C4 rubber suspension bushings
 

Where can I get them? I want to replace the bushings in my rear strut rods and lower A-arms in my '85 but all I can find are polyurethane bushings. I HATE polyurethane bushings, they creak and groan and make the ride stiffer than it already is. Sure you can grease them when you put them in but the grease doesn't last forever, eventually they go back to creaking and groaning again. I can't stand polyurethane bushings, I want to replace the bad bushings in my car with rubber bushings if at all possible. Any help in finding some is greatly appreciated.

Anybody? I'm sure I'm not the only one that wants to replace some bad suspension bushings with OE style rubber bushings instead of polyurethane. I can't find any replacement rubber bushings, all I'm finding are polyurethane bushings. If anybody knows where to get new rubber bushings at please post the info.

I read about this a few days ago, and the only result was to buy used parts with bushings that are in good shape. I saw some "reconditioned" dog bones that were like 80 a piece, the control arms were around 300 each.

I was going through the same thing. I ended up buying the poly bushings. They will have to suffice. I gave up trying to find oem style. My Corvette is not a daily driver and I will just have to live with any noise that occurs.

Good luck with your search.

In the 20 years this forum has been around. Nobody has found replacement rubber bushings. They don't exist.

Unfortunately rubber bushings can't be bought. Also unfortunately, all the control arms in the rear (camber rod and trailing arms) have to moving in more than one plane. Therefore, urethane bushings add considerable bind because they are only designed to move around a single, fixed axis of rotation. So in the rear, if you can't find rubber-bushed replacement arms, rod-end links are the best solution. They honestly don't seem to add that much to ride harshness in my experience. You can use urethane on the front control arms, because they do only move in one plane.

How durable are rod end links for long term daily driver usage? I would think that they would wear out fairly quickly in a daily driver. Would they need to be lubricated on a regular basis and if so how often? It sucks that nobody makes replacement rubber bushings for these cars given the fact of how many tens of thousands of them that are out there. You can get new rubber bushings for damn near everything that's ever been made, it's incredible to think that the aftermarket hasn't stepped up to the plate and started offering them for the C4's.

I can't speak for every company's parts that are available, but the Banski pieces use teflon-lined spheres that don't need lubricating. The rod ends themselves are also easy and cheap to replace if they wear out. For a street car, I'm sure it's a good idea to buy the rubber boot covers that Banski offers. You put them around each rod end during installation, and they will keep road crud away from the joints.

I agree it sucks. This is one of the few downsides of the C4's use of bespoke control arms, whereas most other GM vehicles of the era shared a lot of bushing sizes/designs and so the parts market was supplied. I don't know for sure, but I bet that an OE-quality rubber bushing is a lot more expensive to make in small batches. The inner sleeve and outer shell would have to be fixed in place while liquid(ish) rubber is poured in between. I assume that's how they're made, since the rubber is actually bonded to the metal shell and sleeve. That's probably just not practical unless you are gearing up to sell many thousands.

You CAN get the dog bones in rubber. Check Ecklers or Corvette Central. They used to have them anyhow.

Corvette Central does have stock-style trailing arms $90 each. But they have urethane bushings. Ecklers doesn't have them at all, and I haven't seen any other source for them other than used ones on Ebay.

I thought we figured out sway bar bushings were the only potential rubber bushing available....

UNLESS....

I THINK I remember one guy good enough, or smart enough, or hooked up enough that he MADE his own bushings out of rubber. But, I don't remember reading how they turned out.

With the proper OEM specs, I wonder if there's any manufacturer that would make some? In a recent thread, I was surprised to read that front/rear bushings weren't the same durometer (firmness). I'm curious if this was true through the entire C4 run and/or if anyone knows which was stiffer?

I also think CorvetteMods (at least used to) sell dog bones with rubber. Can't remember other parts, but holy cow: Who'd want to pay THAT MUCH for rubber? I reported my own post to the mods cause this is dumb.

