Spring plate *rotation* and Netrix bushings?
 

Hello all, just replaced my 27mm t-bars with 30mm this weekend. When removing the spring plates from the torsion bar tubes, the bushings remained in the *tube* and the spring plate pulled out of the bushing. Does that make sense?

Anyway, is there a problem with this? I thought I had read that the spring plate and the bushing need to act as *one* and rotate in the torsion bar tube??

Have I been smoking the wrong stuff :)

-B

bushings...
 

When I installed my new swing arms, bushings and t-bars, my bushings(squeaky red ones) stayed put in the tube....:confused:

Yep. The rubber bushing is supposed to remain attached to the tube and deform/twist as the spring plate moves. It's not supposed to allow the plate tube to "spin" within the bushing.

I don't know how much of a problem this would cause other than eventually wearing the I.D. of the bushing. Which would eventually end up causing some slop.

Poly/plastic bushings are different.

I believe Netrix bushings distort like stock bushings do. Just curious, did you super glue them to the spring plate when you installed them, as suggested?

I just put some on my car and so far they are great. I had to re-index the t-bars a few times (don't ask) and they always came out with the spring plate. But, I super glued them to the spring plates and cleaned-up the T-bar tube really well, so it was smooth.

Thanks guys.....

Yes, I did glue them, but obviously not enough.

The spring plate tube and the inner part of the bushing are a really tight fit, so much so that I had to use teflon-based grease to get them back together. This is probably not what Porsche had in mind, but I figure something's gotta be moving, why not lubricate it :)

Maybe Chuck will chime in, but I *believe* his Elephant Racing bronze bushing setup works in a similar fashion since it has a zirk fitting and the grease channels will lube the inner bushing and the bushing on the spring plate tube.... Note: I am looking at pictures only and do not pretend to know how they really work :)

-B

Brad, you did describe the PolyBronze bearings correctly. They are a true bearing, not a bushing, they allow free movement and are lubricated.

Neatrix is a rubber bushing and is not supposed to slide. It accomodates movement by deformation only. They are suppose to be glued to the spring plates and held in the torsion tube by friction.

In your case, I would pull them out of the torsion tubes. If they are in good shape and you want to re-use them, re-glue them to the spring plates using a bit more superglue this time.

Thanks Chuck......as if on cue :)

-B

Brad,

I'm also curious if your tubes were smooth when you installed the bushings. Mine were "caked" with old bushing material and some pitting :(

I cleaned them up really well, thinking it would be easier to slide the bushings in and out. Just a thought.

Hey Chad aka "Chili", yep, I really cleaned them up. I wonder which, if any lubricant, can be used when putting things together. It doesn't sound like we should be using any. Then again, I did not sand down the perimeter of the bushings, I just crammed them in the tube and they are tight.

-B

I used a little soap and water. I believe Chuck said that would be ok. They were not easy to get in and out, but at least they came out all together. Yes, the are "crammed" in there all right!

Yes, they're a tight fit alright.

I used silicone spray to help slide them in. Silicone eventually goes away and you're left with a tight fit. What you don't want to use is a petroleum grease like wheel bearing/CV joint/axle grease. Petro. grease turns the rubber bushings into goo.

I was thinking silicone too. Hmm.
I was just concerned about using soap and water because of the thought of trapping moisture in there.

Deformation of Neatrix bushings is a pipe dream. I glued the stink out of them and they still squeak or find a way to slide. Lube the snot of em' with a rubber safe grease (like Dow valve lubricant) or use Chuck's bushings. I mean bearings...or do I mean bushing...

Ok, I'm getting concerned. I have another post....
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/porsche-911-technical-forum/134212-opinions-netrix-bushings-wanted.html

Can you guys comment? Any pics? Mine aren't squeeking, but how can I tell if they are deforming or spinning?

I think moisture is going to get in there anyway.

My torsion bar tube (within the chassis) had some tiny surface rust areas that I treated with POR-15. The bushing retainer was scary rusty:

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1067893667.jpg

I don't think it's a big deal if they slide. Just so long as they stay lubed so they don't wear out. Problem is, keeping them lubed is pretty much impossible.

Seems strange that BG's would squeak. The rubber ones shouldn't squeak at all? :confused:

Kevin, that was off your 87? That IS scary!

-B

Brad,

Yes. That's off my 87. Which is basically a rust-free body other than a few small spots. Those spots being, one underneath the passenger door sill trim and the other being in the lower, driver side windshield channel. Both easy repairs (well, if the windshield is out ;) )

I was amazed how trashed the bushing retainers were. Glad they're cheap to replace!

I was scared until I saw you were in Ill. Glad they don't use salt here! You guys should really wage a campaign to stop salt use -- kills all the fish and aquatic wildlife too.

Agreed.

Some towns in IL don't use deicing stuff. Just regular plowing followed with sand. That would be fine with me. My AWD Plymouth Laser does just fine in the snow and ice (thanks to the Michelin Arctic Alpins :D ).

As far as the other motorists? Slow down, use caution and most importantly...... ditch the cell phone. Might save a few lives, along with some fishes.

You think that cover is bad. Mine were literaly falling to pieces. There were large rust holes in the cover. I could have jabbed them with a screwdriver and they would have disintegrated. They were one of the 1st things I replaced on my car.