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Hey guys… Long time since I’ve been on the site. The car just seems to sit and it’s time to try to devote some time to drive. So the car fires up and everything is fine… I just have a real problem with my suspension. As a summary… I had a frame off restoration that I did in my garage taking 12 years… The car is gorgeous well designed and professional follow through. I’ll try to supply some pics has an update.
At any rate… My A-frame bushings have totally failed me. They were bought from Energy suspensions and I properly use the silicone, grease, etc.… It’s been Ausome years since I performed the frame off restoration which was completed in 2012. However, with only maybe 5000 to 6000 miles on the car, the polyurethane bushings have Deteriorated heavily. And ultimately, the result is the car is just hard to keep straight. And that’s why I haven’t been driving it for some years.
so the questions are:
1. What are the best bushings I can put in there… I noted Ride Tech, Boreson and some others but really, wanna make sure the suspension is top of the line… I will try to supply pictures that I took from the top side that shows The rear driver side, upper control arm bushing insides totally gone. I feel very comfortable. They were installed properly And will keep you posted When I get time to tear down
2. I have Bilstein shocks from probably 1980s… That were sent to the company for a rebuilding/warranty and 2006-ish… Open to any suggestions. I’m sure there’s technological advances within the shocks themselves that would most likely prove beneficial for an update rather than a rebuild.
3. The car is 69, 427 435 motor With heavy duty suspension and stabilizer bars. They are all factory with the energy suspension polyurethane bushings. I need to get under the car and take a look at those and their condition.
4. I Believe I also used energy suspension engine mounts, which I believe last time I looked underneath there they were deformed and almost seemed melted. By the way I have vintage air on this car it’s a black car… I have aluminum radiator with door electric fans and in Houston Texas I can be in traffic in And the car runs completely Call at 160° and never exceeds 180°.
5. last is the trailing arms which were Van steel, offset trailing arms. After installation, the company advised there was a recall. I disassembled sent the initial trailing arms back and they sent me replacements which I reinstalled. Of course these have the energy suspension bushings. I’m wondering if those bushings are bad and will of course have to check.
All this post is voice to text On a small iPhone… So apologies on typos… Once I get to a laptop, I will clarify any other sites.
I am totally open to input… I want to do it right and get that thing out of the garage.
I have not kept up with technologies for the past 10+ years, so looking forward to hearing from you all
For the control arms and motor and transmission mounts, consider Moog. If the Bilstein shocks are still have a fresh rebound, keep them. If not, consider replacing them with another set of Bilsteins. Sounds like you have a mostly stock suspension, so consider using Bilstein HDs. Jerry
Couldn't be happier with my energy suspension bushings. Perhaps they have improved. Rubber? Up to you but I just don't think the rubber of today is even close to what was available years ago.
Depending on how long you want to keep the car (you've been a member for 25 years it looks like) you can decide for yourself whether you want to go a lot further than simple bushings of solid but deformable materials. Myself I wanted something solid that I could grease, would freely pivot, and that led me to Delrin bushings everywhere. I don't know if you can retrofit to stock components, but once they are out it's no more effort to upgrade. It's just money. Lots of offerings in the aftermarket.
"All this post is voice to text On a small iPhone… So apologies on typos…"
Well there's "Ausome" and some grammatical errors but if this is straight from dictation to text, these tools are pretty awesome. Myself I am becoming more technically illiterate each and every year. I am not sure where the point is that I really better start knowing more than I do. Sorry to be off topic
Hi gents... yes - I saw the typos :-D - but the iphone is too dang small for my bad eyes and unresponsive fingers.
Appreciate the input. I did see where Delrin has lubricant incorporated into the material - will look into that. The money has already been put into the car - whatever needed done was invested in - labor and funds. So the extra $ is not an issue - just want to get it done.
Tampa Jerry - I need to get underneath the car and see 'what' I have. Will touch base with Bilstein as well. Moog would be rubber though - right ? Will check.
4-Vettes - I am sure technology has improved - Many of my parts were bought in 2002 - 2006 - it was the follow through that took so long. But I have the poly bushings - not rubber.
Ignatz - I have had the car since 1976... so it is a keeper. It is tough keeping up with the technology... but trying. You mentioned Delrin and greasing them I thought the Delrin removed the need to lube. Will check as well.
Update:
Ride Tech
Good Support - discussed Delrin vs. Poly - Poly does deform to some degree and especially Motor mounts from heat and stress from weight (sitting). Lots of detail but in the end Delrin will be path forward. Ride Tech does not make Trailing Arm - so will be ordering all front suspension bushings from Ride Tech. Their 'kit' that has springs, and shocks which lower the ride profile 1.5" to 2"... but for now I want to keep my setup. BTW - I could not recall the details - but in 2006 I bought OEM F-41 Springs, sway bars for front/back - all big block heavy duty race suspension items.
Bilstein
Checking on warranty and whether to purchase newer model to gain tech advantages.
Van Steel
My Offset trailing arms from Van Steel (2006 circa) use OEM size bushing (1 1/8") . Van Steel made 2 mods since then and the latest has 'spherical' bushings??? and so although newer tech, I will remain with older style. Van Steel also said that they do not have a Delrin T-Arm bushing, but feel comfortable with Poly.
