Can front suspension bushes be made/turn by oneself?

[Zendalar]

It seems to me that front suspension bushes are very expensive here in Finland, about 50$ a piece and one needs 4 of them.

The originals are made of rubber, then there are these polyurethane ones. I was planning if these could be made from the same material as they use non-friction plastic in these "chain transporters", or should I say on assembly lines (sliding surfaces).

This is very hard plastic, but it can take twisting, bending, and the material has a very oily feeling.

Can you use this to make bushes of your own?

[Jim Sims]

Yes, the polyurethanes and other harder plastic compounds can be machined. One just has to get the fit and clearances worked out. I suppose the real key is getting the right hardness of material for one's driving style whether it be the "poly" type bushings or something more like the OEM rubber. I'm hoping to follow up on the hint (I believe it was by BA in a issue of "Pano" last year) that the OEM 914 front A-arm bushings (which apparently are available as individual parts) can be made to fit the 911 A-arms. I don't know if its a slip in fit or if a bit of machining of the rubber is required. A trick I' ve seen machinists use to machine rubber is to freeze it first with liquid nitrogen but I suspect dry ice (carbon dioxide) temperatures would also work. Does anyone know the Porsche part number for the late model 914 A-arm rubber bushings? Cheers, jim

[Oldporsche]

I machined some rear sway bar bushings for my '70E our of generic Delrin. It worked very well. I have them on my car presently. The stuff should work for other suspensions bushings. It is self lubricating and does not attract dust and dirt.

Good luck,
David Duffield