the Australian superpro site here. Look up vehicle by year and click on the bushing part numbers in blue. They have the pdfs as attachments down on the page.

 

Thank You for the link.
Well this afternoon I installed all of the new bushings in the lower control arms. In regards to the sway arm bushings I used a 3" 3/8x16 grade 5 bolt and a combination of washers and a socket to push in the steel bushing cylinder and the super pro bushings.
In regards to the large bushings I tried pushing in with the 12T press but one side kept popping out, I then tried a piece of 2' ID plastic pipe as a guide and still it would push one side out. I then tried the method that the video showed and that was using a 3/8 short extension coupled upside down in a 3/4 socket, With the extension protruding down the ID of the bushing it kept all fairly lined up and allowed the bushing to start in. Now I did not use a excess amount of grease I only coated the ID of the arm bushing boss and the very edge of the bushing. I took Matt Miller"s advice to go light on the grease so the Super Pro Bushing will not rotate in the arm but stay locked in place and only rotate on the inner bolt bushing that I will really lube up. Next I will press in the new Ball Joints and replace the inner Sway Bar Bushings prior to installing the lower control arms.

Thank You
Hawkeye56

 

So Hawkeye are you doing both front and rear? My front bushings seem to be in great shape, so I'm not too concerned with doing them right now. I have the full kit so I might go ahead and do them anyway, but not in a huge rush. How hard was the job, and do you have any good guides on how to do it? Any 'gotchas' you ran into so far?

Glad you got the bushings pressed in. Those buggers are harder than you'd think to keep straight.

 

Yes I am doing front and rear. About the only thing I did when I disassembled each side I had a box of quart storage bags and a Sharpie.
I bagged everything individually and labeled each bag reference. I am also doing all ball joints and tor rods. I only want to do this job once.
I will do the entire rear including adding a Banski toe rod assembly, Also Banski pin top shock mounts front and rear for the RideTech Shocks. Lastly new U Joints on the Half Shafts.
I have decided to replace the rear spring cushions with OEM rubber from Zip.
I would appreciate some input on the cushions as far as lubing, I had thought a thin coat on the contact surfaces.
I will post more as I go.
Thanks Hawkeye56

 

I almost forgot, When I pulled the rod that holds the front brake caliper in place it was pretty rusty. I was considering buying new pins but not sure if the OEM has better steel.
please give me your advice.
Thanks Hawkeye56

 

in general I’d stick with OEM but it really depends on how bad of shape they’re in. Someone else on here may have better specific advice, I just stick OEM for everything I can because aftermarket is often not as good.

 

I will check with my local Chevrolet dealership and see if they are still available.
Thanks Hawkeye56

 

good deal. I’ve bought a few cheap Chinese parts and they have not lasted as long as 30+ year old parts I’ve gotten from donor cars. A new clutch hydraulic system lasted 6 months, took one from a donor and it’s lasted 3 years so far with no problems. Similar situation with an alternator.

 

They can be bought at NAPA or other parts outlets. Or you can make yourself a tumbler with a jar, some sand and run them through there and clean them up.

 

I will check it all out.
Thanks
Hawkeye56

 

Oh for sure. I soak everything with PB Blaster for a couple of days or some use Kroil. That's the key to getting potentially rust fused bolts out of anything.

 

Yup same here. Didn't have a single stuck bolt when doing the bushings. Could be coincidence, but so far it has been working very well for me.

 

I just replaced a lot of my rear bushings with the Superpro bushings. I mostly used a ball joint press kit. I have a 20 ton press but it's at another location and I didn't want to be going back and forth.

Anyway, just wanted to put that out there for anyone attempting this job who doesn't have a press, you can buy a ball joint kit and it works really well to remove and install the bushings. I pressed out the old bushings using the kit and an appropriately sized socket for each bushing, and then pushed in the new ones. The only one that gave me trouble was the large one on the camber rods. All of the smaller ones were easily removed and installed.

Btw, if the advice from Superpro is to use a lot of grease when installing, then why do they give you such a small amount? You would think that you hardly need any....

 

That is some very good advice for those who do not own or have access to a press. Yes i agree 100% that they are pretty stingy with the grease considering what it costs. I ordered a front Sway bar bushing directly from Super Pro and after visiting with the Rep. I ordered additional packages as I only want to do this once and the right way.

Thanks
Hawkeye56

 

I t is very weird, only mid America motorworks has the rubber bushing that they list it at '63 - '96 (no one else does that). I have to wait until I buy something else (brake hoses, etc..) because I can't justify $10 shipping on a $13 part

 

Thanks for the advice. I will have to check Zip to see if I read it wrong.
Thanks Hawkeye56

 

https://www.mamotorworks.com/corvett...ece-kit-634774

My Superpros are shipping out today from Dino's corvette salvage. The wait (2-3 wks) was because they were waiting for the dog bone bushings package to add to the kit

 

Well it only took 7 weeks from a new right knee replacement to be able to crawl under the car. I have installed the lower control arms. Today I pressed in the new Super Pro Bushings into the upper control arm.
To make the job a little easier to press in the rear bushings I cut a piece of 1 1/2 diameter pvc pipe about 1/4 inch longer than the bushing. I then used a 1/2 inch extension in a deep well socket up side down so the female socket of the extension was inside the id of the bushing. Next I used masking tape and increased the od of the extension to a snug fit inside the bushing. With this I was able to press in both bushings fairly easily. Too my surprise the front bushing with one shoulder was almost a bush in by hand. I pushed in the steel liner and then I used two large sockets and pressed the bushing in until the shoulder was against the control arm. Next I need to torque the nuts to 42 FT LBS and install. I am waiting on my front sway arm brackets and front caliper brackets from the powder coater. It is really nice to be out in the garage again instead of walking around with a walker and then a cane.
I will post all forward movement.
Thank You
Hawkeye56

 

Hello again Bfenty!

I am glad you bought the better grade of bushings. Mine were plain polyurethane, no graphite impregnated parts on my Corvette and they have to be lubricated occasionally as they start squeaking and slowly get louder and louder.

We used a Sawzall to remove old bushings when possible as it was easy to do. Some folks suggested burning them out with a torch....Not with all the stinky smoke. We used soap for lubrication and pressed the new ones in at a buddy's gas station. I took almost a year to install the whole set as I was not in any rush. The thing that made the job easier for me was to use a lift for a few hours.

I now have a Harbor Freight 20 ton press ($99) in my garage for such projects. After taking the bushings out I sand blasted the metal parts and then soaked them with liquid soap and squeezed them in. I wish I had powder coated some of the pieces since they are visible from the rear without the spare. Not the easiest or most fun project but it makes a big difference when you drive the Corvette, especially if yours were worn out.

Lets us know how you like those new bushings in your C4. Mine have been installed for over 20 years and will need to be done again down the road. The C4 is still comfortable to drive but stiffer, the C3 is really hard and squeaks a lot when dry. You will notice a big difference when you are going quickly thru the turns. After doing the C3 I noticed right away that it cornered more flatly with less body roll, the bushings made the C3 Corvette a much better handling vehicle.

 

Seeing all of this reminds me why I went with heim joints with forged tubes and Global West Del-A-Lum bushings in front. No binding, no press work, just measured it well, had a local machinist make a couple of small parts for me and it all went right together. I was also amazed at how smoothly the suspension moves through travel - I tested it without the spring and shock attached - no more binding, nothing, just full travel through the arc.


Setting center to center distance

Test fit with the DRM brackets

Custom tie rod end replacements

going together

ready to set it down