SUSP: Making Urethane Bushings

[GeoffM]

Added a part 2:

[GeoffM]

I'm very glad I decided to go back and do it again. The crack had gotten worse, and me only filling it(it leaked out) halfway was a bad decision. The sleeve had broken loose and was rotating. The urethane actually scraped most of the rust off, which I mistook for grease

I'm uploading it now. I also made a few other requests. The DIY section will be busy in the morning!

[GeoffM]

^ ive never found them either, for our 24hr lemons/chump car we needed these fixed quickly as they blew out in testing.... some masking tape and a can of window-weld did the job, we left the car on the ground so the urathane dried somewhat natural to the position of the arm.

also left the original rubber in to avoid realigning the center sleeve. it makes a world of diffrence under braking and is also noticable when 3 wheelin' and has lasted for 3 years so far.

Windo weld didn't work. Maybe you did it differently than I.
I can't rewatch it right now, but I think the video includes me taking out the old urethane I tried to make out of Windo weld. It ended up just making caps for the bushings, and still allowed the wheel to move.

[GreenMadness]

^ ive never found them either, for our 24hr lemons/chump car we needed these fixed quickly as they blew out in testing.... some masking tape and a can of window-weld did the job, we left the car on the ground so the urathane dried somewhat natural to the position of the arm.

also left the original rubber in to avoid realigning the center sleeve. it makes a world of diffrence under braking and is also noticable when 3 wheelin' and has lasted for 3 years so far.

[GeoffM]

Cleanlyness is Friendlyness buddy! lol

With the same amount of effort you could have just put in poly bushings, for about the same price too. just my opinion.

Good vid though

I've searched high and low. Never found these in poly, or replacement rubber. The only actual way to fix them is to buy a new trailing arm.

[19dabeast85]

Cleanlyness is Friendlyness buddy! lol

With the same amount of effort you could have just put in poly bushings, for about the same price too. just my opinion.

Good vid though

Pouring your own urethane is so much more fun though!

[nate'sCB7]

Cleanlyness is Friendlyness buddy! lol

With the same amount of effort you could have just put in poly bushings, for about the same price too. just my opinion.

Good vid though

[GeoffM]

You could always drill out the crack before you pour it again.

That's not a bad idea. I was thinking of using my drill to "machine" the rest of the bushing down a little so my new pour would have something to grab onto. I could just drill out that crack and tape the bottom again.
Good idea.

[19dabeast85]

You could always drill out the crack before you pour it again.

[GeoffM]

Thanks for the advice. I didn't do something lighter because:
A) I was afraid it wouldn't be strong enough
B) I wanted them to be even

I'm going to touch it up on Tuesday though. I'm not quite comfortable with how much it sagged. I'm going to mix and fill in the rest. I'm also pretty sure I tore the urethane. I used a vise to try to push the sleeve back into position and it looked like it was cracked. Filling in the rest should solve the problem.

[19dabeast85]

One thing that may help is to not completely remove the sleeve. If you make enough holes through the rubber and wire-brush all the rubber surfaces the urethane will stay in place just fine without you having to bother with re-aligning the sleeve. Then you can put tape tightly on one side and leave the other side un-taped making it much easier to pour...

Your way gets more urethane in there, my way is a bit quicker and easier while still sufficient IMO.

That urethane is a GREAT product, I did my trailing arms a few years ago and they're still very firm.....if I were to do it again I would choose much lower hardness though. The rear trailing arm needs some twist and flex and something like 64a or whatever they have close would be best IMO.

Great video!

[GeoffM]

i've found that hard urethane cracks after a year or so. i'd use it on a motor mount......not bushing

Hmm. I haven't heard that before. I guess I'll find out in a year or so

[sulimed]

i've found that hard urethane cracks after a year or so. i'd use it on a motor mount......not bushing

[GeoffM]

Definitely tape the bottom better. Mine leaked a lot. Almost to the halfway point. If I didn't need the car today I would've poured more in there.



But hey, it worked! My unexplained steering effect is now explained and is no more. Now I just need an alignment and I'll be all set.

[GeoffM]

I'd add a bit more hardener than I did though.

Edit: Video is done. Feel free to watch. I'd also advise a more thorough taping strategy. Mine leaked out of the bottom.

Edit 2:
Definitely tape better.