Suspension Rebuild with Poly Bushes etc.

[68vitesse]

Been thinking of rebuilding the suspension of my MK1 Vitesse during the winter with poly bushes and a named make shock absorbers, car is used for normal running about.

 

The more I read the more confusing it gets if this is worthwhile.

 

Shock absorbers it seems that the ride adjustable needs to be on minimum setting, so why bother.

 

Poly bushes you need different hardness for different applications i.e shock absorber needs harder than wishbones, advice of one supplier, do you or do you not use grease on them. Some sites suggest they creak and groan without lubrication, but lubricant plus road grit equals grinding paste as wishbone bushes, I am told, act as a bearing.

 

Where people say they are an improvement is it because they replaced worn out bushes with new whereas new standard bushes would work just as well.

 

I understand harder bushes are a benefit for track cars but for normal running about do poly bushes transmit more vibration and noise?.

 

Suppliers have an interest in you spending several hundred pounds with them so some unbiased advice would be appreciated.

 

Regards

 

Paul

 

 

[Pete Lewis]

use club shop  for unbiased advice give garth a call

 

 

poly bushes dont want grease  neither do any rubbers,  but should have a powder/paste to lubricate on fitting, 

 

in general blue is for standard ride and replicates the rubber,,  the problems with many replacement rubbers are the lack of correct addatives  poor life and often made to look alike , not perform alike the OE spec  but very cheap

 

its all down to preference and what useage/mileage you do

 

there's no point in spending loads of £££s for 1,000 miles a year use 

 

you can spend loads of £££ for so called peace of mind , then never use the car   

 

its a balancing act 

 

Pete

[AndyTV8]

As Pete mentions, all down to longevity, the quality of rubber bushes can be quite poor, Polys will last much longer and tighten things up (for a higher price)

 

........ Andy

[Colin Lindsay]

New bushes will cure things to a certain extent but the rubber is no longer as good as it used to be due to different allegedly-greener processes and chemicals. Certainly older worn bushes will move about more and the sharpness of new components is amazing. you’re really talking longevity; it’s not a job you want to be repeatedly doing. I fitted blue polybushes to roll bar and diff mountings as a fit and forget; red for radius arms for the stiffer grip but the wishbones etc got yellow nylon bushes, very hard nylon with no flex at all and it really transformed the GT6 handling. Ten years on they’re as good as new. 

There’s no increase in road vibration at all. 

 

 

[dougbgt6]

As Pete says if your not doing much mileage there's not a lot of point upgrading.  I was intending to continue with rubber bushes but I recently bought new Gaz fixed pan shockers from the club shop and was surprised to find the front came with rubber bushes, the rear with poly.

 

I'm happy that the club shop rubbers are good quality so I've fitted both sets of shockers and they're a great improvement, my teeth no longer rattle and I glide rather than bouncy down the road. 

 

The poly bushes did creak at first and they were a devil to fit! I had to take my vice of the bench and drag it round the back of the car to press the bushes in! The experience was  probably enough to dissuade me from a full poly upgrade!

[KevinR]

poly bushes dont want grease  neither do any rubbers,  but should have a powder/paste to lubricate on fitting, 

 

 

As Pete says, don't grease polybushes - of any manufacture.

 

It is however OK to "grease" them using a fully synthetic white grease if you need to.

Superlube Synthetic Grease is the one to use

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[68vitesse]

Thankyou all for your comments and observations, I do about 3000 miles a year in the Vitesse about the same as the modern.

 

Regards

 

Paul

[Pete Lewis]

and dont forget what ever bushes you use , do the final tighten up with car on floor or simulate the ride height with a jack under the suspension to raise it into a running position or you wind the bushes up when dropped from hanging to laden   

 

Pete

[RAW1969]

^{Paul - apologies for hijacking your thread - but I'd like to add a related query. My Vitesse  (1967 2L CV) was MOT'd last Saturday and got an advisory for movement on the bush at front o/s lower wishbone. Was wondering if it's something you replace one at a time  - or should do all one side together  - or should do all of both sides at the same time. I suspect I know the answer - just wondering (from those who've done it) how big a job it is - so how best to approach it.}

 

^Thanks

[Pete Lewis]

when you say lower wishbone are you on the trunnion bush or the arms to the chassis pivots 

 

Pete

[RAW1969]

Sorry - not well described. Problem is with the bush at the chassis end of the arm.

 

Thanks

Richard

[Mjit]

I don't think there's any legal reason not to replace a single bush but I'd replace both - the hard work is getting the wishbone off, the bushes aren't that expensive, and if one's been there long-enough to start breaking down chances are the other one won't be far behind.

 

In fact unless you've done it recently I'd probably get a trunnion bush kit and replace that while you're there.

[Pete Lewis]

if you are in the zone , i would undo the wishbone bracket through stud nut and withdraw the bracket and its welded stud and just check its not rusting through

 

make sure you fit the right bracket the right way up when refitting or you mess up the castor .

 

these hidden studs can be very good or very rotten 

 

Pete

[RAW1969]

OK - thanks. That confirms what I suspected. If it's tricky to get it all apart there's no point doing it repeatedly to change them one at a time. I'll get reading the workshop manual!

 

The help on this forum is priceless!

Thanks

[Pete Lewis]

remove the trunnion through bolt ,the shocker lower bolt , both inner wishbone bolts ,and  the anti roll link,

this may decide to spin there's little room to fit a spanner the inner hex should be held by the support but often they dont

   and its all in your hands 

Pete