Suspension
Shock absorbers, springs & shackles
A basic requirement for shock absorbers to work fine is that the springs and shackles are all in good shape and well greased. Springs should never be painted, or show signs of rust. Make it a habit to regular clean the springs and separate the leaves to get some grease in between the leaves. Ideal for lubricating spring leaves is Wynn's Viscotene. It's thin when sprayed but becomes a sticky lubricant once settled. It can not easily be washed off.
Separating the leaves can of course only be done if the bolts of the clips holding the blades in line together are removed. In some cases there are no bolts but are the clips "folded over". In that case it is worth taking the springs off the car and modify the clips to take bolts facilitating future maintenance.
All VA's were originally fitted with Luvax shock absorbers front & rear. Regular maintenance demands regular checking of tightness of all connecting rods and nuts and other fixings. Replace worn rubbers in time.
Check oil level of the shock absorbers frequently and top up if required using an oil can with a flexible spout filled with the appropriate oil for the dampers on your VA. The oil used in round (vane type) Luvax dampers differs from the piston type damper oil. Do not mix !!
The oil used in round (vane type) Luvax dampers differs from the piston type damper oil. Do not mix
Some modern day testing guided by The shock absorber expert Aert van der Goes lead to the following conclusion:
Telescopic shock absorber replacements
Shock absorbers which are dimensionally perfect are:
Front:
Koni 80-1349, Length fully extended 386mm, fully compressed 257mm.
Damping forces @ 0,33m/sec in Bump 450N, Rebound 900N.
Heavier alternative with same dimensions is Koni 80-1350.Forces @ 0,33 m/sec in
Bump 750N; Rebound 1050N
Both types have been designed for VW.
Rear:
Koni 80-2584, designed for Fiat.
Length fully extended 416mm, fully compressed touching built-in bump stop to avoid damper bottoming out internally =285mm Height of bump stop is 17mm.
(All dimensions measured from centre to centre.)
If necessary Koni dampers can be revalved to suit the customer's requirements!
The firewall mounted spill valve
Worn shackle pins
There do exist special leave spring lubricators (by Terry,). You can also force a screwdriver blade in between the leaves to make room for greasing. Rusted spring leaves will not allow the shock absorbers to do their work! You will notice the difference.
Up until chassis number VA 1914 Luvax Fingertip Control type which are adjustable from the drivers seat were a standard factory fitting.
From VA 1915 the Fingertip Control was replaced by ordinary Luvax vane type shock absorbers. They did however still have a provision to alter the rate of damping.
A Fingertip Control system compromises of a control knob under the steering column, which operates through a Bowden cable to a firewall mounted spill valve, and pressure pump activated by the movement of the rear axle, four type BR 16 vane type shock absorbers and many feet of copper piping.
"Fingertip" system lay out
A BR 16 rear shock absorber including the bracket holding the pressure pump showing the operating rod in between the pump and the shock absorber arm.
A typical shock absorber problem causing a hard to find rattle.
A modern day improvement front and rear. Although not original it is a great improvement in the VA's road behaviour
A very late VA chassis (photo Gareth Fineberg) fitted with Luvax piston type shock absorbers.
BdV
Spring Data for MG VA as mentioned in The Complete Workshop and Tuning Manual by W.E. Blower 6th edition 1957
VA rear springs Silentbloc Bushes
The Silentbloc Bushes that you need are 1 1/8 inches outside dia., 1/2 inches inside dia. for the bolt, inner metal sheath is 2 inches long and outer metal sheath is 1 3/4 inches long.
John Bannister
The Silentbloc Bushes that you need are 1 1/8 inches outside dia., 1/2 inches inside dia. for the bolt, inner metal sheath is 2 inches long and outer metal sheath is 1 3/4 inches long.
John Bannister