Front suspension rebuild

[John_Mc]

Hi all. I know this subject gets a lot of attention, but I'm addressing it again. I'm getting ready to replace the rubber in my front suspension, as it was all kinda old when I got the car and I've put many miles on it since. I bought the Moss front rubber replacement kit, but then I saw TRF's suspension and steering magic kit which was more comprehensive, so I bought that assuming I might have to replace more than just rubber. My question(s) is/are: From a quality standpoint are there any negatives to one product vs the other? How can I tell what non-rubber items need replacing? Anything to look out for from your collective experience? Obviously, this is my first time getting into this project. Thanks in advance for any input and advice!

 

[Sleepy]

FWIW - I bought the magic kit from TRF (in urethane), and was very happy with it (bear in mind that I have yet to get the car driving, so I have no road test to back my thinking).

The kit was complete easy to sort out.

 

[Guest]

John, I installed the poly kit on my TR6 and changed back to rubber. It rattled my molars, if you get my drift.

 

[John_Mc]

Bill, that seems to be what I keep hearing. For street driving many seem to prefer the rubber. I'm sticking with rubber for the front suspension. Where did you get your rubber components?

 

[swift6]

The only poly bushings that I consider absolutely mandatory are for the rear trailing arms. These won't really affect ride comfort but will do wonders for keeping the rear trailing arms where they are supposed to be. I have a mix of rubber and poly which is probably while I have a stiff but still comfortable riding car.

 

[Guest]

TRF

 

[Guest]

s'funny. i put nylatron on and love it. but then the rubber that was on was shot, so anything was an improvement.

 

[prb51]

How can you tell? Stock TR3 rides like a rock on wheels anyway.

 

[Guest]

'cos i have two threes in one..

 

[KVH]

Rubber or "standard" worked fine for me on all front suspension parts except the upper wishbone arms. I strongly recommend urethane on those. My rubber ones were split in 6 months.

 

[Guest]

My rubber ones were split in 6 months.

I really, really believe that the quality of the rubber depends on the vendor. I may be dead wrong on this one, but I have found that rubber parts from TRF are the best. (of course you are going to tell me that is where yours came from) I do know for fact that the engine mounts are something they had manufactured and are far superior to others on the market. Ask me how I know this. (4 months, new bracket broke...I had to tell)

 

[AltaKnight]

John Mc.....
The lower outboard suspension mounting stuff that passes through the trunnions is surprisingly complicated with lots of bits and pieces, little cups, o-rings, washers etc and one large bolt/nut to hold it all together.
When I replaced my trunnions I put a new kit of these parts on each side mostly because all the old stuff fell apart as I removed it.

 

[YankeeTR]

How can you tell? Stock TR3 rides like a rock on wheels anyway.

Rubber keeps it riding like a "soft" rock...hehehe

I did a little preliminary "shaking" of the front suspension and steering components on TS1203LO last night....I can assure you that I will be doing lots of work on the front end of that TR2...I've got about 1/2" of play in the wheel bearings and over one inch in the steering...oops!

 

[hondo402000]

I purchased the TRF kit in Poly, the rubber was shot, since I didnt drive the car much when I bought it and then replace all the front end components I dont know the difference between rubber and poly but it really tightened the front end up, the only thing I did wrong was put the upper arms on reversed and once I figured it out and switched them the car drove a whole lot better

 

[prb51]

I've a TRF kit (poly) waiting in the garage for one of my many 'to do' projects. The present rubber is shot but still drives true going down the road. For those with the poly bushed systems, have you noted any squeaking or are the TRF items self lubed? I've never tried the poly but have heard some types tend to chirp, not concerned with the ride as I like the 'firmness'.
I'll try and keep all the bits in order Hondo, but been there/done that before.

 

[YankeeTR]

I have never owned a car with the "poly" bushings but I know a few guys with muscle cars who have gone back to rubber because of the squeaks and the harsher ride...

 

[bunzil]

John I did mine a year ago and did a lot of reading on the topic and in fact ordered both poly and rubber. In the end I went with rubber and I am glad I did. I read more negatives (or so it seemed) from the poly guys versus the rubber camp. In the end, on retrospect, it's not really that big a job, so if the rubber goes in a few years or so I'll do it again.
Good luck.

 

[tdskip]

For what it is worth, I put Moss poly front anti roll-bar bushing in the TR6 over the weekend and HOLY COW what a difference.

 

[cnsky54]

Does the rubber make that much of a difference? I put in some GoodParts nylatron this Spring, along with new front springs, shocks and front wheel bearings. She handles amazingly now, compared to her former wanderings. I don't think it's all that rough a ride, but haven't anything to compare it to.

 

[PeterK]

Originally Posted By: prb51
How can you tell? Stock TR3 rides like a rock on wheels anyway.

Hey Pat,

If you put tires on them-thar wheels, it will ride a lot softer /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/grin.gif

But in our cars, the tires are also part of the suspension. I found out how important tires and pressures are when we ran our Formula500 race car. Adjusting the pressure up or down a little can really change the ride. We have poly on the front of the 3A, but I used Superthane poly lube so no squeaks.

Too low profile (like those on ricers) will really harshen the ride. My Audi has 235/40-17s : wide and hard, great in that car because it has the suspension to complement it. But in the TRs, we need the air to cushion the ride.