Get yourself some cheap new shock absorbers!

[Jack]

I've just picked up my new shocks (x4 - front and rear) which I won on EBay for £20, only to fined that the bloke who advertised them has a pallet full of Maestro / Montego shocks! I assume he got them as a job lot very cheap.

Anyway, if you need new shocks all round and are not too far from North Birmingham (or he may post them) then try:
sales@surplusuk.com

Just need some MG springs now!

[MG1600S]

What make are they? - any part numbers, as the spring bases and ratings are different between models.

[talkingcars]

This is the response I got

QH are the manufacturer.

Fronts are 129116 with a spring pan height of 264mm
Rears are 127314 with a Spring pan height of 179mm

Only the early cars had a different SPH all of the later ones, Montego & Maestro, used these.


Steve


IIRC the fronts are for diesel, estate and turbo only and not all models.

James

[E_T_V]

If you are changing all the shocks then the height doesn't matter (the springs were the same for both shock heights). Your ride height may be alteres a little but only a little. less than 10mm IIRC

[talkingcars]

It maters when you want a ground hugging slab slammer of a lowdown baby -

which incedently

is wot i dose want!

[PegasusTurbo]

Hi there,

Your shortest front dampers are 250mm and shortest rears are 154mm. With the Motobuild 2" lowering springs make the ride height a lot lower. But I found that this make`s for poor ride comfort as they are not matched properly.

[E_T_V]

That and every speed bump rips the sump off :D

[talkingcars]

Both my estate and my maestro EFi were lowered by 2", never hit the sump on a hump in either, must be because I drive past them with one wheel on the hump and one off.

[E_T_V]

I've not had a lowered maesty yes, but I've heard people smashing the sump on the O series quite regularly when lowered by an inch. I fancy lowering my van, but even that as standard has had its sump smashed. I've now found a good solution, the mother of all sump guards :D

[talkingcars]

Lowering the rear of the van is not so easy, as it has leaf springs. When I had one I considered making up a pair of lowering blocks, a simple plate that would have 3 pairs of holes, two would bolt to the bottom mount where the hub bottom normally bolted, the top hub mount would match the bottom hub and the 3rd set would connect the hub top.

[E_T_V]

I thought it was just a case of getting some lowering blocks and some longer U bolts.

[talkingcars]

As the van is the only motor I have owned in 22 years of driving and about 20 vehicles that have leaf springs perhaps you are correct

[E_T_V]

Yes I think I am, I looked over the weekend (I've been spending FAR too many hours under that van welding it up) and longer U bolts and a set of plates of an appropriate length should do nicely. Anyone got a lowered pair of front shocks they don't need? as the only ones I've seen come in full sets to lower the Maestro cars.

[PegasusTurbo]

Hi folks,

I have hit my sump, but not on the road. The only time i have damged my sump is off road, but it was inevitable that the sump would be hit no matter what height the car was. I don`t know how people hit there sump`s with standard height or lowered. My mum destroyed a sump in her car. She went down a dip and caught a broken metal stump. I said to here din`t you see that? She said no. So i guess i must be either very visually aware of the road or just plain lucky. I now have have 16" wheels and soon switchinf to 17`s, but even when i had 15`s it was fine. My two MG`s have both been lowered 2" with 5 years of driving Maestros.

[Jack]

I dented my sump and it's a standard height diesel. It was travelling too fast down a farm track and entering a dip which then caused the suspension to compress and I hit the other side.

No damage was done initially other than a dent in the sump, so I drove back to work. When I got back into the car to come home the oil light did not go out. I quickly switched off and phoned the AA who towed me home.

At home I dropped the sump, bashed out the dent, straightened and checked the oil pickup pipe for cracks, dropped the sump again, did everything on the Haynes list of possible problems and was about to give up when I checked the oil pressure relief valve - it was stuck open with a shard of metal which presumably came unstuck when I bashed the sump. I re-fitted it and all was well.

Incidentally, the AA man said Maestros were known for sump damage as they used to have Maestro vans in the AA.

[E_T_V]

Yes the O series (petrol or diesel) is lower than the other engines so more prone to being clobbered by speed bumps etc. I've managed to get myself the mother of all sump gards though so lowered van here we go!.