GT6 front damper - lower bush replacement

[Barry Kemp]

Looking at my front suspension I realise that the rubber bushes at the bottom of the front dampers are beginning to perish. Does replacement of these bushes involve compressing the coil spring, or is it a simpler operation?

 

Thanks,

Barry

[Pete Lewis]

no you dont need a spring clamp. 

take the lower through bolt out and undo the 3 nuts on the top of the turret and the whole shocker and coil sping comes out as an assembly you dont have to touch the spring   you only need a clamp if you intend to remove or check the top bushes on the shocker spindle.

as these hold the spring in compression ,,,  if you just undo the  shocker spindle nuts then you need a clamp or its

............ BOING !!!!   and a trip to A & E

Pete

[Barry Kemp]

Excellent - thanks Pete. That's put my mind at ease! Should be a nice Sunday afternoon job then!

[Pete Lewis]

weather is not so good for the weekend,  and we have a run out to Bressingham on sunday   says  cloudy and odd showers

pete

[Gully]

5 hours ago, Pete Lewis said:

weather is not so good for the weekend,  and we have a run out to Bressingham on sunday   says  cloudy and odd showers

pete

I think the odd shower referred to is us lot!

Gully

[daverclasper]

Hi. I understand that if original, then suspension bushes can look knackered, though still be good on the inside and last for years like this.

Wish I had known this before I replaced all mine.

Dave  

[johny]

The bushes usually come fitted in new shocks so I'd be surprised if they're originals however do wonder what state the shocks are in....

[Colin Lindsay]

3 hours ago, daverclasper said:

 suspension bushes can look knackered, though still be good on the inside and last for years like this.

Just like me!!

Alternatively, bushes can look good, but the rubber softens and deteriorates so there's a lot more movement than was originally intended. 

[Barry Kemp]

I guess in the old days before MOTs if they looked knackered they would be failed. Even post-MOT I wouldn’t want to be driving around in a car that previously would have been considered unsafe. You would have a hard time proving the  bushes  are actually sound if they look perished on the outside.

[johny]

Most of my rubber bushes are original and look knackered but you only have use a lever, as any MOT tester should, to show there's no excessive play plus it drives great😊 

[daverclasper]

Not sure how you check suspension bushes (on Vitesse).

Is it jack up, so a gap between tyre and ground and lift/lever the suspension with crowbar etc (my Mot tester showed me trunnion play this way) and this shows any play in all the bushes?. 

Or is it suspension on droop and try to lever individual bushes against something solid near by,  to detect play?.

Never found good info on this anywhere, so any advice this great please.

Thanks, Dave

       

[johny]

I look for side play in the trunnions by pulling on the wheel when off the ground (up and down not so important as my wheels are not often airborne when driving😩) and a large screwdriver to lever with for rubber bushes.

[daverclasper]

Thanks Johny.  So do you mean a large screwdriver between the bottom of tyre and the ground (surface gap) with car, when jacked up so wheels clear the ground and then lever upwards, for play in the rubber wishbone bushes please?.

Thanks, Dave

[johny]

No I find that tends to lift the car off the axle stands so with the wheel off the ground I just get the screwdriver between the wishbone and fixing bracket to lever the wishbone around to see if it's excessively easy to move.

[daverclasper]

Thanks Johny