yamahondarider Posted November 25, 2013 Share Posted November 25, 2013 (edited) 1976 280Z all stock. Yeah, its really bad. The car tracks straight though, its plenty driveable, but those bushings are s-h-o-t SHOT! So, how hard are they to replace? Pop the hood take off the 4 bolts holding the clamps on, lift the rack and slide new bushings under and over it? Or do I have to remove the rack? I read somewhere that unbolting the engine and jacking it up via oil pan is necessary to do this job with the rack in the car. I don't wanna ruin and replace my tie rod ends if I don't have to. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=98jtLinMdZ4&feature=youtu.be Edited November 25, 2013 by yamahondarider Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BluDestiny Posted November 25, 2013 Share Posted November 25, 2013 You shouldn't need to remove the rack. It's just as you said, loosen the bolts and remove the top, slide the new greased bushings into place. You may need to jack up the engine if you are having issues getting the rack up enough to get the new bushings in. You should probably replace the tie rods anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yamahondarider Posted November 25, 2013 Author Share Posted November 25, 2013 You shouldn't need to remove the rack. It's just as you said, loosen the bolts and remove the top, slide the new greased bushings into place. You may need to jack up the engine if you are having issues getting the rack up enough to get the new bushings in. You should probably replace the tie rods anyway. Thats what I figured. Sucky thing is I'm going out of town not sure when I'll be back with the car to do this. eh, it'll get done eventually. All the bushings in the rear are brand new, the car is clean. Tie rod ends look good though, I'm not sure if they were done recently. Its not a -big- deal I just don't want to yank the rack and replace everything and have it aligned. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
winstonusmc Posted November 26, 2013 Share Posted November 26, 2013 When I installed poly bushings, I had to shave one side down to fit correctly. I couldn't get it to even fit around the rack. They are energy suspension. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pharaohabq Posted November 26, 2013 Share Posted November 26, 2013 Look under the car while someone is turning the wheel back and forth, do you see the rack moving side to side? If so then yes you need to replace those bushings. If not, then don't worry about it. You can just do them at the same time that you replace the rest of the bushings. I'd be more concerned with the tension rod bushings. Those being bad will allow a lot of steering slop. Tie rod ends: you can chock your steering wheel and jack up the front and wiggle the front tire back and forth to see how good those ends really are. Really an alignment shop should be able to tell you what you need, if they're honest they won't screw you over. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yamahondarider Posted November 27, 2013 Author Share Posted November 27, 2013 When I installed poly bushings, I had to shave one side down to fit correctly. I couldn't get it to even fit around the rack. They are energy suspension. Yeah I read about bushings needing to be modified, thanks for mentioning which brand, I may try someone other than energy suspension for a better fit. If I have to shave them no big deal. Look under the car while someone is turning the wheel back and forth, do you see the rack moving side to side? If so then yes you need to replace those bushings. If not, then don't worry about it. You can just do them at the same time that you replace the rest of the bushings. I'd be more concerned with the tension rod bushings. Those being bad will allow a lot of steering slop. Tie rod ends: you can chock your steering wheel and jack up the front and wiggle the front tire back and forth to see how good those ends really are. Really an alignment shop should be able to tell you what you need, if they're honest they won't screw you over. The rack is definitely the problem, its moving side to side, the video I linked showed it pretty well but its kinda hard to see. I had someone turn the wheel for me and check. No problems as far as tie rod ends go, most of the suspension bushings are new in the front, everything rubber in the rear is brand new. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
morbias Posted November 27, 2013 Share Posted November 27, 2013 I installed some G-machine bushings and they needed no modification, just a lot of grease! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yamahondarider Posted November 28, 2013 Author Share Posted November 28, 2013 I installed some G-machine bushings and they needed no modification, just a lot of grease! Cool, sound like a good fit. I did a search on google and found that a lot of bushings are one piece with a slit in one side of the rubber, did yours come like that or were they 2 piece? If they came one piece with a slit, how hard was it to get it on the rack? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
morbias Posted November 28, 2013 Share Posted November 28, 2013 Mine had a single slit, I put them in with the rack off the car so it wasn't difficult at all. I think you might have a bit more difficulty with the left (driver's side) bushing with the rack on the car. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yamahondarider Posted November 28, 2013 Author Share Posted November 28, 2013 Mine had a single slit, I put them in with the rack off the car so it wasn't difficult at all. I think you might have a bit more difficulty with the left (driver's side) bushing with the rack on the car. If I cut precisely, think I could make another cut making the bushing 2 piece and making my life 10x easier? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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