ARRRGH!!! Bushings!!!!
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Oct 2002
Posts: 452
Likes: 158
From: Newark, DE
ARRRGH!!! Bushings!!!!
So I'm in the middle of a personal nightmare with my 70 right now, and I just thought I'd bitch about it a little on the forum. About two weeks ago, I replaced just about every bushing in the suspension with polyurethane. No problem, only took me two days. Well, a few days ago, I get a rattle in the front left suspension. Look under the hood, and... the freakin bolt on the rear of the upper control arm pivot worked it's way loose. Bolt, washer, and bushing are all gone. DAMMIT! Not a big problem, I had to order a whole other kit (no one sells individual polyurethane bushings), which means another $70 down the drain, but no big loss. I can just get a bolt and washer and pop the bushing back in. Car is still drivable. So last night, I hit the brakes coming out of a parking lot, and BANG!! Really loud noise and the car starts pulling HARD to the right. Look under the hood and another bolt came out, this time on the front of the right upper arm. The whole arm popped off the damn pivot and was sitting against the fan shroud. Now I have to take everthing apart again to get it back together. 
Let this be a lesson to anyone doing suspension work. If it's not an adjustment... LOCKTITE, LOCKTITE, LOCKTITE!!
Let this be a lesson to anyone doing suspension work. If it's not an adjustment... LOCKTITE, LOCKTITE, LOCKTITE!!
Le Mans Master
Joined: Jan 2000
Posts: 8,918
Likes: 27
From: New Hill NC
This has always been a big problem with the poly bushings, and people should be made aware of it. The caps are designed to tighten against the bushings and a serrated edge on the metal core. This hold the assembly together. With the polys, there is nothing to hold on to. Use lots of locktite.
