For owners wanting to move beyond incremental upgrades to a fundamentally transformed front suspension, complete conversion systems are available that replace the original lever arm and coil spring arrangement with modern, fully adjustable alternatives. The coil-over unit, combining coil spring and telescopic damper in a single assembly, provides modern damping characteristics, adjustable spring preload, and in some specifications adjustable damping, with significantly easier servicing than the original layout.
Hoyle Coil-Over Conversion
The Hoyle coil-over front suspension conversion is the most comprehensive front suspension upgrade available, designed and manufactured by Hawk Cars and Hoyle Engineering for MGB and Rover V8 applications. The system replaces the four wishbone arms, spring pans, lever arm shock absorbers, coil springs, bump stops, and anti-roll bar link arms with a complete new double wishbone coil-over assembly. Click-adjustable, rebuildable Gaz coil-over damper units feature adjustable spring seats for ride height, with independent adjustment of rebound, camber, and castor, making the conversion equally suited to a fast road car requiring daily usability and a track car demanding precise circuit setup.
The lower wishbone pivots from the original suspension are retained and must be in good condition. Castor is adjusted via shim washers at the top wishbone to stub axle connection. Camber is adjusted via snail cams on a special high-tensile lower kingpin bolt, adjustable with an allen key after slackening the retaining nut. Anti-roll bar drop links are replaced with rose-jointed items.
Springs supplied are 300lb rated 2¼-inch internal diameter units, with alternative rates available. Stub axles and steering arms are not included. Fitting requires modification to the front crossmember, a curved section cut from each end and gusset plates welded in, which can be done in situ using the supplied template, or a pre-modified crossmember exchange is available. Setup is at full ride height with bottom wishbones horizontal, ½ to 1 degree negative camber for road use, and 1/16-inch toe-in.
AVO Coil-Over Conversion
The AVO coil-over front suspension conversion is a well-established upgrade. The kit includes the coil-over damper units, mounting brackets that pick up on the original chassis fixing points, and the small components needed to integrate with the original wishbones and kingpin assembly.
The original lower wishbone is retained, while the upper lever arm damper is removed and replaced with the coil-over assembly providing both damping and upper suspension support. Kits are available in standard road, fast-road, and adjustable damping specifications, with coil spring rates matched to front-end weight.
Bolt-On Telescopic Conversion
A more straightforward alternative comprises uprated tubular wishbone arms, cast damper mounting units, pre-set gas-filled dampers, polyurethane bushes, lower damper mounting brackets, and a complete fitting kit. This delivers improved grip and front-end feel without harshness, compatible with standard, lowered, and uprated springs. As all of these conversions change the suspension geometry from the lever arm system, installation should be carried out by a workshop familiar with the conversion or an experienced home mechanic with the appropriate tools and equipment.