1935 ROVER 14 SPORTS SALOON SHOCKS

[wobler100]

Hi Mike, I'm a new member & would like to fit telescopic front struts to my 14 P1
Could you let me know which strut & source etc
Many thanks
Kevin

[dhbuchanan]

Get in touch with Mike Couldry of Meteor Spares Service Ltd.: Tel.0115 9811222 ; meteorss@hotmail.com who also has a big ad. in "Freewheel". He may be able to advise you. The telescopic shocks and mounting brackets he supplied for my 1939 20 have made a marked improvement in the way the car drives and holds the road. Potholes are no longer so great a menace to road safety as they were before I fitted this useful modification.
Britain's roads are getting worse and that situation is unlikely to improve any time soon, so do yourself a favour and consider fitting Excelsior Sport radial tyres at the same time if they are available in your size. The difference is phenomenal.

[p2roverman]

Jim
Only just seen this, I very rarely visit the forum.
I've come across a couple of period fittings of telescopics in place of the little 2-bolt vane type front shocks; difficult to know if they were a professional after market item or locally made. Would be able to dig and detail if you wish.

Rear ones. both the illustrations were wrong for a 1935 car. I would expect it to have large two bolt vane type shocks on a bracket standing vertical on the channel cross member. Problem is the action tries to twist this cross member out of the chassis - I solve this by fitting a stay from the top bolt to the round cross member. These shocks are more common and should be available or reconditionable, but as an alternative could you fit a lever arm shock from a typical 1960s car? Would need some bracketry made of course.
Mike

[AFPU]

I have spent years and hundreds of dollars (Australian) getting Luvax shock absorbers reconditioned. I am convinced that they are a waste of effort. The front shocks can be replaced fairly easily by telescopics. Pity to spoil the authenticity of the car but it is a safety issue and the car can shake itself to bits if the shocks are not effective. The rear shocks are a more difficult problem as there s not enough room to install telescopics. What have the UK people done to overcome this?

So can I ask what telescopic shocks you used for the front?

[47p2]

So can I ask what telescopic shocks you used for the front?

Not sure if you will get the answer you're looking for, James Moule hasn't been on the forum for over 10 years. Maybe another member knows the answer. Also worth trying the Rover P3 & All Running Board Rovers Group on Facebook where Ollie Moule might be able to answer your question.

[SHyslop]

I have two prewar cars with have been fitted with telescopic shock absorbers, the one a 37 Rover 10 and the other a 1933 Lanchester 15/18. The Rover was restored some years ago by a chap called Derek Brown and he kept copious records of everything -- except the shock absorbers ! I have it currently in a garage with its nose up against cupboards and another car behind it so I can only see so much this minute. The shock absorbers, at rest, are about 14" long. They are mounted at the top into the wing stay brackets. I will look another day at another Rover to see if the holes are pre-existing or new. At the bottom, the bush is bolted into the existing shock absorber locating eye on the axle.

The Lanchester has slightly more detail and I include it because it may give a starting point for something to look for, albeit a size or two smaller in weight capacity would probably be up to the job. The front shock absorbers are Spax K60VV08 (adjustable), but a search hasn't revealed anything with that reference currently available. These were bought in January 2016 so ten years probably has made a difference. I have had a look up Spax's website and you might find it of use:

https://www.spaxperformance.com/classic-info-downloads/

What did interest me about this particular fitment was that the previous owner had already fitted a new set of Hartford friction shock absorbers and I would have thought, from past experience, that these should have been good but they turned out to be rather poor for a variety of reasons, all probably stemming back to the poor quality of the road surface and the weight of the car. Your 12 will be fine weight wise, in fact, it will be nearly identical to the 10 I have and it has proved very good on what look like standard oil filled units . I can measure the diameter of the 10s units another day if that would be any use. If I jack up a front wheel, that should give a close figure for a fully extended length. Being a four, it is carrying rather less weight at the front than a six and so finding a unit that is the right size without being over heavy or wide may be worth hunting out.

[AFPU]

Thanks SHyslop. At present I am looking at options for rebuilding my existing Luvax shock absorbers, but was interested to know what was involved in fitting telescopic units on the front.