Front Suspension bushes

[Steve Munford]

I'm just renewing the front suspension bushes (P5B coupe) and the original bush which fits in the sub-frame mounting bracket (at the front of end of the torsion bar) is not central i.e. it protrudes 3.5mm on one side and 8.5mm the other side. Before I press the new bush into position, does anyone know if it should be offset?

Thanks
Steve M

[Phil Nottingham]

???It should be central but it will realign itself when bolted back up. Do not forget to renew the back donut rubbers on the subframe while you are at it as they wear out very suddenly

[Kev]

Steve, i am just about to tackle this job and other rubber bushes etc, how hard was it to do the torsion bar? and do you need to support the bar or will it be ok if you just take off the front bolt and renew the rubber.
Kev.

[Phil Nottingham]

:(The torsion bar should always be unwound before renewing any bushes as it stores a huge amount of energy.

The front mounting is only a sliding fit on the leaves and can easily slip off if care is not taken

[Steve Munford]

Phil
Thanks for the help. If you have renewed your front bushes recently, did you get the bushes from JRW, and if so, did the front torsion bar bush have more play than the origninal where it slides onto the lower arm swivel pin? i.e. the new bush has a very slightly larger diameter tube moulded into the rubber.

Kev
Always take the full tension off the torsion bar before even thinking about removing the front bracket holding the lower arm and torsion bar to the subframe. Once you have released the lower ball joint, lower the bottom arm as far as possible using a trolley jack. Note that it will not lower more than about 45 degrees as the radius rod to the sub frame stops it lowering any further. At this stage there is virtually no tension left in the torsion bar and the front mounting bracket can be slowly released from the subframe.

After releasing the bracket from the subframe, I found it easier to remove the lower suspension arm from the torsion bar first (it just slides forward off the leaves), then lift out the torsion bar for cleaning and checking of the gaiters.

The bushes supplied by JRW are a tight fit, and I used brake fluid to lubricate them before pressing them in place with a large G clamp. It was a bit of a stuggle to press them in.

Best of luck, hope all goes well Kev

Steve M

[Phil Nottingham]

I have had the misfortune to have to do this awful job yet another time though albeait on each one on a different car.

I always have used Wadhams bushes and I did this last July and they seemed quite OK and tight (very tight in places) fitting with no play whatsoever. Mine could have been from a different batch though but is the pin worn as if these allowed to wear they corrode and ofen have to ground off ;D

[Steve Munford]

Phil

The pin is not worn as the original bush is a good tight fit compared with the new one.

The job is not as bad as I thought. The only thing that's a bit tricky is pressing in the bushes. I've heard say that if you put them in the freezer for a few hours they fit easily, but I would have thought there may be a danger of splitting the rubber?

Steve M

[greg webb]

Be sure that the suspension is at normal ride height ,that is sitting on the ground before the final tighten of the rubber supension bushes.
Failure to do this will cause premature wear of these bushes.

[Deleted]

;)It a wll known trick if you are fast - freezing the bushes and heating the housing in the oven gas mark 4

[Steve M]

Greg

Thanks for the tip. I was wondering if the car should be sitting on the deck before tightening the bushes. Presumably the radius rod can be tightened before lowering the car. You can't get to the sub-frame end of the radius rod once the torsion bar is in place anyway.

Can you easily get to the top bushes with the wheel in place? I know you can get to the bush on the lower arm OK.

Did you put copper grease on the lower arm and wishbone bush pins before sliding the bushes on?

Steve m

[Greg webb]

If you are unable to gain access to all the suspension bushes with the vehicle on the ground it is ok to jack up the suspension under the lower control arm so as to position the suspension in the normal ride height position.
Where there is metal to metal contact coppet type anti sieze products are fine and rubber grease is recommended where there is rubber to metal or rubber to rubber contact.

[Deleted]

Its best to use rubber grease rather than brake fluid as this will cause corrosion as does washing up liquid as it has salt in it

[Smallfry]

Brake fluid You should not use this because its hydroscopic. It absorbs water and will attract water to the metal center causing it to rust quicker. This will then wear the bush out faster.

I would recommend silicone grease which is available from any plumbers merchant. It is used to lubricate push fit plastic plumbing fittings. Its completely waterproof, is great for lubricating any push fit rubber application (except brake components) and does not harm any paint or metal.