Suspension Bushings

[GregS]

I'm re-building a complete 911S front suspension to be installed in a '73 914 I recently purchased. After much searching, I've given up trying to find new rubber control arm and drop-link bushings, and don't want (or need!) to buy new control arms. When the car is done, it will be used probably 90+% on the street and for touring. I'd sure appreciate any feedback you guys might have on which way to go with replacement bushings (e.g., poly-graphite, delrin, polyurethane, or some other). Thanks!

[Jim Smolka]

Pelican sells a great set of bushings. I install them in the front and rear. No complaints.

Jim

[DDS]

I bought polygraphite and installed grease zerks on the collars in which the bushings sit, and used a dremel to cut spiral grease passages around the bushings.
On removing the old rubber ones, I found that I got pretty good at clamping the control arm vertically in a vise, squirting oil in the well created around the end of the control arm, and using a crowbar to wiggle then pry off the collars and bushings. The wiggling creates a gap for the oil to enter between the bushing and the arm. The last one I did took only minutes. Be careful that the collars are not distorted when you are trying to get them off the old bushings/control arm. New hard bushings need them to be perfectly round.

Have fun.
Dave

[Doug M]

DDS, I have the same bushings but I did not install grease fittings and they are starting to bind and make noise. Do you drill a hole thru the bushing and then make a grease passage inside? How does it stay lined up with the fitting.
Doug

[DDS]

I took the bushing, installed it in the collar then drilled and tapped the hole for the zerk right through both the collar and the bushing. The zerk threads into the collar and the bushing, holding the bushing in place. The threaded part of the zerk is long enough that it will not permit the bushing to rotate anyway once installed.
I then removed the bushing and used a carbide ball mill in a dremel to cut spiral passages radiating from the zerk hole inside the bushing where it mates with the A-arm. The car is still in the reassembly stage, but everything looks like it will work fine.
I did the same on each side of the rear trailing arms as well.

Dave



[This message has been edited by DDS (edited 06-20-2001).]

[Doug M]

Ok that sounds good, I wish I would have done it when I put them at first.IT took about a years worth of track sessions to wear the grease out. The hard bushings really made a difference in handling but when they bind the suspension it really sucks. IT feels like running over an armadillo.
Thanks,
Doug