and this is not an advert,..." Since Peter won't blow his own horn, I'll do it for him. I fussed around with rebuilding the shocks on our TD and MGB yeara ago, only to have them start leaking a short time later. When I finally wised up and set the shocks to Peter, I got back shocks that only leaked once and a call to him was all it took to get that shock redone and remain dry ever since. Not only does he do a great job, he stands behind his work completely. You absolutely cannot go wrong sending your shocks to Peter. Cheers - Dave
David DuBois

Hi Peter,

Thanks for the advice. What is the correct quantity or level of oil for the shock absorbers? I initially suspected that the shaft or bush have been worn to the extent that the seal cannot contain oil. Going through the archives is where I came across the discussion on the oil. It just seemed coincidental and I assumed the leak is due to the petroleum oil. I am actually clutching at straws and hoping that I do not have to replace the shocks. I have read about your company but unfortunately the costs of importing the recondition units prohibit this.
RH Davidson

This thread was discussed on 12/06/2007

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