Who here has replaced every single bushing in their car?
11-05-02, 10:58 PM
#1
Former Rx7 *****
Thread Starter
Join Date: Nov 2001
Location: Mississauga
Posts: 4,534
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Who here has replaced every single bushing in their car?
Baically what the subject says Who here has replaced every single bushing in their car?
also did you replace ball joints and dust boots while you were at it.
I looked everything up in the FSM and i was like... oh crap i'm going to be in over my head on this one.
Any write ups, tips, suggestions?
also did you replace ball joints and dust boots while you were at it.
I looked everything up in the FSM and i was like... oh crap i'm going to be in over my head on this one.
Any write ups, tips, suggestions?
11-05-02, 11:45 PM
#3
I rebuilt my front suspension with Energy Suspension polyeurthane bushings in the aluminum control arms which required a vice and a large socket to remove one of the bushings. The other bushing that isn't surrounded by aluminum must be cut off with a cutoff wheel (4" Makita) as there is a metal tube on the inside holding on tightly to the aluminum control arm. Cut away the rubber to the metal tube and then carefully cut thru the metal tube and avoid cutting any aluminum behind it. Just take your time. At the same time I replaced my p/s rack with a manual rack and pinion steering (saves 20-30lbs and better road feel even with 225/16's). I also added new sway bar bushings (pop off old ones... lube and pop on new ones. Lastly I added coilovers and new struts.
On the rear it is a little trickier.... I added solid rear toe eliminator bushings to stop the factory toe in/out under hard braking and acceleration and cornering which makes the car squirrely in stock form. The old ones need to be pressed out with a hydraulic press and the new ones pressed in. Same goes for the rear control arms with new polyeurathane bushings. I also added new rear sway bar bushings. Really made a difference in the car and complemented the coilovers I added and new shocks/struts at all 4 corners.
I purchased my bushings from here:
http://www.suspension.com
and the rear toe eliminator bushings (highly worth the effort) from here: http://www.k2rd.com
-GNX7
On the rear it is a little trickier.... I added solid rear toe eliminator bushings to stop the factory toe in/out under hard braking and acceleration and cornering which makes the car squirrely in stock form. The old ones need to be pressed out with a hydraulic press and the new ones pressed in. Same goes for the rear control arms with new polyeurathane bushings. I also added new rear sway bar bushings. Really made a difference in the car and complemented the coilovers I added and new shocks/struts at all 4 corners.
I purchased my bushings from here:
http://www.suspension.com
and the rear toe eliminator bushings (highly worth the effort) from here: http://www.k2rd.com
-GNX7
11-05-02, 11:51 PM
#4
Has been.. hangin' around
Join Date: Mar 2001
Location: Milpitas, CA
Posts: 2,618
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Here.. Been there done that.
Really, it's not too bad, most of them you can do with a vice. The only really tricky one IMHO is the rear bushing on the front control arms, easiest way I found is to cut through the rubber, and cut the metal sleeve that circumfronces the bushing.. Once the sleeve releases, 'the bushing was cake.
PM me if you have specific questions.
Really, it's not too bad, most of them you can do with a vice. The only really tricky one IMHO is the rear bushing on the front control arms, easiest way I found is to cut through the rubber, and cut the metal sleeve that circumfronces the bushing.. Once the sleeve releases, 'the bushing was cake.
PM me if you have specific questions.
11-05-02, 11:58 PM
#5
Senior Member
I did it on my '86 Race car. It was not fun and I am not looking forward to doing it on my next project. I did not replace my ball joints and dust boots because they were fine and did not need replacing.
I do not have a write-up of the job so everything I am about to tell you is from memory (I did this about two years ago).
The front lower A arm bushings are the WORST to get off. You pretty much just burn the original rubber off and take a cutting wheel to the metal ring that is left. You might be able to have them pressed off but I did not investigate that route.
The rear bushings are time consuming but not difficult. I had to drop the rear subframe to get to the main trailing arm bushings (the nut/bolt assembly that is camed as to adjust rear camber).
