How many hours to do suspension bushings?

[bigrubberjeep]

i was thinking of taking on this project over this weekend. How many hours (no air tools) should I plan on? Any suggestions before I start cranking?

[Thomas Owen]

The front bushings are usually straight forward. Replace entire front in 2 -3 hours. The rear can be difficult. There are many stories on this board about trying to get the trailing arm off and the torsion bar/bushing assembly out. I have done this on 2 911's and neither required a lot of heat or pounding. You must remember that the ride height of the car, along with the rear alignment will need to be performed when you are finished. Sometimes the ride height alone can take several hours of tedious work. I would do this: spend Saturday removing and cleaning the parts. Get everything new laid out and then make a fresh start on Sunday with the install. Monday schedule an alignment.
Good luck, use plenty of jackstands and blocks. Oh, one last thing: sometimes a bigger hammer is not always the best idea!

[bigrubberjeep]

Thanks for the info, I was thinking of doing the front first anyhow since they squeek and the rear doesnt.

[Randy Webb]

a lot will depend on what you have available to do the rears -- with a torch and stationary wire brush you can get the old rubber off in a couple hours once dismounted.

w/o those it coul dbe a lot longer. if no torch go buy a propane or maybe MAPP gas handheld torch at a hardware store. and can use a drill mounted wire brush

[bigrubberjeep]

I think I will just tackle the front for now. Thanky ou for the info though Randy. Iwill keep it in mind hwne the rear become my project of choice

[KTL]

The fronts are not too bad. Biggest hassle can be disconnecting the ball joint from the strut. Wedge pin (if you don't have Bilstein struts) can be stubborn to get out. Heating up the A-arm with a torch and then twisting the bushing housing off with a big screwdriver is the way to go.

Same goes for the rear. No need to waste your time (like I did) and cut, slice, tear, chew, grind away at the big hunk of rubber on that spring plate. With a sharp utility razor knife, simply run a deep slice around the circumference of the bushing where it butts up against the spring plate. Then heat the inside of the torsion bar tube portion of the spring plate with your propane torch. When you see the bushing starting to smoke, you should be able to twist it off in one piece with a big pair of channel lock pliers.

Be sure to get a new pair of the metal plates that secure the spring plate to the body. Mine were trashed:

Anybody else have one this bad?

[JP911]

You could probably do it in a weekend if there are no surprises. Also, because I can't stand putting nasty looking/dirty parts back on my car, things always take a bit longer. When I did my bushings, I sanded my A-arms, primered, and repainted them. I guess I'm just a bit anal. The rear is a whole different story. As said by others, they really suck...on so many levels.

[bigrubberjeep]

Hum....I was looking for Bushing here on Pelican and I only see 2 for the front. I dont see any bushing for the outside of the A arm. Is that right?

[KTL]

That's right. There's only two pivot bushings per A-arm. The outside is occupied by the ball joint which attaches to the bottom of the strut housing.

[bigrubberjeep]

Well I don't find the outside one on the ball joint. Any tips

[KTL]

There's no bushing on the ball joint. It's a self-contained swivel/pivot and doesn't need one.

Four bushings are all you need to replace the bushings on the A-arm pivots. Trust me.

The only other bushings on there are for the sway bar. They might need replacing too as the sway bar does plenty of work.

Just remember that the A-arm bushings aren't a slap-'em-on-there kinda job. You need to shape the Weltmeister ones to the A-arm assembly. Rubber ones must be replaced by someone set up to do this (like SmartRacing's subcontractor) or you replace the entire A-arm which comes equipped with the new rubber bushings. Or get the new hot setup and put on the Elephant Racing PolyBronze bad boys.

[bigrubberjeep]

So it's not something I can do out of my garage? I thought it was just a sleve inside of the tube part of the A-arm? Ok now Im worried. Damn! Just when I thought I was on my way to a squeekless car

[1973911s]

BRJ,

I sent you a PM.

Michael

[yeuporsch]

BRJ,

Front A arms are easy to do in a weekend with regular tools. I am doing the rear right now with neatrix and also monoballs. It is a pain in the a...I am going on 3 weeks now.

John

[bigrubberjeep]

Thank John, I kind of figured that but Andial doesnt have themin stock so I got wait.

Michael: You got a PM

[c2 rower]

If the front was squeaking, check to see if the torsion bars were rubbing thru the paint. That is what happened to mine. You have to use some emery paper in finer grits to smooth the surface to get rid of nicks, then prime/paint and cover with grease for corrosion protection. The outer surface of the T bars see the highest stresses!

[Chuck Moreland]

Originally posted by bigrubberjeep
So it's not something I can do out of my garage? I thought it was just a sleve inside of the tube part of the A-arm? Ok now Im worried. Damn! Just when I thought I was on my way to a squeekless car

Jeepster

You didn't mention what type bushings you plan to install.

The old-style polyurethane bushings have difficulties with installation and squeaking that have been documented in many other threads.

The PolyBronze Bearings which I manufacture and Pelican sells are easy to install and will not squeak. Also well documented in other threads.

Replacement rubber is not a DIY job and can only be done by sending your A arms out for the install, about $400.

[bigrubberjeep]

So Chuck, how long does it take to do an R&R with your bushings? Can you add a pic to the thread?

[Chuck Moreland]

The time will be dictated by how long it takes to R&R the A arms from the car. Installation of the Polybronze bearings themselves is very fast.

How long really depends on your experience level and how much time you'll spend detailing / repainting / etc. I could do the front end in about 2 hours, not counting alignment and corner balance. A first timer working at a relaxed pace, cleaning and repainting, might take a weekend.


Heres a few threads:

Suspension upgrades - done!!!

84 Suspension Rebuild... Success!

WOW - Bronze Elephant Suspension Bearings!

[Tyson Schmidt]

Chuck's poly-bronze bushings are the best new product for Porsches that I've seen come along in quite awhile. I've installed a number of sets for clients, and they work wonderfully. Great performance improvement with no ill side effects whatsoever. Comfy as could be. They were obviously very well thought-out.