gnj3963

Hey..1984 C4
Since its nearly Impossible to find 25 mm front sway bar bushings i was wondering if anyone out there has tried the "universal bushings" sold by energy suspension..They have just the bushings in 25 mm with or without the bracket. .I was planning on getting them with the bracket and modifying as needed..
What do you guys think?

catso

Find the closest size that's smaller and drill them out to 25MM, or you can use a rasp type drill attachment to give the surface some texture to hold the poly grease. I've done it; it's easy and works well. You can usually find the Energy Susp. or Prothane bushings cheaper on fleabay or amazon. Shop around, you don't have to pay a lot if you are going to modify them anyway. Buy whichever size you can find that's the cheapest. You can see the results of mine in the pic; I bought Prothane 22MM and drilled them out to 24MM.

gnj3963

Ive read and heard so many times how important the proper set up of the swaybars are that i was trying to stay away from modifying the bushing..Was talking about modifying the bracket rather. .

catso

Modifying the bracket is much more problematic than enlarging the bushing hole, you can tailor the fit very nicely and maintain the original position exactly with reasonable drilling skills. A drill press would make it a very easy task, but you can do the same without one. I also advise cleaning and measuring the sway bar contact points to confirm the size bushing hole you need.

gnj3963

Catso
Im a machinist by trade so I have access to what ever i need..I just figured leaving the bushings alone and just spacing the brackets to put the bushing hole at the correct hieght would be a better.route to take..Let me ask you this..My bar measures 25mm/ .984...Do the bushings of that size have that exact hole diameter or are the a bit smaller or larger?

drcook

Is there something incompatible in this setup for what you need:


also

https://www.summitracing.com/oh/sear...0bar%20bushing

gnj3963

Drcook
The energy susp. Kit was the universals i was originally talking about getting..

catso

They are probably a wee bit (sorry, technical jargon) larger, but most poly bushings have a crosshatch type of surface inside the hole to maintain some grease. Upon installation there will probably be a small amount of compression from the brackets that minimizes any looseness between the bushing and bar. You want the bar to be able to slide inside of the bushing snugly but not clank around. Hope that helps.

gnj3963

It does help..I will try reaming the hole a bit smaller first and see how it fits and go from there..Thanx for input..

drcook

Why ream them? If you have access to the machines, especially a small lathe, put it in a 4 jaw, indicate it in and then open them up with a boring bar. A sharp, high speed tool with a smooth chip relief and stone a small radius on the point would cut that stuff better than trying to run a reamer through.

gnj3963

I let u know how it goes after...

Kevova

Try shopping for 1 inch bushings. (25.4 mm)

MatthewMiller

Sorry I'm late to this thread. The universals shown in the Amazon link should work, as long as you get the brackets to go with them. The stock bushings are shaped like the ones in post #2, with no "flanges" that sit outside the bracket; and the bracket curves around the edges of the bushing to capture it. The ES universals are the opposite, so you need their brackets. I had to recently do the same with the 23mm rear swaybar I'm using.