28 replies to this topic

[Rob Burgoon]

I was replacing some old rear upper bushings, and after pressing the new ones in, some of them seem to be in there a little crooked. Has anyone else run into this? If so, did you redo them or did they shift and straighten once you drove?

[SaulSpeedwell]

I was replacing some old rear upper bushings, and after pressing the new ones in, some of them seem to be in there a little crooked. Has anyone else run into this? If so, did you redo them or did they shift and straighten once you drove?

I'm struggling with how that could even happen. Did you push them in dry?

Regardless, I wouldn't worry about it - every time I do bushings, the car needs some time for them to "settle". The first alignment never stays very stable when new bushings are involved.

I hear of lots of weird stuff used to push in bushings - the best I've found is P-80 assembly lube, because it is designed to completely dry up so that the rubber can stick soon after installation.

I use it to mount tires, too - I tried all the other stuff, and P-80 is better than anything I've used, in terms of low(er) seating pressure while also not ever moving on the rim under braking. (Anyone else remember Pro Miata Cup Hankooks that took 60+ psi to seat???)

I use P-80 Emulsion and P-80 THIX. Once you have it in your shop, you'll wonder what you did without it. Anytime you are putting rubber on something and are afraid of using the wrong grease or assembly lube, just use this. Brake seals, injector o-rings, anything. It always works, it never stains or screws anything up, and it is compatible with everything, biodegradeable, etc. Great stuff.

No affiliation with the people - I just picked up a sample at the SAE show years ago, and have been using it ever since.

[Rob Burgoon]

Ah ok, I was using hairspray, but the reason they went crooked is I was using the collars that came with the harbor freight C clamp press. The smallest collar doesn't work very well for the rear uppers. I might have to find a piece of pipe or something if I want them straighter.

[SaulSpeedwell]

Ah ok, I was using hairspray, but the reason they went crooked is I was using the collars that came with the harbor freight C clamp press. The smallest collar doesn't work very well for the rear uppers. I might have to find a piece of pipe or something if I want them straighter.

I forgot hairspray even existed. Can it still be used as a flamethrower, or have jackbooted government thugs rounded that all up and replaced it with something "safer"?

[DES4]

I'm struggling with how that could even happen. Did you push them in dry?

Regardless, I wouldn't worry about it - every time I do bushings, the car needs some time for them to "settle". The first alignment never stays very stable when new bushings are involved.

I hear of lots of weird stuff used to push in bushings - the best I've found is P-80 assembly lube, because it is designed to completely dry up so that the rubber can stick soon after installation.

I use it to mount tires, too - I tried all the other stuff, and P-80 is better than anything I've used, in terms of low(er) seating pressure while also not ever moving on the rim under braking. (Anyone else remember Pro Miata Cup Hankooks that took 60+ psi to seat???)

I use P-80 Emulsion and P-80 THIX. Once you have it in your shop, you'll wonder what you did without it. Anytime you are putting rubber on something and are afraid of using the wrong grease or assembly lube, just use this. Brake seals, injector o-rings, anything. It always works, it never stains or screws anything up, and it is compatible with everything, biodegradeable, etc. Great stuff.

No affiliation with the people - I just picked up a sample at the SAE show years ago, and have been using it ever since.

Brakeclean; gotta work quick, though. While wet, parts slip together. Dries quickly, leaves very little residue and is safe for rubber. Works well for rubber hoses, too.

[Bench Racer]

http://www.harborfre...icles-4065.html

[Ron Alan]

Saul...can you provide a link for the products you are speaking of?

[SaulSpeedwell]

Saul...can you provide a link for the products you are speaking of?

http://www.ipcol.com...P-80 Lubricants

The last time I ordered some, the sales lady was way confused. I think she was hoping I was Ford or Nabisco. When I told her I just used the stuff around the house and garage, she was truly perplexed.

They'll send you samples, but they are very small.

[SaulSpeedwell]

http://www.ipcol.com...P-80+Lubricants

The last time I ordered some, the sales lady was way confused. I think she was hoping I was Ford or Nabisco. When I told her I just used the stuff around the house and garage, she was truly perplexed.

They'll send you samples, but they are very small.

FWIW, I buy the 6-pack of pint bottles for $40 or so. Has lasted me years.

http://www.ipcol.com/shopexd.asp?id=16

[john mueller]

I've used liquid hand soap

[Rob Burgoon]

Ok, fixed it. I use the collar that's too big for getting them out, then use a socket that's a little too small behind the control arm but supports it evenly for pressing in.

Use liberal amounts of hairspray.

[Muda]

P-80, single tube, $6, eBay, "Buy-It-Now"

http://www.ebay.com/...=item255637e78c

[Qik Nip]

P-80, single tube, $6, eBay, "Buy-It-Now"

http://www.ebay.com/...=item255637e78c

Just ordered it. Damn, I love this site!
Rick

[SaulSpeedwell]

I've used liquid hand soap

That and 100 other things will work going in - my worry about soap is the residue can have some everlasting "lubricant" effect, possibly causing the bushings to rotate, throwing your scale numbers off, etc.

Cars with frequently changing % cross are often cars where I find some "mystery lube" on the bushings. Other times, it is simply that the suspension wasn't torqued at the loaded setup height.

[Muda]

Other times, it is simply that the suspension wasn't torqued at the loaded setup height.

Not a lot of people ever do this from what I've seen.

[Rob Burgoon]

What do you guys use to support the backside of the control arm while you're pressing? socket? pipe? size?

[Johnny D]

What do you guys use to support the backside of the control arm while you're pressing? socket? pipe? size?

I used a pipe, but I work in a machine shop and made my own.
Size, just right
Same I.D or bigger, enough to support the back.
Maybe a plate with a hole might work too.
J~

[DES4]

... Other times, it is simply that the suspension wasn't torqued at the loaded setup height.

Not a lot of people ever do this from what I've seen.

... and it's actually a pretty critical thing. The bushing goes through its life twisted (loaded) and ends up distorted and torn in very little time.

[SaulSpeedwell]

Not a lot of people ever do this from what I've seen.

Agreed - most people don't do this. Most people don't have 125-131HP either!

Most people don't have setup stands 24" off the ground, so it is inconvenient or difficult for them to do this - but, the fact is, these bushings are torsional spring/dampers and they contribute to spring rate, damping, and % cross.

You can have two cars sitting on the scales at 50.0%, but if one had the RF suspension replaced and was torqued with everything hanging 3-4" low, then rest assured that car will handle more like 51%. (Add this to the reasons you should tune % cross according to feel and laptime, and forget what the scales say).

If this was Showroom Stock (or, ahem, Spec E30), we would use this mechanism to our advantage, but in SM you want those bushings "neutrally" loaded if you want precise scale behavior and precise handling with respect to small % cross changes.

[Alberto]

I used a pipe, but I work in a machine shop and made my own.
Size, just right
Same I.D or bigger, enough to support the back.
Maybe a plate with a hole might work too.
J~

make more and sell them on here.