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Would anyone care to share their experiences with the oil filled vane type shock absorbers on the 6th Series cars.
Firstly what grade of oil works best in an old shock absorber.
Has anyone come up with a practical means of overhauling these units? Alternatively is there a period correct alternative noting that they were apparently considered unsuccessful in their day.
I cleaned mine out as best I could given that they are fully sealed, then primed them with oil many years ago. I don't recall the grade of oil but they are now next to useless in damping the suspension.

DavidM,

Folks use hydraulic jack oil or front fork oil. There have been several discussions about these shocks on the website. Here is one such discussion.

There is no easy way to overhaul these shocks in a typical home garage. I have used Five Points Classic Shocks in CA for rebuilding and been satisfied with the results. Reasonable prices and reasonable turn-around time.

Tom

No doubt hydraulic jack oil and fork oil are good choices. I've always leaned toward using hydraulic oils like Mobil's mostly because they are available in several viscosities.

I have spoken to the folks at Apple Hydraulics about rebuilding them and they said they could do it, but the cost is almost $1,000 for a set of four.

Jim Wayman
29 640 Phaeton

Thanks for all of the replies, I will look for an hydraulic oil with a viscosity towards the high end but suspect they are in need of more than a heavier oil. Having them rebuilt in US is not an option from here in Australia. I think its time to strip one and machine out the weld on the back that holds them together, to see what is inside and to learn how to rebuild them.

Quote:
After exploring the Apple, Five Points and major Packard Vendor options with freight and core charges also figured in the price landed in Australia doubles. Luckily I found a local guy, Tony "Shocks" who does them for AU$250 each. However Tony has since retired but can sometimes be cajoled or persuaded to do a few more, that is if he's available or contactable.

Thanks for that Mal, maybe if Tony "Shocks" wants to stay retired he can be persuaded to give me advice on doing them myself. If you have his contact details I can get them from you on Sunday next.