Maybe my poly T-arms bushing are not bad - I really do not know at this point - will assess after the front end is done. Will assess the steering box as well at that point. Car only has 74k miles.
I autocrossed and re-engineered my suspension for 27 years. But that was then, and another car.
For a street car I would suggest rubber, especially in the trailing arms. They have multiple motion axes and poly does not work well there. The steel "speherical" bushings are really only recommended for track use.
For the a-arms, I wanted to go one step better than rubber, since I corner hard. Unless you are auto-crossing the car, the rubber bushings are fine. In "drift-mode" the solid/delrin/poly etc. bushings eliminate some judder at the traction limit. Short of that, there is not much difference. I refused to do poly, so I put the Ridetech Delrin bushings on my car. That way I can keep the stock a-arm look, vs the Global West, which are readily visible. And the steering will be solid when I 4-wheel "drift" the car.
The Global West ones are better, I had those before. They have large locking nuts, which will not ever come un-done, but they do interfere with the stock BB fan shroud on a C3. I was not willing to cut that, or to go electric. The downside of the Ridetech ones is they are a bit of a pain to install, and you must lock-tite the outer bushing washer-retainer bolts. Even then, mine still did not fit well. If you a-arms are not perfectly square, the bushings cause some binding, which I had to clear up. They also required some modifying to prevent too much torque/drag on the retaining washers/bolts. I have heard many stories on those bolts, and then the bushings, falling out on poly bushing installs. The rubber ones flex instead, and do not put any rotational torque on that washer/bolt, since they retain the stock washer/bolt system. The poly & Ridetech Delrin now rotate that washer, which the rubber ones do not.
I still have the Ridetech bushing installation tools. PM me if you need them.
Last edited by leigh1322; Oct 7, 2025 at 10:02 PM.
I agree in the rear trailing arms, I would stick with rubber bushings. In the rear strut rods, I have had OEM rubber, poly, and currently competition adjustable strut rods with heim joints, NO bushings-one of the best upgrades to better control unwanted rear suspension movements, especially camber changes under load.
On the front upper and lower control arm bushings, I replaced the stock rubber ones with black polyurethane ones ( don't remember the brand, maybe energy suspensions?) in the early 2005+ time frame. Mine are black poly and still look brand new today but I did have to blue loctite the upper control bolts to prevent them from loosening with no problems since I did. When I changed to the poly front control arm bushings, I made no other changes and was stiunned at how much tighter the front steering and responsive the car was after the change. The ride from the change was firm but not overly stiff or harsh. I would, again, highly recommend poly or similar since any change that reduces unwanted chassis/suspension movement in a C3 is mostly beneficial to a better driving experience, in my experience and opinion.
Hands down, stick with Bilsteins! They are still the best shock for suspension control with solid ride with minimal harshness. My Bilsteins are from the early 2000's and still are perfect, Sports in back with my 360lbs composite springs, HD's in front with the 550lbs gymkhana springs.
Thanks gents for the input. I will absorb and create a summary of a path forward! Great info - the sharing of true experience is valuable very much appreciated.
Can't really say how long these have been on my car but nearly all the time since they first became available, so over a decade for sure. This greasy mess is before my refresh so don't judge me. The zerk fittings are accessible is the point here but they don't exactly stick out. I would have to look to see if I have replaced any straight fittings with right angle fittings but you have that option if needed. Anyway you won't be sorry.
I autocrossed and re-engineered my suspension for 27 years. But that was then, and another car.
For a street car I would suggest rubber, especially in the trailing arms. They have multiple motion axes and poly does not work well there. The steel "speherical" bushings are really only recommended for track use.
For the a-arms, I wanted to go one step better than rubber, since I corner hard. Unless you are auto-crossing the car, the rubber bushings are fine. In "drift-mode" the solid/delrin/poly etc. bushings eliminate some judder at the traction limit. Short of that, there is not much difference. I refused to do poly, so I put the Ridetech Delrin bushings on my car. That way I can keep the stock a-arm look, vs the Global West, which are readily visible. And the steering will be solid when I 4-wheel "drift" the car.
The Global West ones are better, I had those before. They have large locking nuts, which will not ever come un-done, but they do interfere with the stock BB fan shroud on a C3. I was not willing to cut that, or to go electric. The downside of the Ridetech ones is they are a bit of a pain to install, and you must lock-tite the outer bushing washer-retainer bolts. Even then, mine still did not fit well. If you a-arms are not perfectly square, the bushings cause some binding, which I had to clear up. They also required some modifying to prevent too much torque/drag on the retaining washers/bolts. I have heard many stories on those bolts, and then the bushings, falling out on poly bushing installs. The rubber ones flex instead, and do not put any rotational torque on that washer/bolt, since they retain the stock washer/bolt system. The poly & Ridetech Delrin now rotate that washer, which the rubber ones do not.
I still have the Ridetech bushing installation tools. PM me if you need them.
Are you still running the Ridetech Delrin bushings in your lowers? I am putting an older set of VB &P upper arms in my 69 and rebuilding the lowers and am thinking of using the Ridetech bushings.
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Suspension Bushings Upgrade!
