The MGB uses a double wishbone front suspension arrangement with coil springs and lever arm shock absorbers. A hefty front suspension crossmember is attached to the bodyshell with two bolts on either side. The lower wishbones pivot from the crossmember, with spring pans between the front and rear wishbone arms to locate the coil springs. At the top, the coil springs seat in inverted cups formed by the crossmember extremities.
Hydraulic lever arm shock absorbers sit on top of these cups, with their lever arms forming the upper wishbone. The upper and lower wishbones hold the vertical swivel arm assemblies with stub axles for the wheel hubs.
Front Suspension Components
The front anti-roll bar was an optional extra from the start of production, standardised on the GT from 1965 with a stiffer bar than the Roadster, and on the Roadster from November 1966. From the start of rubber bumper production the V8 front crossmember was fitted to four-cylinder cars, raising ride height by approximately one and a half inches to meet bumper height regulations. The crossmember now differed between LHD and RHD cars. The Roadster lost its front anti-roll bar entirely from September 1974, it was only reintroduced in June 1976 for the 1977 model year with stiffer bars on both models.
V8 front hubs were introduced on four-cylinder models from the 1977 model year. Front coil springs are available across all production variants, with lowered road springs at 480lb rate for a modest ride height reduction. Wishbone arms, complete wishbone kits, and negative camber wishbone sets are available. Inner wishbone pivot bushes are available in standard rubber, polyurethane, and heavy-duty V8 specification.
Anti-roll bars are available in 9/16-inch, 5/8-inch, and 3/4-inch Special Tuning heavy-duty specification, with bushes in rubber and polyurethane. Complete front suspension rebuild kits in standard and polyurethane specifications are available.
Shock Absorbers & Crossmember
Front Armstrong lever arm shock absorbers are available as reconditioned exchange units in standard and uprated specifications, the uprated unit providing approximately 30 per cent greater damping. An adjustable Armstrong damper valve allows owners to tune damping rate on existing units. The front crossmember is available on exchange for chrome bumper cars. Crossmember mounting bolts, upper and lower mounting pads in rubber and polyurethane, and metal clamping plates are all available.
Front bump stops, spacers, and complete bump stop kits are available. Top trunnion kits in standard, fast road, and race urethane specifications, the fulcrum pin, and top hat and barrel type upper fulcrum bushes in rubber and polyurethane are all available.
Stub Axles & Hubs
Stub axle assemblies with top trunnion are available as new units and reconditioned exchange for both sides, with a higher-specification option using needle roller bearings for smoother steering action. King pin kits are supplied as a pair with stub axle bushes, O-rings, and thrust washers. Front hub bearing kits, oil seals, bearing spacers, and wheel bearing shims are available, the shim should give an end float of 0.002 to 0.004 inches. Front wire wheel hubs are available in 8 TPI and 12 TPI for both sides, 12 TPI for early cars to approximately February 1964, 8 TPI for all subsequent production.
Grease caps, hub studs, retaining washers, and slotted hub nuts are all available.