Quote:
Originally Posted by E Sully
Very good video, but I do have some concern where at 10:30 in the video you grease the spring plate rubber bushings before final assembly. I would not recommend using anything like the plastilube from my research.
From Elephant Racing:
Rubber Bushings – How They Work
For all their faults, rubber bushings allow suspension movement with very little friction. Rubber bushings do not slide in their mounts, they accommodate movement by deforming in a twisting motion. There is no friction surface hence the friction is very, very low. Rubber bushings resist movement due to the spring rate of the rubber, not friction. Their behavior is similar to a torsion spring though the spring rate is small.
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^ This is correct.
The original bushings were likely injection molded around the metal tube, vulcanizing the rubber to the metal. Plenty of DIY guys probably install our bushings without any adhesive, but the more firm the bushing material, the more resistant it is to twisting - and the more likely it is to slip, especially on the inner diameter where there's less contact area. We haven't heard of any issues though, regardless of how they're installed. But of course it couldn't hurt to use an adhesive on the
inner diameter.
Lord Chemlok adhesive systems are specifically designed to bond rubber to metal substrates, but their industrial products are difficult to find and expensive for retail consumers, unless they're willing to sell you a sample.
Easier to find alternatives would be
LOCTITE 380 Black Max (instant) or
LOCTITE EA E-40FL (40 minute working time). Some folks have suggested using urethane windshield adhesive, or even
Goop Marine adhesive to bond rubber to metal. LOCTITE 380 is readily available on Amazon though, and gets great reviews.
Some guys rough up the mating surfaces on a microscopic level with a bit of sandpaper, then thoroughly clean both surfaces prior to using the adhesive. Brake cleaner is good for cleaning metal, denatured alcohol is fine for rubber.