Worked like described

I should mention that I have too many old British cars.There is a long standing belief that sports cars made by British Leyland were poorly made and unreliable. The truth is they were not bad cars, just bad owners. The reputation British sports cars got was mostly inflated propaganda, probably created by a bunch of people who couldn’t even fix a sandwich, much less a broken fan belt.Since British Leyland stopped selling cars in North America in 1981, all of them that are out there in the wild will need perishable parts replaced, as well as hundreds of stupid repairs and botch jobs done by ignorant or mechanically challenged individuals over the past 40+ years.I ordered the KYB Gas-A-Just rear shocks on Amazon because I wanted to try them out on my Brooklands green 1979 Spitfire.My other Spitfire (a Carmine red 1978) recieved Gabriel shocks, which are typically very soft and smooth, but the KYB’s are supposed to be a bit more aggressive and are recommended by other people as being closer to factory original.Both cars have new rear leaf springs from British motor heritage. I recommend you replace the spring when you do the shocks because the shocks alone can’t fix everything.I included pictures for reference.The fourth picture above is the original worn out leaf spring (front) as compared to two new British motor heritage springs.The third picture is of the wheel from the rear, which shows how the car squats when the spring and shock are bad.If this is how your car sits when parked, it’s time to replace the spring, if it just rides poorly and bounces but the car doesn’t squat this badly, then it’s probably just worn out shocks.The second picture shows how the car should sit after replacing the spring and shock.The first picture is of one of our cats, who thinks she has to sit on the cars, included just for fun. Notice that she likes sitting on the convertible soft top over the removable hard top.Yes, I posted the pictures in reverse order. Sorry.With the exception of a stuck nut or bolt or other unforeseen issues, removal and installation of the shocks takes less than 30 minutes. Changing the spring and shocks, under ideal conditions, takes about two hours.So, it’s time to compare the two cars.Driving and cruising:The KYB ride on the green Spitfire is much more firm than the Gabriel. The ride over a rough road is a bit more harsh, but not at all crashy or uncomfortable. Bumps, where you catch a little “air time”, do not bottom out, but there is a minor bounce or rebound after landing. Potholes can be heard and felt but don’t cause your eyes to go big or kick the car out.The Gabriel’s on the red Spitfire smooth everything out, making for quiet easy cruising but eliminating the fun somewhat.Swerves, hard turns, aggressive cornering:Swing axles!!! This is what they were made for! The KYB have instant response with perhaps a bit of drama if pushed beyond the limits. Direction changes are instant and fun. Fast hard cornering keeps the body roll to a bare minimum.The Gabriel’s are softer but just as responsive. There is more body roll on fast corners and it feels like the limits are a bit lower overall. Swerving to avoid an object is more smooth with less drama but feels like the rear end is a bit hesitant about joining the front end in some swerving action.There is no real winner here. Both cars have driving and handling characteristics unique to one another. Before the change, both cars drove pretty much the same as one another, with the exception of a weak leaf spring on one. The difference between them now is night and day.The red 1978 is great for nice long distance cruising on a sunny day with the top down.The green 1979 is great for those twisty hilly roads where all the fun is hiding, with the removable hard top installed to protect your head just in case you have too much fun.I would probably recommend the KYB shocks over others just to give a stock Spitfire 1500 with very little oomph in the power department just a little more excitement. If you have upgraded your 1500 to increase the power, then it becomes even more fun.

Good shick

worked and fit perfect, easy job, did not have an issue.