[DeTomaso] Rear bushing woes, the saga continues

cengles at cox.net cengles at cox.net
Wed Jul 16 10:41:28 EDT 2008


Dear Asa,

I got my bushings in 1992-93 from Pantera Performance Center. For the rookie suspension guy, they almost installed themselves. At that time, positive caster was created by using a hacksaw to trim one of the thick "shoulders" of the bushing and compensate for the removed bushing volume by adding some appropriately sized fender washers on the other end. The trimmed bushings are installed to move the upper arm back and the lower arm forward. This created 5 degrees of positive caster on my car.

Nowadays, you can buy graphite impregnated poly bushings for minimal squeak and/or add a bit of anti-seize to the outside of the bushing during the installation. You can also purchase already modified poly bushings from Pantera Performance Center (and possibly other vendors, too) that should simply "bolt-on" without any artistic hacksaw effort. If you do buy the PPC bushings, Dennis Quella's instructions are usually pretty good and if there is any question, he or Becky can get you an answer quickly.

Warmest regards, Chuck Engles

---- Asa Jay Laughton <asajay at asajay.com> wrote:
>Thanks Chuck,
>
>Where did you get them and for how much?
>How did you use them to adjust positive Caster?
>
>Asa Jay
>
>Asa Jay Laughton, MSgt, USAFR, Retired
>
>&Shelley Marie
>Spokane, WA
>
>1973 Pantera L 5533
>[ASASCAT]
>
>******************************
>http://www.asajay.com
>http://www.351c.info
>
>
>
>
>Charles Engles wrote:
>>Dear Asa,
>>
>>
>>I have an answer to only one of your anguished
>>questions: use the poly bushings.
>>
>>One can argue various merits of the soft rubber
>>bushings versus the firm poly bushings ad nauseum. I will point out
>>that for a very first time suspension assembler (me), they went in
>>easy. They were easy to modify for extra positive caster. They're
>>in both my cars and I have not detected any degradation in ride quality.
>>
>>
>>For what it is worth, Chuck Engles
>>
>>
>>
>>----- Original Message ----- From: "Asa Jay Laughton" <asajay at asajay.com>
>>To: <unlisted-recipients:>; <no To-header on input>
>>Cc: <detomaso at realbig.com>
>>Sent: Tuesday, July 15, 2008 10:11 PM
>>Subject: [DeTomaso] Rear bushing woes, the saga continues
>>
>>
>>>Nothing like chaos to put a damper on your goal of being race ready in
>>>time for a track day.
>>>
>>>In our last episode, we learned that I mushroomed the ends of a few
>>>a-arm bushings while pressing them in. So I order a few more from
>>>Wilkinson and figure I'll try again. I also ask if he'd send me a tool
>>>to help press the darn things in so I'm not using my large six-point
>>>socket (which most likely contributed to the folly in the first place).
>>>
>>>So today, I take all the new bushing and the new tool to the garage. I
>>>first figure I'll try this slick new tool on a bushing already installed
>>>and see if I can maybe straighten things out a bit. But the silly thing
>>>doesn't rest on the shoulder of the bushing. WTF? I paid how much for
>>>a silly piece of aluminum machined to fit the bushing properly and it
>>>doesn't fit?
>>>
>>>So I check it against one of the new bushings Steve sent me. Fits -
>>>like - a - glove. WTF (only LOUDER).
>>>
>>>I put the new bushing up against the (older already installed) new
>>>bushing. Appears to be a difference here.
>>>
>>>For the gory detailed photos, go here:
>>>http://www.teampanteraracing.com/gallery2/v/asajay/pantera/rearsusp/
>>>
>>>The short story is;
>>>- I bought the first set of bushings along with the ball joints last
>>>year from Wilkinson.
>>>- The replacements I got just this month.
>>>- The ones from last summer are a full eighth inch longer than those I
>>>recently received.
>>>- The ones from last summer extend a good sixteenth to eighth inch
>>>farther on the outboard side.
>>>- I'm not putting these in my car.
>>>
>>>Questions:
>>>- Are there differences in a-arm bushings based on the year of build?
>>>- Has anyone else run into this?
>>>- Should I extract the front a-arm bushings and re-do them since they
>>>suffered the same problem but I muscled them in anyway?
>>>- Should I have gone with aftermarket poly bushings instead?
>>>
>>>I'll be giving Steve a call tomorrow to ask him what he knows as well.
>>>This certainly won't do. I'm guessing he didn't know about the
>>>difference. Both parts were labeled the same, but one is definitely not
>>>going to work.
>>>
>>>Comments?
>>>Asa Jay
>>>
>>>Asa Jay Laughton, MSgt, USAFR, Retired
>>>
>>>&Shelley Marie
>>>Spokane, WA
>>>
>>>1973 Pantera L 5533
>>>[ASASCAT]
>>>
>>>******************************
>>>http://www.asajay.com
>>>http://www.351c.info
>>>
>>>
>>>
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>>
>>
>>



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