I purchased the Energy Suspension bushing kit for the FC from Summit Racing. Half way through the job I realized that the kit was missing rear bushings. It had everything the instructions said it should have but only came with enough trailing arm bushings to do one side. It took multiple phone calls directly to Energy Suspension to convince them that my car had 2 rear trailing arms and I needed 4 of what they only sent two of. Then they shipped me the wrong color!!
The sway bar end link bushings from Energy Suspension are completely useless and a waste of time to install. They went together poorly and seemed to have more slop in them than the 100k+ mile factory bushings had. Then after 1 Auto-x event they were all distorted and blown out. (I then started using the adjustable end links from Racing Beat).
Another thing about that kit from Energy Suspension. All the hardware that came in the kit had standard thread. I still don't think the technician I talked to on the phone had any clue that there were different kinds of thread sizes in the world. Two of them was fairly important, the bolts that attach the rear sway bar to the rear trailing arm need to be longer with the thicker bushings. The factory thread is metric and the longer bolts supplied were standard and would not even begin to thread.
Next time I will buy my bushings from MazdaMotorsports.com. They might not come in a nice kit but I am confidant they will sell me exactly what I need.
If you do this yourself be sure to have impact tools and a weekend to kill.
I do not have a write-up of the job so everything I am about to tell you is from memory (I did this about two years ago).
The front lower A arm bushings are the WORST to get off. You pretty much just burn the original rubber off and take a cutting wheel to the metal ring that is left. You might be able to have them pressed off but I did not investigate that route.
The rear bushings are time consuming but not difficult. I had to drop the rear subframe to get to the main trailing arm bushings (the nut/bolt assembly that is camed as to adjust rear camber).
I purchased the Energy Suspension bushing kit for the FC from Summit Racing. Half way through the job I realized that the kit was missing rear bushings. It had everything the instructions said it should have but only came with enough trailing arm bushings to do one side. It took multiple phone calls directly to Energy Suspension to convince them that my car had 2 rear trailing arms and I needed 4 of what they only sent two of. Then they shipped me the wrong color!!
The sway bar end link bushings from Energy Suspension are completely useless and a waste of time to install. They went together poorly and seemed to have more slop in them than the 100k+ mile factory bushings had. Then after 1 Auto-x event they were all distorted and blown out. (I then started using the adjustable end links from Racing Beat).
Another thing about that kit from Energy Suspension. All the hardware that came in the kit had standard thread. I still don't think the technician I talked to on the phone had any clue that there were different kinds of thread sizes in the world. Two of them was fairly important, the bolts that attach the rear sway bar to the rear trailing arm need to be longer with the thicker bushings. The factory thread is metric and the longer bolts supplied were standard and would not even begin to thread.
Next time I will buy my bushings from MazdaMotorsports.com. They might not come in a nice kit but I am confidant they will sell me exactly what I need.
If you do this yourself be sure to have impact tools and a weekend to kill.
11-06-02, 01:27 AM
#7
Former Rx7 *****
Thread Starter
Join Date: Nov 2001
Location: Mississauga
Posts: 4,534
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Originally posted by ThePartsTrader
Next time I will buy my bushings from MazdaMotorsports.com. They might not come in a nice kit but I am confidant they will sell me exactly what I need.
If you do this yourself be sure to have impact tools and a weekend to kill.
Next time I will buy my bushings from MazdaMotorsports.com. They might not come in a nice kit but I am confidant they will sell me exactly what I need.
If you do this yourself be sure to have impact tools and a weekend to kill.
You know what? all you guys are now scaring me off from doing this...
i've never dropped the subframe on the car... and looking at the FSM it doesn't look easy....
crap...
also cymfc3s, how long did it take you to restore all the suspension stuff on your yellow car?
Trending Topics
11-06-02, 02:42 AM
#8
Former Rx7 *****
Thread Starter
Join Date: Nov 2001
Location: Mississauga
Posts: 4,534
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
ok... since we have one person saying they had difficulties with energy suspension...
what did everyone else use? i know dale used prothane, what baout you silk? if you used delrin ones, my streetcar isn't as hardcore as your race car... cymfc3s?
what did everyone else use? i know dale used prothane, what baout you silk? if you used delrin ones, my streetcar isn't as hardcore as your race car... cymfc3s?
