Zerking VBP Poly bushings?
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Apr 2006
Posts: 332
Likes: 0
From: Palo Alto CA
Zerking VBP Poly bushings?
I hear a lot of people complaining about squeaking from the poly bushings and having to relube.
Anyone Zerk their VBP bushings for easy lube? How hard was it?
Any pics?
-Jason
Anyone Zerk their VBP bushings for easy lube? How hard was it?
Any pics?
-Jason
Le Mans Master
Joined: Apr 2000
Posts: 7,218
Likes: 1
From: Cresskill NJ
I'm wondering about that as well. I've got just about a year on mine and they are all squeaking now. I don't anticipate it being nearly as hard to pull them apart and re grease as it was when I originally installed them, but it sure would be nice to just reach in there every few months with a grease gun and lube them up. I'd imagine you would have to drill the control arms and somehow pin them with a tube or something to keep everything lined up. Hopefully someone has done this. Graphite impregnated my azz....haha
Team Owner
Joined: Jul 1999
Posts: 50,808
Likes: 9
From: Buy USA products! Check the label! Employ Americans
stockers don't squeak because they are bonded to the control arms. Guess you could tap a machine screw through the control arm of proper length to keep bushing from rotating, You could dremel a slight groove in the rubber bushing aligned with the zerk to let lube flow around the entire bushing. It would then work it's way out. Good winter project,
Drifting
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 1,384
Likes: 8
From: Southwest Virginia
I would be afraid to drill the aluminum A-arms to put in a fitting. These A-arms are very lite and thin, I would be afraid that drilling them would weaken them and create a point that a crack could form. If they were steel A-arms I would not have any concerns. If I was going to try this I would drill a small hole though the mounting bolts and put the grease fitting in the end of the bolt. But even that would only work fairly well on the rear upper and lower back mount. The lower front with the adjustments would not seal very well one the ends and would probably not get any grease into the bushing itself. And it could not be done at all on the front upper.
Like John said above, the factory bushing don't squeak because they don't slip. The factory bushing is so soft the rubber flexes and neither the outside or inside ever slips. But the poly bushings are so hard they can't flex, so they must slip much like a bearing. Even if you have to relube them every year or so it is very easy on these cars, I'm guessing no more than 2-3 hour job just to relube.
If you are doing VBP bushing you will want to look at the little page I put together when I installed my bushing. I found a few things that you will want to look out for during your install. The page can be found here http://corvetteforum.shelor.net/bushings/
BTW: Nice Avatar!
Like John said above, the factory bushing don't squeak because they don't slip. The factory bushing is so soft the rubber flexes and neither the outside or inside ever slips. But the poly bushings are so hard they can't flex, so they must slip much like a bearing. Even if you have to relube them every year or so it is very easy on these cars, I'm guessing no more than 2-3 hour job just to relube.
If you are doing VBP bushing you will want to look at the little page I put together when I installed my bushing. I found a few things that you will want to look out for during your install. The page can be found here http://corvetteforum.shelor.net/bushings/
BTW: Nice Avatar!
Le Mans Master
Joined: Apr 2000
Posts: 7,218
Likes: 1
From: Cresskill NJ
Originally Posted by John Shiels
Guess you could tap a machine screw through the control arm of proper length to keep bushing from rotating, You could dremel a slight groove in the rubber bushing aligned with the zerk to let lube flow around the entire bushing. It would then work it's way out. Good winter project,
That's what I was thinking. Even a self-tapping screw would probably do the trick. I don't think the bushing should really even turn at all in the control arm without it, but it's such an easy thing to do it would be foolish not to. Since the bushings already have grooves running the length of them, I figured after I drilled the hole I would cut a groove around the inside of the bushing to connect the grooves to the grease hole.
Hopefully I will be doing this within the next few weeks once my coil overs get here.
