Prothane Polyurethane Bushing Install on 1980 280ZX (lots of photos!)

[PhilbertZ]

This past weekend I finally got around to finishing the Prothane polyurethane bushing kit on my 1980 ZX. I was doing it at a friend’s house, so we had to coordinate our schedules in order to make it work – that’s why it was a 2 step process.

 

I’ll cut to the results.

 

The reason I wanted to do this is that my steering response seemed tired, I always heard a creak/groan from the front of the car when I entered dipped driveways, and upon visual inspection, the tension rod and sway bar OEM bushings were cracking to pieces….it was time.

 

After installing this kit, WOW. The steering is extremely tight, the creak/groans are gone from the front, and the car no longer dives when braking. It’s literally night and day. The one thing that may be bad is that the power steering pump seems to be working overtime – I hear it the moment I move the wheel any small fraction (wasn’t there before). This may go away when I get the car re aligned….anyone come across this symptom and is it bad?

 

We did the rears a couple months back. That took an entire day between the two of us. Getting the bushings out and new ones in wasn’t working, so we had to take them to a shop to remove old ones and press in new ones – and it was not cheap.

 

For the fronts, I did more research and we decided to go the hole saw route. Using a drill press and hole saw, cut out as much of the rubber bushing as possible. Then, once the bushing is out and the OEM metal sleeve remains, using a table vise and hack saw, get the blade inside the sleeve to cut some pilot grooves in the sleeves. DO NOT CUT THROUGH THEM as you will damage the inside of the bushing mount and never get the new ones in. What you want to do is make the sleeve as structurally unsound as possible without cutting through to the inside of the control arm. The first one was a pain…the second much easier – here’s how we did it: Using the hacksaw, cut 2 grooves into the sleeve, close together (we used a chisel to remove the sleeve, so if you can separate the 2 grooves by the exact width of the chisel, you’re doing great). Then, cut a third groove (after flipped control arm over in vise…) on the opposite side of the sleeve (think the “peace signâ€, but with the two lower lines very close together). Once those are in, take the control arm out and, with a partner holding it over the top of a large socket (socket larger than the control arm bushing), use a chisel to slowly pound away the small strip created by your first two grooves. Be careful not to damage the inside of the control arm bushing mount. Once the strip peels away, the rest of the sleeve should cave in on itself, or you should be able to do that easily. You may need to use a file to rasp out any nicks left inside the bushing hole – make sure it’s SMOOTH or you’ll never get the new bushings in…..

 

TIP:

When putting the front back together, install the tension rod bushing on the side facing the back of the car, along with the tension rod; DON’T install the bushing on the other side – just install the nut so that the rod has some play in it. Attach the ball joint, tension rod, and tie rod to the shock tower mount, and to the control arm. DON’T connect the control arm to the suspension cross member first – connect the outward part of it to the bottom of the shock tower first….and save jamming the control arm into the suspension cross member for LAST…it’s MUCH easier that way. Using an alignment tool and a hammer is the best way to get the control arm lined up and attached to the cross member.

 

 

Unfortunately, we ran out of metal etch after doing the rear, so the paint didn’t adhere well to the front suspension pieces – too much grease stayed on…. But that was a “nice to have†part of the project – not a need J

 

Also, I painted my wiper arms and BADLY faded rear louvers – what a difference a couple cans of black paint make!

 

If you have any questions about the install of the bushings let me know- I’m learning as a I go so I may not be able to help you - that’s my disclaimer.

 

Enjoy the photos!

 

Phil

 

 

Rear shock and spring before the work....

 

Rear control arm with OLD bushings:

 

Rear control arm with NEW bushings and no paint...

 

 

Rear control arm being painted:

 

 

Painted/cleaned rear spring and strut...looks like new:

 

Rear strut and spring, painted, cleaned, installed:

 

Rear strut and spring, installed, under load:

 

Rear sway bar painted, installed, under load:

 

Front shock and spring before tear down:

 

 

Front end torn down:

 

Front control arms unpainted, with bushings removed:

 

Front control arms painted, with new bushings installed:

 

 

Tension rod and sway bar with new bushings installed:

 

 

Sway bar and tension rod installed:

 

 

Front tension rod and sway bar:

 

Front spring and strut painted (not as nice as the rears, sadly....):

 

 

Newly painted wiper arms:

 

Rear louvers BEFORE the new paint:

 

 

Rear louvers AFTER the new paint:

[hughdogz]

Front tension rod and sway bar:

 

 

Uh-oh, that is a recipie for disaster!

