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Front End Bushings

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bunzil

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Wow! Imagine my surprise to find this forum - just great and I'm glad to now be a part of it. Question for the masses: I have a 76 TR-6 with 43k miles and I'd like to redo the front end, having never been done. I would like the front end as tight as possible without being a bone rattler. I already have uprated springs from TRF and plan on getting a pair of Konis. The issue of bushings remain and some say the ride Poly offers is too harsh (and squeaky) over regular rubber. Elsewhere someone said to use Prothane ploy bushes as they are softer than most poly bushes. I don't race the car, and want it comfortable. What do you suggest?

Thanks.
 
Bunzil,
I, too, have uprated springs and Konis' on my TR6. Tried others but went back to rubber. Good control and good ride.

Bill
 
My vote is rubber as well, put poly on my 79 TR7 last winter, will be changing them back to rubber this winter. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cryin.gif
 
Bunzil, Bill has it right. Just one point I might add, smear a little coat of grease on all the rubbers and inter parts of the arms and bolts before you put it all back, saves getting a tear in the rubber when you tighten everything up. This goes for all those little bits in the lower trunnion, just helps hold then together while you say bad words. The trunnions themselves are lubricated with a heavy oil, one of those strange but true weird things about BLC. Wayne
 
Thanks to all. I suspected as much, but wanted to make sure - rubber it is. A friend of mine from SCTOA when I lived in SoCal suggested it's easier to reassemble if one uses Hydraulic Brake Cyl Assembly Fluid. Any comments on this? Thanks again.
 
Your call, either will get the job done. Grease might come off your hands a might easier. Wayne
 
I would suggest not using grease on the rubber bushings. The grease will attack the rubber and make it soft like jello over time. When I need to push bushings into place I use dish soap.
 
Mark, like you I used soap for years, when the replacement rubber was real rubber, but with the new stuff I have had no problems with deteriorating and some have been on for over 10 years. I do still take care when dealing with brake parts because you never know if it's old stock. Wayne
 
bunzil,

Just a quick note. Since you're doing this job, you may want to check out a couple of the threads I started in the last week or so regarding rebuilding the front suspension. I stripped everything off my '71 TR6 last week and now I'm in the process of cleaning the parts up before I replace with new springs, shocks, and rubber bushings.

I had major troubles getting the vertical link off of the tie-rod end and upper ball joint, but this forum helped me get those apart (see post titled "Front Suspension Removal Issues"). It took me three days to get the passenger side removed. Then after consulting with a few folks on the forum it took me all of two hours to remove the front suspension from the driver's side (and that includes answering non-stop questions from my six year old nephew in the process).

Good luck.
 
Bunzil--I rebuilt my F/R suspension with poly bushings everywhere EXCEPT the diff mounts (use TRF's upgraded rubber there--you want more load absorption at the diff mounts due to the diff's weak mount design). You will appreciate the tighter suspension this extra expense gives you.
 
[ QUOTE ]
A friend of mine from SCTOA when I lived in SoCal suggested it's easier to reassemble if one uses Hydraulic Brake Cyl Assembly Fluid. Any comments on this?

[/ QUOTE ]
I would stay away from brake fluid as it dissolves paint and may be incompatible with bushing material. I have used copper-based anti-seize on bushings with great success.
 
Perhaps his friend was referring to that red caliper lube jelly/snot that make the caliper pistons and boots go together easier. Probably harmless but the Cu anti-seize sounds good too.

Since the consensus seems to be 'rubber' is there a preferred supplier? ISTR there were some quality problems in the past with some rubber bushing sources.
 
[ QUOTE ]
red caliper lube jelly/snot

[/ QUOTE ]
Ahh, yes, the Lucas "brake grease" in the white tube. That could work.
 
I used Prothane Super Grease for all of my suspension bushings, it's a silicone grease for urethane but would work on rubber as well without harm. I bought a greasegun tube for $20 (5 lifetime supply!) but you can get it as a squeeze packet too for $3 or so.
On the metal sleeves, I use Griot's non-metallic anti-sieze, also use it everywhere there is dissimilar metal (alum/steel) to prevent corrosion.
Wouldn't use grease on rubber but moly based grease on metal sleeves would be OK. Trouble with plain old grease is that it dries and hardens up.
 
I'm going to stay away from poly - too much controversy surrounding the final ride, and I never objected to the old ride on rubber.

Back up a few threads; I recall now why I was told to use Hyrdaulic Brake Ass. Fluid - because grease could break down rubber. Perhaps not on "new" rubber, but certainly the old stuff.
 
Just as a folow up on the do's or don't's on grease or brake lube. For many years the English used natural rubber in everything, brakes, bushing and anyone who put American Dot 3 or 4 brake fluid in their system found out shortly it did not compute. So everyone knew they had to use Castrol with the old English brake parts. The reason this did not brake down the rubber was because it was a natural product, Whale Oil, and as supplies are not what it use to be and Greenpeice and all, they changed the rubber. My new kit for my Roadster master was even the new stuff. When I suggested just use grease, I didn't mean to slop it on, just a smear, didn't mean to get everyones nickers in a twist. Wayne
 
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