New Welt Spring Plate Bushings - suppose to be loose?

[FirstGen]

I am replacing my spring plate bushings and ordered from our host. At the same time I stripped the metal and had it yellow-zinc plated to look like factory.

Now when I slipped the new Welt bushing onto the spring plate it is loose. I expected it to be a slight press fit on the ID.

Any ideas?

[Zeke]

Needs to be tight, but which ones did you get? The soft ones will pinch in when you tighten the 4 bolts. The harder ones need to fit well both on the inner surface of the covers and on the arm. Otherwise they will squeak like crazy. If there is play at all, well that won't work.

[911st]

Loose dose not sound good.

I am not an expert but I would think it should not rattle and it should not bind. If I understand correctly, it acts as a bearing surface so it should be able to have movement and should be lubed.

[Zeke]

Yes, lube is a must since one cannot access the bushing after it's installed. Some have figured out a way to install a zerk that leads to the bushing, but it's just easier to purchase an Elephant Racing setup.

There has been some debate as to whether the arm rotates in the bushing of the bushing sticks to the arm and rotates in the holder. I'm convinced the arm rotates in the bushing, hence the grease has a long way to go to reach the lubed surface.

BTW, many have had to use a sander to radius the new bushing to get it to seat down in the holder. These loose bushings aren't right at all. A G 50 bushing is a LOT smaller, I don't think you got those by mistake, but check the PN just the same.

[KTL]

Need to explain further if your bushings are rubber (Neatrix) or some kind of poly (graphite or urethane). The rubber should be a little tight but not too much. These are glued on the spring plate with cyanocrylate glue (SOOPER glue).

The poly are needed to be slightly loose because the spring plate needs to rotate. You must shape/sand the OD of the bushing to fit in the chassis so it does not pinch the ID. Then you sand the ID to allow the spring plate and bushing to be inserted in the chassis together with no binding. Same goes for the outer bushing. Once it's all installed and tightened up, you should be able to rotate the spring plate with minimal effort. This is all done with the torsion bar removed of course....

[911st]

Have you put the bushing into the torsion tube opening yet?

It has been a while but when I did mine, I had to work to get them in. If they are tight you can sand or cut down the outside, try to tap them in...

After I had the first in the body, I test fit the arm. It was to tight so I had to use a drum sander to open up the inner surface. I got a little carried away but the arm should move freely, have room for grease, but not rattle.

It should not be tight on the inner surface.

With hard bushings the surface of the arm becomes a bearing surface. I would polish the rear arms surfaces if you cut and burned off the old rubber. Otherwise they will chew up the new bushing. If you plated them and they are real smooth, all the better.

Hard bushings act as bearings and because of there physical properties can not flex.

Netrix or stock style rubber, flex and do not need grease and are actually glued into place. Grease could actually shorten there life.

It you have handled a new adjustable arm with hard bushings you would see that they slip on an off the arm easily.

One of the selling points of the ER bushings is you do not have to use a lathe to fit them.

The rubber style on the other hand are going to be a bear to squeeze into place.

I am redoing my suspension shortly and may stay with rubber. If the front is bad, I am may use the Welt restoration bushings which are softer but not as good as rubber.

The ER's should last forever and be trouble free. I am trying to talk myself into them but may be to cheep.

I wonder if the Welt's got to many complaints (one from me in the past) about how they can be difficult to fit and started making them smaller.

[911st]

To clarify, tight on the out side of the rear arm bushing is good. The inner should have some play, be greased, move freely when bolted up, and not rattle.

[FirstGen]

These are Weltmeister poly bushings. I have not tried to press these into the body yet so hopefully when installed in the body they will distort the ID enough to make a snug fit... Will keep you posted.

Thanks for the replys!

[FirstGen]

Also, I noticed that I was sent four bushings that are the same part number. Could this be correct. Two of them were packaged differently but they are the same dimensionally and share the same number on them...

[911st]

Yes, they are all the same. Again, the arms should move reasonably freely when installed.

[FirstGen]

Thanks for the reply. I will let everyone know how it turns out...