I'm kind of surprised Prothane or Energy Suspension or P-S-T wouldn't consider it. FWIW, P-S-T said they THOUGHT they made them in rubber once....then re****ed. Maybe that's a place to start?


Edit: Maybe we should have a contest to guess the word unreasonably censored above. I'll give you a clue. It means (to take back....or deny).

http://www.trifivechevys.com/showthr...jor-bind/page2

Some pretty interesting information on poly bushings. Good conversation in here

I think we did, too.

Like I wrote above, the rubber bushings are bonded to the inner sleeve and outer shells. So you can't just mold the rubber part separately and then press it in like you can with urethane. I believe it would have to be molded with sleeve and shell in place. That's going to make it an expensive proposition for a very small niche aftermarket. Making urethane bushings is much easier. If some would make rubber bushings, they would be expensive.

That was damn funny! "Reneged" was the word you wanted, but you wrote it with a racial slur instead. :rofl:

Hey,

I have built a lot of suspensions using most products across the board and from companies like Energy Suspension the black bushings are considered a 1 up from stock in durability and stiffness. I did a full Set of these all the way around my 1986. The ride is better and the suspension is not making loud Poly-Moans like my previous racing set-ups with the stiffer higher end bushings. I will say this though the multiple plane of movement in the rear end will end up getting a bit of Poly Noise when the grease wears off over the next year or so but it will not be out of hand loud. You can always set-up with a fine needle grease adapter and when you do a normal chassis lube to the other fittings take the needle greaser and bushing lube and inject it in the gaps. I know it sounds like a lot of work but in the past it added about an extra 30 minutes to my other cars when I did it that way.

Go out to Energy Suspensions website and look at the different types of Poly bushings and their durometer ratings and levels of performance. Also do not be afraid to call and ask questions of performance suspension companies they will be glad to give product specs and recommendation and for the right money a custom product for a single application.

Hope I helped a little!

That's the other spelling...more directly from the latin origin. Merriam-Webster shows the spelling I used too...as I spell-checked after posting to see if I remembered wrong.

:confused2: and :rolleyes:

I am six months out on the rear and haven't heard any noise yet. (I did that install.) I am 4-5yrs out on the front-end and they squeak like an old car UNLESS it's the sway bushings which are still original (front/rear).

It's getting a big "out-of-hand" this winter IMO because I'm sure it sounds like I'm driving a creaky, old car to bystanders. I get squeak running over bumps (in the front) and when turning the wheel. I haven't looked to see if the sway bar moves laterally (with the wheels) in case THATS my problem. (Fingers crossed).

OTOH, I had my local friend/Chevy shop do the front install -- do to their access of better tools (press) and a rockin' price. The downside was their oversight of installation without any (enough?) grease which became apparent right away. It didn't leave the shop. Hopefully, they would have brought it to my attention had any damage to the bushing surface occurred. It sucked for them -- because the first [sub-contracted] machine shop went out-of-business between the install/redo! So, Chevy had to pay a second shop to r/r and redo -- with lube!

Maybe THIS is why it's always better to DIY! :smash:


EDIT: TBH, I'm hoping it goes away when warmer AND it's just the front sway bar bushings.

I did mine myself, and put so much grease on them you could fry a chicken with it

I bought an 8oz tub of their grease on top of whatever was included with the kit. Loaded every bushing up cause i'm not about that squeak life. I see some people add grease zerks, but i'm not sure what type of grease you would use to lubricate them or if you need to modify the bushings or their housings in order for grease to flow through them

Still no progress on this issue? I would hate to have to ruin the ride with poly bushes.

Nope, still no progress in finding rubber bushings for the car. I ended up having to go with the poly bushings that I hate but I greased the hell out of them and they don't squeak thankfully. I hope it stays that way.

I've read Super Pro may be your best bet... still poly but I've read on this forum they are better/softer than most. Just give the forum a search.