 

You don't want two poly-bushings for T/C rods! You have to keep at least one OEM, or else there is a trick of drilling holes the the poly one.

 

Reason being is that most of the flex is now taken out of the bushing and transferred to the rod. Fatigue will ensue in a short time.

 

Otherwise, Awesome Job!!

 

Hope this helps, -hughdogz

[PhilbertZ]

Uh-oh, that is a recipie for disaster!

 

You don't want two poly-bushings for T/C rods! You have to keep at least one OEM, or else there is a trick of drilling holes the the poly one.

 

Reason being is that most of the flex is now taken out of the bushing and transferred to the rod. Fatigue will ensue in a short time.

 

Otherwise, Awesome Job!!

 

Hope this helps, -hughdogz

 

 

Thanks - you know I'd read about that before too - tales of TR's snapping (yikes!).

 

If I do swap back one of my OEM bushings....or just get a new OEM set and put on there...do you know which side to put it on (side facing the Tension rod, or side facing the front bumper)? Please say side facing front bumper.....I don't want to take that thing out again

[BleachZee]

or $200 for some adjustable TC rods from Technotoytuning.com

 

[PhilbertZ]

or $200 for some adjustable TC rods from Technotoytuning.com

 

 

I've heard of those -thanks! I think I'll wait till mine break before I do that though....and I'd like to prevent that as long as possible...if anyone knows the best OEM/Poly combo for the tension rod setup (as I asked above), please let me know....

 

Also, your sway bar seems mounted very low - why is that? Is your car lowered? I'm new to suspension, so Apologies if it's a well known reason

 

Phil

[hughdogz]

If I do swap back one of my OEM bushings....or just get a new OEM set and put on there...do you know which side to put it on (side facing the Tension rod, or side facing the front bumper)? Please say side facing front bumper.....I don't want to take that thing out again

 

Hi PhilbertZ,

 

From Guy 80LT1's S130 T/C rod build thread:

 

....John C. recomends using a conbo of rubber and poly with the poly on the same side as the nut.

 

Link to Dime Quarterly article about drilling the poly (thanks zcarnut): http://www.dimequarterly.tierranet.com/articles/tech_tcrod.html

 

-hughdogz

[PhilbertZ]

Thanks Hughdogz for the links - looks like I'll have to go back and swap in my old rubber on the back (non nut) side, or just get some new rubber and do that - I don't want to lose a tension rod...they are so hard to come across it seems.

 

Thanks guys!

Edited June 2, 2009 by PhilbertZ
spelling error

[Ineptitude01]

Ahaha! Good for you, Phil! Glad to see these worked out for you. I have to say, I was thinking of painting my suspension parts while they were off, but I never did. Now that I've seen what you did, though, I think I have to. After all... Paint is cheaper than new parts, and makes everything just as shiny.

 

I noticed about the same handling improvement with mine, not to mention a lot less sag. I was getting all set to buy new shocks and struts, but this has held me off a while longer.

 

And thanks to Hughdogz (and zcarnut) on those links, I think I'll be keeping my TC rods intact from now on... Good tip!

[PhilbertZ]

Ahaha! Good for you, Phil! Glad to see these worked out for you. I have to say, I was thinking of painting my suspension parts while they were off, but I never did. Now that I've seen what you did, though, I think I have to. After all... Paint is cheaper than new parts, and makes everything just as shiny.

 

I noticed about the same handling improvement with mine, not to mention a lot less sag. I was getting all set to buy new shocks and struts, but this has held me off a while longer.

 

And thanks to Hughdogz (and zcarnut) on those links, I think I'll be keeping my TC rods intact from now on... Good tip!

 

 

It really is a night and day difference in handling.

 

If you're painting things, make sure you REALLY clean the parts first. I used a metal etch, which may or may not be legal in CA - it was an old bottle my friend had, and we ran out halfway through the project - had to switch to Acetone, which just didn't do the job (hence my failed paint on the front parts).

 

Phil

[PhilbertZ]

Guys - I'm growing a little concerned about the tension rod issue.

 

I've seen multiple posts here and there saying that poly bushings, due to their lack of flex, usually lead to tension rod failure. I've seen suggested solutions that span to using rubber on one side, to drilling holes (as suggested here).

 

I guess I'm just wary of doing the rubber swap (and possibly degrading the stiffness/integrity of the tension rod setup). Is it necessary? Will it lead to premature bushing failure because of the different levels of flexibility between the rubber and poly?