11-06-02, 03:18 AM
#9
do not get Master kit from energy suspension if u plan on getting swaybars and endlinks from RB etc..
I got Energy Suspension master kit, but since i have RB endlinks and RB swaybars, half of this kit is useless for me....Swaybars came with new polyurethane mounts and new endlinks doesn't need to change their bushings too...
Only stuff i used from ES master kit were bushings for front arms (2 bushings per arm, 4 total) and for rear arms (1 bushing per arm, 2 total)....balljoint and tie rod end boots i havent used because they does not come with spring or anything what will hold them on....and since i got brand new balljoints, i just left it how it was...
Rather than that *** ES kit i would have COMPLETE kit with all bushings for rear subframe etc, but they are not making it ;(
I got Energy Suspension master kit, but since i have RB endlinks and RB swaybars, half of this kit is useless for me....Swaybars came with new polyurethane mounts and new endlinks doesn't need to change their bushings too...
Only stuff i used from ES master kit were bushings for front arms (2 bushings per arm, 4 total) and for rear arms (1 bushing per arm, 2 total)....balljoint and tie rod end boots i havent used because they does not come with spring or anything what will hold them on....and since i got brand new balljoints, i just left it how it was...
Rather than that *** ES kit i would have COMPLETE kit with all bushings for rear subframe etc, but they are not making it ;(
11-06-02, 11:01 AM
#10
Eat, sleep, work, mod.
Join Date: Jun 2001
Location: Long Island
Posts: 2,517
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I got the energy master kit...all went in suprisingly easily according to my brother (although he ruined a pair of shop-pants while workin around all that melted rubber getting the old bushings off). I swapped sway bars at the time with TII units since my car is an 88 NA and a couple weeks before I threw in the GC coilovers on KYB struts, GREX front strut bar, Cusco rear bar. The only complaint I have is half of the rear kiy was missing from the package!! I simple call to energy solved that and in a few days I had everything complete.
11-07-02, 12:29 AM
#12
I just put in the Energy Suspension kit (from suspension.com- excellent service!) w/ RB rear steer eliminators as welll.
For the front arm, front bushing I just used a fiber cut-off wheel to cut through the rubber and through the steel sleeve and then spread the sleave w/ a chisel in a vise and it came off easily.
The rear arm pivots came out very easily w/ a few taps of a hammer to the stock bushings steel sleeve lip.
All the poly bushings just pressed back in by hand.
The rear steer eliminators required the press for taking the old out and new ones lightly tapped in w/ hammer (and something to protect the bushing). These were the hard ones.
Oh, I actually left the hub, disk, axle and everything attached to the rear suspension arms when I did them.
For the front arm, front bushing I just used a fiber cut-off wheel to cut through the rubber and through the steel sleeve and then spread the sleave w/ a chisel in a vise and it came off easily.
The rear arm pivots came out very easily w/ a few taps of a hammer to the stock bushings steel sleeve lip.
All the poly bushings just pressed back in by hand.
The rear steer eliminators required the press for taking the old out and new ones lightly tapped in w/ hammer (and something to protect the bushing). These were the hard ones.
Oh, I actually left the hub, disk, axle and everything attached to the rear suspension arms when I did them.
11-07-02, 10:59 PM
#14
Former Rx7 *****
Thread Starter
Join Date: Nov 2001
Location: Mississauga
Posts: 4,534
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
ok... for people who did the energy suspension/prothane kit...
did you also change out the control link and sublink, lateral link, trailing arm bushings?
or is that too hardcore?
did you also change out the control link and sublink, lateral link, trailing arm bushings?
or is that too hardcore?
11-07-02, 11:14 PM
#15
Full Member
iTrader: (2)
Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: OR
Posts: 90
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I installed an ES master kit on my 87 , after having ES send me the pieces they left out it wasn,t hard to put in just time consuming and it made a big difference. I suggest this mod to any1 with time and knowhow, Just make sure you have a good vice,angle grinder, or at least a hacksaw and plenty of blades. Its a good Friday night project.
-Matt
-Matt
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
GrossPolluter
Suspension/Wheels/Tires/Brakes
12
08-15-15 10:32 PM
