Why tube shocks rock

This week, we performed a tube shock conversion on this cool Bugeye called ‘Cinnamon.” We did this because this is a performance car with a performance driver, and the lever shocks were not keeping the tire on the road uniformly while going over bumps, particularly during spirted driving. It’s really hard to have two mated lever shocks (they often have different damping left and right). Tube shocks are always uniform so you get symmetrical performance left and right.

The tube shocks will better dampen the bumps and ensure the tire contact patch is always optimized, and the increased negative camber will also improve handling. Reliability and longevity, as well as control and performance… these are the benefits of our front tube shock conversion kit. And Cinnamon will enjoy these benefits going forward!

We go through tons of lever shocks in our building.

Great shocks are required for a wonderful ride in any Spridget, but the original lever shocks are a serious wear item, constantly aging-out and leaking. Even the rebuilt ones are not as good as they used to be, and we’ve had to struggle to find a great and reliable source for the lever shocks we sell.

*Should you want to keep your stock Bugeye stock, we do offer the best rebuilt front lever shocks available, which you can purchase by clicking* *the above photo.*

I love the way the correct lever shocks ride. They are the perfect balance of performance and comfort on a tiny car that needs all the comfort it can get… but lately we’ve been moving in the direction of this tube shock conversion simply because it eliminates the dependency on the old-fashioned lever shock design. While these are a little more pricey than the lever shocks, if you think about changing your lever shocks every three years or so (which has sadly become the norm), it’s a great way to economize in the long haul because the tube shocks should last 10 to 20 years.

*The front tube shock conversion upon installation.* *Hey, want slotted and vented brake rotors? Click here to get yours!*

Moreover, these are adjustable so we start them out on the soft setting and as they wear, you can turn them up and still stretch some life out of these shock absorbers. And finding a new tube shock replacement when these do one day wear-out is a lot easier than waiting for the lever shocks to be rebuilt and then finding that they leak again all too soon.

The dial at the base of each tube shock allows you to dial in your desired shock stiffness, or, as we like to do, you can start out on a soft setting and slowly crank up the stiffness as the shock ages to maintain a consistent ride throughout and prolong the life of the shock.

So with all that said, we are strongly recommending this lever shock conversion for all the builds that we’re doing and we invite you to purchase it and install it yourself. This kit also adds negative camber and improved handling to your Spridget. In fact, once installed, your car will sport about 3 degrees of negative camber, instead of the slightly positive camber that came stock from the factory. This keeps more rubber on the road when cornering, and adds increased traction and performance, plus better handling.

This photo shows the negative camber added with the tube shock conversion on another car we did a tube shock conversion on. It adds about 3 degrees of negative camber, which aids performance in higher-speed cornering.

Take a look at the pictures of the final installed product-this is not difficult to install. If you have new control arms with holes drilled-through on both sides, you’re in luck, because the tube shock adaptor mounts through those bolt holes. If you don’t have holes on the backside of your control arm, you’ll either need new control arms (that we sell here) or you’ll need to remove them from the car and drill out both sides so that the tube shock mount can attach to the control arm.

You’ll need these three holes on both sides of your lower control arm to mount the lower shock mount bracket. New control arms (available here) come pre-drilled, but if yours are not, you will either need to drill them yourself or replace the control arm.

Doing this conversion also presents a wonderful opportunity to upgrade to front disc brakes if you have not already done so! This will allow you to get the most out of your Bugeye’s new suspension. You can find that kit here.

If you’d like to take the opportunity to upgrade your front brakes and install new loaded spindle assemblies while doing the shock conversion, you can get the complete front disc brake conversion by clicking on the above photo.

This is a new highly recommended product and we know you’ll love the ride and performance! This kit fits all Sprites and Midgets with lever shocks, from 1958-1980. Installation on later square Sprites does not require relocating the brake line fitting as shown on Bugeyes and Mark 2 Sprites/Mark 1 Midgets.

*Only two major modifications are necessary when installing this kit on a Bugeye: drilling a fourth hole for the upper control arm assembly* *and relocating the brake hose to the inner fender and re-forming the hard brake line.*

You can return your old lever shocks to us as cores, and we will rebuilt them and give them a new life.

Check out the video above for more information, or feel free to call us with questions! You can order your own front tube shock conversion by clicking on the photo below, or access our full catalog by clicking here!