The Midget front suspension uses a lever-arm damper that doubles as the upper suspension link, locating the top of the kingpin via the damper arm. While elegant in its simplicity, the lever-arm damper offers limited damping control by modern standards and is prone to losing fluid and effectiveness with age. A front telescopic conversion replaces the lever-arm unit's damping function with a modern telescopic shock absorber, giving more consistent control and easier future servicing.
How the Conversion Works
Because the lever-arm damper also acts as the top suspension link, a telescopic conversion must retain a means of locating the top of the suspension upright. Conversion kits address this with a fabricated bracket arrangement that mounts the telescopic damper while preserving the geometry of the front suspension. The result is a tunable, consistent damper that does not suffer the internal wear and fluid loss of the original lever-arm design.
Benefits
Telescopic dampers provide more consistent damping across their stroke, better resistance to fade on poor surfaces, and the option of adjustable or uprated units to suit fast road or competition use. They are also far simpler to replace in future than reconditioning a lever-arm unit.
For owners prioritising ride and handling improvement, the front telescopic conversion is one of the most effective suspension upgrades available.
Originality and Ordering Considerations
The conversion alters the appearance of the front suspension and is a departure from factory specification, so owners maintaining a concours car may prefer to retain or recondition the original lever-arm dampers. The conversion is best carried out as a pair to maintain balanced handling, and is commonly combined with uprated front springs. Confirm the front suspension layout of the car before ordering, as the front crossmember and damper mounting arrangement must be matched to the kit.