Armstrong lever arm dampers are used at all four corners throughout production, from 1962 to 1980. While the standard units provide adequate road manners when in good condition, worn dampers are one of the most common causes of vague handling and excessive body movement. Before replacing dampers outright, it is worth knowing that the Armstrong unit can be uprated through the fitment of an adjustable valve, which allows the damping rate to be tuned to suit the owner's preference or driving style without replacing the complete unit.
How Uprating Works
Uprated lever arm dampers offer firmer damping than the standard factory specification while retaining the original lever arm layout. They are reconditioned units with revised internal valving, typically altered orifice sizes that affect the rate at which fluid can pass between the damper chambers, increasing the damping force at a given piston velocity. The result is a firmer, more controlled ride suited to fast-road or hard-driven use. Uprated dampers are available for both front and rear positions, with the front damper performing both damping and upper suspension link functions, so its rebuild specification must preserve the link function, while the rear damper is purely a damping element and simpler to specify and rebuild.
When to Choose Uprated, and Compatibility
Uprated lever arm dampers are a good choice for owners who want improved damping but prefer to retain the original suspension layout. They suit cars fitted with uprated springs where the original damping is too soft, cars used hard or in spirited driving, and any car where the standard damping has felt under-damped from new. One important compatibility note for rubber bumper cars, if a lowering kit is fitted and lever arm dampers are retained, chrome bumper type shock absorber link arms are required, as the link arm differs between chrome and rubber bumper cars and must be matched correctly to the conversion. Reconditioned dampers offer service life comparable to new factory items, and lever arm dampers can be rebuilt repeatedly, with the body and most internals reusable and only the seals, valving, and fluid renewed.
For owners looking to move beyond lever arm dampers entirely, a full range of front and rear telescopic conversion kits is also available.