ANYONE?? do suspension bushings and really love a particular brand??

[xkuntrycowboyx]

Getting some worn bushing and about to do brakes, also have a grinding noise when i turn the wheel.. can't find that prob yet ... but thinking i'll just put in some poly bushing soon next time i'm under there. looking for a well priced but good set. anything you've liked or disliked for any reason about diff brands of them??

the company can say all they want but i like to hear from experience.

thanks for any help!

 

[HISSIN50]

I'm no longer a fan of poly FLCA bushings. I like hard durometer rubber (a la the Terminator arms) or delrin. Poly is as harsh as Delrin but still deflects. If your roads such, I'd not do Delrin though.

I do like poly for sway bars and end links however.

You might wanna check your wheel bearing - they can grind while turning. Ours are sealed so you gotta replace the assembly ($$).

Otherwise, check the brakes for backing plate interference (the pads being worn too far) and the back of the wheels for any interference marks.

Good luck.

 

[xkuntrycowboyx]

about checking that stuff... are there known issues for our racks to do any such grinding.... its not all the time and i still can't pick out what causes it to or not to. its both ways though, and i checked the wheel bearings and i'm pretty sure there was no movement. ... tie rod ends also look good. when i was under there though is when i noticed alot of worn bushings... so i figured i'd look into bushings and budget it into when i do brakes.

so you said.."hard durometer rubber (a la the Terminator arms) or delrin. " where can i find more info on this? any recent threads you remeber i could search for or sites with good info and prices on those bushings??

thanks

 

[HISSIN50]

The delin/del-alum bushings are STUPID expensive (you can have a set of NEW 03 Cobra A-arms for what the bushings cost). But they are neat if you have a weekend car or smooth roads (and are young and don't mind harshness).

The Cobra FLCA's are 160 bucks. If you haven't swapped bushings on FLCA's, it's not something you look forward to. That's why the new Arms are so enticing.

As for finding more info on the delrin/del-alum, you might find some posts on CornerCarvers. I havent read up extensively on them in awhile (since I saw the price of the Mustang versions. If someone knows of cheap ones, post up!). Most of my knowledge of them comes from running them on cars back in the day (rubber bushings weren't as good, so something that didn't degrade was neat).

 

[baglock1]

Delrin (acetal) ----------> Old 'n' busted
UHMW polyethylene ---> The new hotness

Acetal (Delrin is a product name, like Kleenix of NOS) is a good material but has a few drawbacks for use as control arm bushings, especially compared to UHMW (ultra-high molecular weight) polyethylene.

1) Acetal deforms more readily than UHMW over time (using ASTM 256, Acetal's impact strength is 1.5 ft-lbs/in. UHMW's is unlimited at that standard)
2) Acetal is expensive (UHMW is almost dirt cheap)
3) UHMW is dimensionally stable under high loads (like those seen by control arm bushings)
4) Acetal has a higher friction coefficient than UHMW.
5) Acetal is heavier than UHMW.
6) UHMW is dimensionally stable under load

The drawback is the machinability of UHMW. It sucks. Which is probably why the manufacturers don't use it. I'm currently in the process of machining a set for my Griggs k-member and have walked away from it 3 times because it pisses me off. Currently I'm working on tossing the material in the freezer for an hour followed by 5 minutes on the lathe. It helps.

Anyways, the point I was trying to make is if you have the capability, just buy some UHMW stock and have the bushings made (or make them yourself if you have a lathe). Delrin bushings from Griggs are about $120 if memory serves. I spent about $12 on the UHMW stock I'm using. You do the math.