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4 bolt lca's rebuild-able?

D

DESIGN

CEG'er
Joined
Oct 10, 2003
Messages
37
Location
Texas
I know that this was covered somewhat in the past but I was wondering if there were any fresh ideas on how to rebuild the 4-hole lower control arms. I remember someone building custom bushing to which they said they would never sell any.

My bushings are shot and I don't want to pay the high price for new ones and no one like the process for removing these from the car. So is there a poly-like material that I could put/inject into them to refurb them? Could these be poly filled like the roll resistors?

I know this sounds hokey or even red-neckish but I am just looking to see if you guys had any ideas.
 
It'll be a PITA. The (main) problem is that it's not just a rod in a hole with rubber filling the void - the rod and hole are funny shaped. If you built a jig you could probably do poly without a ton of trouble, but it would have to be a pretty accurate jig. If you feel comfortable with that kind of stuff, go ahead and do it: just be sure to post!
 
Auto-X Fil said:
It'll be a PITA. The (main) problem is that it's not just a rod in a hole with rubber filling the void - the rod and hole are funny shaped. If you built a jig you could probably do poly without a ton of trouble, but it would have to be a pretty accurate jig. If you feel comfortable with that kind of stuff, go ahead and do it: just be sure to post!
Click to expand...

There would have to be some sort of lip to keep the bushings from moving. I did the lateral control arms on my old `96 and the poly moved out of the arm. Not completely but it would have changed the geometry a little. :(
 
How does the rubber bushing stay in place then? I'm confused by that statement.

The second question I have then is would I need to remove the rubber bushing then fill with poly or could I just pour it in and fill in the gaps?
 
DESIGN said:
How does the rubber bushing stay in place then? I'm confused by that statement.
Click to expand...

1. The rubber bushings are bonded in place.
2. As Phil alluded to, the inner shaft is not a constant cylinder, but thin on the ends and fat in the middle.
 
RogerB said:
1. The rubber bushings are bonded in place.
2. As Phil alluded to, the inner shaft is not a constant cylinder, but thin on the ends and fat in the middle.
Click to expand...

Actually one is concave and the other has a hump in it. I don't think you'd want to "fill" them with a liquid urethane, IIRC there was no sleeve between the bushing and where the bushing contacts the inner part of the control arm mount when we took them apart.

The control arm just slips around the bushings and filling them would cause binding, plus you could never "fill" the bushing completely causing inconsistant distribution of the load placed on them which would ultimantely lead to failure.
 
ok, I can't seem to search the old forum effectively. Does anyone have a link to the thread where the guy rebuilt his own?
 
Like many others, I have tried to figure out something better than the stock rubber but continuously come up empty handed. The rubber bushings are not solid. I've removed them and they have plenty of empty space internally giving a nice compliant ride. It's also one of the reasons they don't last long.

There are at least 2 important issues which must be considered: the arms see fore/aft movement; the front bushing is a different size from the rear.

To the best of my knowledge, the only other method is to replace them with solid alloy bushings and sleeves. The ride will be horrible except on a racetrack.

I'm now on my fourth set of front A arms. At least the 4 bolt arms are a better design than the 2 bolts.
 
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