Morris Minor front damper replacement

Banish clonking noises and improve your ride and handling

Weak dampers (shock absorbers) will ruin the ride and handling of any classic. You can test their effectiveness in a crude but simple manner. Bump the corner of the car by pushing down on the wing. It should rebound to its original position and stay there. If it continues to bounce, the damper needs attention.

Morris Minors have lever-arm dampers all round. The fronts double as the upper suspension arms, so they have to deal with a range of extra stress and can wear out quite quickly. Left-hand dampers seem particularly short-lived, most likely due to running on the rough side of the road and soaking up heat from the exhaust below. If the damping is weak, start by checking the oil level. If it’s low, you might get away with topping it up with 15WT suspension (or ‘fork’) oil and addressing the source of the leak. If it’s been used dry for any length of time, though, it’s likely that internal parts have been damaged.

Reconditioned Minor dampers are available off-the-shelf from a number of specialists for around £35, plus a surcharge. Note that you won’t get your surcharge back if your old damper has oval mounting holes due to being loosely-attached.

It’s worth replacing the upper trunnion bushes while you’re there. Rubber items cost less than £2 a pair – and polyurethane versions less than £4 a pair. Always fit new locking tabs under the retaining bolts (£2.50 a pair) and trunnion nut (£1.20). Mounting bolts (£1.80 each) are known to snap, so it’s also a good idea to replace these as a matter of course.