 

For those who HAVE experienced the TR failure, under what conditions did it happen? Normal road driving? Potholes? autocross? Were your frames in good condition; did anything else lead to the failure do you think?

 

I could be paranoid, but i want to do the right thing. I drive this car in a spirited manner sometimes, and have long term plans of possibly autoX - I want to future proof the suspension so that it stays robust and responsive.

 

Am a paranoid about using the rubber bushings? I'd really like to hear from those who have:

1) replaced with 1/2 rubber and 1/2 poly and let me know how that ended up

2) used poly on front and back side of TRs and how THAT ended up (still have your TR??)

 

Thanks guys - I'm always learning, but would prefer NOT to learn the hard way on this one, given how much effort I've already put into this (and how hard TRs are to find these days...)

 

Phil

[DevilZX]

I broke both my t/c rods under normal driving with poly on front and back. I just got both new rods but still am unsure of which side to put the rubber OEM bushing on. I have read that it goes on the nut side and I have also seen that we should put it on the rod side. I'm going to put it on the nut side and drill some holes for the other (poly) side for now because I only have 2 OEM but 4 poly bushings to use. If they break again, I'll just go buy the TTT tension rods.

[PhilbertZ]

Oh man...that's not what I wanted to hear! But needed to...

 

I'm still trying to reach out to Prothane directly and see if they have an official recommendation for how to preserve the life of my tension rods - I really don't want them to go and I'm not ready for the TTT upgrade ($$$).

 

Phil

[PhilbertZ]

Does anyone else want to weigh in on their poly bushing experience please?

 

still waiting to hear from Prothane....

[Ineptitude01]

Well, Phil, you know how this one turned out for me...

 

Normal driving conditions, driving down the road, minding my own business, and then I pull up to a stop sign down from like 25mph, and that was that. "KCHUNG"

 

I replaced the rod with one I bought from a member here, and have had no problems since.

[PhilbertZ]

thanks Corie - yes I remember your incident describes earlier - that's what I'm trying to avoid.

 

So, with your replacement TR, are you running the combo of the 1/2 poly 1/2 OEM Rubber on the TRs, or sticking with a full poly setup?

 

Phil

[LowCarbZ]

I have the Prothane chassis kit for my S30.

 

I did pretty much everything in the front at the end of last summer. I'm just finishing up the rear and it's a very complete kit and a nice install. I recently came across information regarding the rod failure in another post.

 

Does anybody have the Nissan Part Number for the factory rubber bushings? I threw mine out last year when I replaced them with the poly.

 

I'd like to do that swap in the meantime (immediately) and then i'll pony up for the TTT rods later this year.

[Montezuma]

Nice install and nice of you to put it up on the board. I won a Prothane Kit at MSA this year and really don't know much about the kit, how does it compare to Energy? I have not sent off my gift certificate to get the kit yet but I am interested in how people feel about the kit. I should just get the ball rolling on collecting my prize.

[Ineptitude01]

thanks Corie - yes I remember your incident describes earlier - that's what I'm trying to avoid.

 

So, with your replacement TR, are you running the combo of the 1/2 poly 1/2 OEM Rubber on the TRs, or sticking with a full poly setup?

 

Phil

 

I honestly just thought that something had gone wrong, and didn't think anything of it. I replaced the rod and kept the same bushing setup. I am using energy suspension, by they way, not prothane. I don't know if one is stiffer than another, but there you are. No problems so far (knock on wood).

[slownrusty]

I have had Poly urethane Energy Suspension bushings on my TC rods (both sides) since 2003 on my very modified 280ZX Turbo and no issues whatsoever, but do not doubt the issues other members have experienced.

 

Yasin

[PhilbertZ]

Thanks guys.

 

I heard back from Prothane officially, and here's what they said:

 

"As for the inquiry, I am not sure if the forum is referring to our Prothane brand bushings specifically or another manufacturer. I have not heard of a problem with our bushings in this location/vehicle.

All I can add is that we recommend only using our bushings in the way they were intended and do not recommend modifying the bushings as that would void the warranty and could cause the bushings to fail."

 

I guess I'll just run with these and see what happens and cross my fingers.

 

Montezuma - it seems like a pretty solid kit - good packaging and included grease - the hardware seems quality too. I'd go with it - I can't imagine a huge difference between these and Energy - it's all the same material.

 

Things to think about if you have extra cash/gift card: Stainless steel brake lines, new ball joints (front), new tie rod ends...