Good Parts shock links installation & Lever shocks servicing

[@GraphicMill]

Elin, the great work you did made such a difference. Thank you! I'm happy to see that the shock was in good shape and I now know its history and condition. When you buy a car and there is no documentation as to what has been reworked or replaced, you are only guessing the condition of the current parts. The rear shocks are now in excellent condition and I have a date as to when it was completed. The OrangePeelr is getting better and better. Thank you again!

[@GraphicMill]

Wow!!! I was just wishing you had a lift and POOF, I open KZbin and there is your video about installing a lift! Just in time to do an exhaust system! lol Congratulations Elin! You so deserve this’. I have a rolling stool that I don’t use, so I’ll drop it off when I see you. Next, you need some lights. I’ll see what I have.

[@davehogye576]

I don't know of any parts that could be better than what Richard Good has to offer. Super high standards. The description of how the lever shocks work is worth sharing. Good description. Nice thorough work as usual. Cheers.

[@BruceBoschek]

It is amazing and ironic how easy it is to repair and improve these cars from the 1950s to 1970s than if you were doing the same work back then. These cars did not fare well and were often sold as junk after just 6 or 8 years. If you bought one in 1975 and wanted to restore it you would have had a terrible time finding new parts and certainly there would be few improved parts available. I know about that from personal experience. Jaguars and Mercedes Benz cars were even worse. Thanks for another very valuable video, Elin!

[@philtucker1224]

Very true-and even more so now with 100k EVs that are only worth 5 or 10 k now after just 6 to 8 years!

[@davidwarr8600]

I bought a brand new Toyota Corolla SR5 in 1976. By 1980 it was rusting all over the place. The front bulk head rusted out. The steering box broke off from the subframe. I put two gas tanks in it. I vowed I would never buy another Toyota and I haven’t. Yet my GT6 is 55 years old and is still on the road along with a lot of other Triumphs. I don’t see any Toyotas anymore from those days. Lots of cars in those days were junk after only a half dozen years. Finding parts for Triumphs was never a problem.

[@robertfountain4856]

You were talking about thickening up the shock absorber oil. In other words adjusting the viscosity. We made a device to measure it which is most easily described as a cup with a hole in the bottom. Ours was made of metal. Simply collect the old oul in the cup (finger blocking the hole) and time the oil running into a cheap cookery measuring cup so thin oil takes E seconds to fill the measuring up to say 100ml and thick oil takes 2xE seconds. Make sure both oils are at the same tempreture. Once you know the viscosity of the old you can adjust the new oil to make it a harder of softer action of the shock. Oh ... to fill those old style shockers please fill from the top as the adjuster itself takes up internal space. When installed last it could create a permanent internal pressure forcing the seals to leak. The last one I worked on had no vent so excess oil couldn't be expelled.

[@alanm.4298]

Hi Elin, Another great video! I did a lot of research years ago, trying to decide whether to modify my TR4 to use modern tube shocks at the rear or not. I have Koni shocks up front. In the end I stuck with the Armstrong lever shocks because they're reliable and easily "tunable". All the TR series cars use DAS9 shocks (with different levers installed, to fit different models). The factory-prepped rally cars used one size larger DAS10, primarily for their larger oil capacity that helped dissipate heat when the shocks were getting hard use. Unfortunately, that upgrade also requires a larger mounting plate be welded onto the chassis, as well as a longer shock link. So I started looking elsewhere for ideas. Like you did in the video, I simply increased the oil viscosity to make the shocks stiffer. So far, so good. However I've been warned that using heavier oil in Armstrongs tends to cause seals to fail quickly. Tony Drews, who has vintage raced TR4 for years, advises against it. He recommends using heavier valve dampening, instead. Speaking of which, to change the dampening valve effect there are the tricks you mentioned... adding washers or installing a heavier spring. That's a bit "trial and error" though (which Tony has done and ended up destroyng a pair of shocks). One alternative is an adjustable dampening valve, which I found still available from at least one source in Europe (look much like the valve you removed from the 2nd shock, with 2 o-rings). Something else I've heard but haven't tried is replacing the TR dampening valves with a set of them taken from MGB front Armstrong lever shocks (which are quite different design, but same principle and some same internal parts). Supposedly this increases dampening about 25% and is a good option when using heavy duty leaf springs, like I am on my TR4. I don't know how it would work with the IRS cars like the TR6. Thanks for all your videos, including this one that I'm sure many I people will find very heloful! P.S. On my TR4's Armstrong shocks, there was a fill port in the top, inside corner, with a small plug threaded into it. No need to remove the top cover at all, or to turn the shock upside down to fill through the dampening valve port. Maybe that fill port was omitted from later shocks.

[@cheftush]

I have the heavier valves installed in my TR6 levers along with thicker oil. They work great.

[@cheftush]

Very Nice engineering from Goodparts.

[@justmike247]

hey Elin, those Imperial adjustable wrenches... are they for left or right handed threads?? ;) excellent vid as usual...

[@Welder-y5x]

Thanks Elin very informative and Just for a second John Lennon was in the house, such honeyed vocal chords you should have been in a boy band.

[@iceman9678]

Another shocking video. We loved it!

[@tomswindler64]

Nice,good upgrade.😎😎😎👍👍👍

[@pda49184]

Great video Elin.. This is an often overlooked part of TR ownership except if you're racing--rallying them. Normally by the time a lot of owners are getting round to maintain the Armstrong's, you need oxyacetylene to tackle the nuts & bolts as you'll know .. Has the owner done the diff as well ?

[@kevinbrooks1607]

I would have done a proper shocker conversion,seem to work far better

[@kawzx9r_036]

If the oil in them had been bad, is it simply draining it out as you did this oil or does it need to be flushed/cleaned somehow?

[@johnmalone407]

Nice additions. Would these be a good upgrade on my 70 TR6?

[@cheftush]

Absolutely John. Much better than stock especially with the quality of the rubber in the ball joints of the stock ones…

[@johnmalone407]

@@cheftush thanks David, I’ll see if Elin would have the time, since it’s getting into his busy season.

[@quentinwyne297]

So, the rear sway bar links. Would they not have a tendency to catch anything that might fly under the car, like a garbage bag or other piece of flotsam and jetsam from our so terribly littered highways?

[@philtucker1224]

Yes possibly but not likely to reduce its performance.

[@GraphicMill]

I was thinking the same thing. I wonder if I should adapt some sort of shroud to cap that sway bar end. Anything that could hook onto that sway bar would simply slip off. Thinking cap is on!!

[@JohnCarey1963Jag]

GT6 ???