[DeTomaso] Suspension bushings squeaking
Mike Drew
mikeldrew at aol.com
Sun Mar 14 21:11:28 EDT 2021
Mike,
Stock A-arm bushings don’t squeak. Ever.
They also are harmed by lubrication.
Either your A-arm bushings are poly, or the squeaking is coming from your sway bar or shock bushings and not your A-arm bushings.
Is there any metal visible in your A-arm bushings? If not, they are poly, regardless of what you thought the vendor was installing.
Here is a close-up of a stock bushing:
And the same bushing installed:
You can see that on the small end (right), there is a ring of metal against the mount (the inner sleeve), and then rubber visible. On the other end, there is a larger ring (the outer sleeve)and rubber, with the rubber against the mount. During suspension movement, nothing rotates. That is, nothing is sliding against anything else. Instead, the rubber in between the inner and outer sleeves distorts.
This is why the suspension MUST be weighted before the nuts and bolts are tightened. There is only so much distortion available. If you make the mistake of tightening everything with the suspension hanging free, it then distorts considerably when the car is set on the ground, consuming much of the available movement. Further suspension movement then overwhelms the rubber and leads to premature failure.
You can install everything loosely with the suspension hanging, but then put a jack under the suspension corner and raise it up until the car lifts slightly off the jack stand. Only then should you complete tightening the mounting bolts.
Mike
Sent from my iPad
> On Mar 14, 2021, at 17:37, Mike Grillot <msjaan at sbcglobal.net> wrote:
> The bushings are not polys and were from one of my favorite vendors in California who sold them and who put them in for me. If they are rubber, can I still fit them with new zerks?
>
> Sent from my iPhone.
> Please excuse all spelling, grammatical, and punctuational errors.
> Sincerely Yours,
> Michael Grillot
>
>
>> On Mar 14, 2021, at 6:21 PM, Mike Drew <MikeLDrew at aol.com> wrote:
>> Mike,
>>
>> If you choose to replace your poly bushings, you should go back to stock, which is a much bigger job as they need to be pressed in, which necessitates removing all the A-arms from the car.
>>
>> Here they are:
>>
>> https://www.ebay.com/itm/310294150143
>>
>> Note that the price says ‘or make offer’. He will normally sell them for substantially less than the full listed price, so if you choose to go this route, bargain with him.
>>
>> Lubing your current poly bushings is easy and cheap so you might want to start off with that and only switch if you aren’t satisfied with the results....
>>
>> Mike
>>
>> Sent from my iPad
>>
>>> On Mar 14, 2021, at 16:55, Mike Grillot <msjaan at sbcglobal.net> wrote:
>>> I have some 15 yo squeaky bushings on my ‘74 Pantera’s suspension which have been making music since replaced. Does anyone have any miracles which could eliminate the squeak or should I replace them.
>>> If I replace them, which are the best and where should I get them?
>>> Thanks in advance!!!!!
>>>
>>> Sent from my iPhone.
>>> Please excuse all spelling, grammatical, and punctuational errors.
>>> Sincerely Yours,
>>> Michael Grillot
>>>
>>>
>>> _______________________________________________
>>>
>>>
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-------------- next part --------------
Mike,
Stock A-arm bushings don't squeak. Ever.
They also are harmed by lubrication.
Either your A-arm bushings are poly, or the squeaking is coming from
your sway bar or shock bushings and not your A-arm bushings.
Is there any metal visible in your A-arm bushings? If not, they are
poly, regardless of what you thought the vendor was installing.
Here is a close-up of a stock bushing:
[cid:FCE34002-74A1-49F0-9F61-C8AEB9DEC9FB-L0-001]
And the same bushing installed:
[cid:F23B61EF-D2CF-4907-8BC2-4C37C70B8338-L0-001]
You can see that on the small end (right), there is a ring of metal
against the mount (the inner sleeve), and then rubber visible. On the
other end, there is a larger ring (the outer sleeve)and rubber, with
the rubber against the mount. During suspension movement, nothing
rotates. That is, nothing is sliding against anything else. Instead,
the rubber in between the inner and outer sleeves distorts.
This is why the suspension MUST be weighted before the nuts and bolts
are tightened. There is only so much distortion available. If you make
the mistake of tightening everything with the suspension hanging free,
it then distorts considerably when the car is set on the ground,
consuming much of the available movement. Further suspension movement
then overwhelms the rubber and leads to premature failure.
You can install everything loosely with the suspension hanging, but
then put a jack under the suspension corner and raise it up until the
car lifts slightly off the jack stand. Only then should you complete
tightening the mounting bolts.
Mike
Sent from my iPad
On Mar 14, 2021, at 17:37, Mike Grillot <msjaan at sbcglobal.net>
wrote:
The bushings are not polys and were from one of my favorite vendors
in California who sold them and who put them in for me. If they are
rubber, can I still fit them with new zerks?
Sent from my iPhone.
Please excuse all spelling, grammatical, and punctuational errors.
Sincerely Yours,
Michael Grillot
On Mar 14, 2021, at 6:21 PM, Mike Drew <MikeLDrew at aol.com> wrote:
Mike,
If you choose to replace your poly bushings, you should go back to
stock, which is a much bigger job as they need to be pressed in, which
necessitates removing all the A-arms from the car.
Here they are:
[1]https://www.ebay.com/itm/310294150143
Note that the price says `or make offer'. He will normally sell them
for substantially less than the full listed price, so if you choose to
go this route, bargain with him.
Lubing your current poly bushings is easy and cheap so you might want
to start off with that and only switch if you aren't satisfied with the
results....
Mike
Sent from my iPad
On Mar 14, 2021, at 16:55, Mike Grillot <msjaan at sbcglobal.net>
wrote:
I have some 15 yo squeaky bushings on my `74 Pantera's suspension which
have been making music since replaced. Does anyone have any miracles
which could eliminate the squeak or should I replace them.
If I replace them, which are the best and where should I get them?
Thanks in advance!!!!!
Sent from my iPhone.
Please excuse all spelling, grammatical, and punctuational errors.
Sincerely Yours,
Michael Grillot
_______________________________________________
Detomaso Email List is not managed by POCA
Posted emails must not exceed 1.5 Megabytes
DeTomaso mailing list
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http://server.detomasolist.com/mailman/listinfo/detomaso
To manage your subscription (change email address, unsubscribe, etc.)
use the links above.
Members who post to this list grant license to the list to forward any
message posted here to all past, current, or future members of the
list. They also grant the list owner permission to maintain an archive
or approve the archiving of list messages.
References
1. https://www.ebay.com/itm/310294150143
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