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What are these bushings and do I need to replace them?


PhilbertZ

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Hello all,

 

Great forum here - learning a lot and having an adventure with my (new to me) 1980 ZX.

 

I was replacing the clutch master cylinder today and while under the car, noticed that many of the bushings in the front of the car were badly cracked. I'm semi-familiar with cars and repair work, but have not done suspension work yet.

 

The photos below show the bushings I found and their condition.

 

My questions are:

1) what are these (control arm bushings?)

2) Do they *need* to be replaced, and if so, can it wait?

3) What kits are avaialable to replace them/how much is it going to run me for parts (I want to do myself)?

 

Thanks in advance for any help!

 

Phil

 

Photos:

 

IMG_1850.jpg

 

 

IMG_1847.jpg

 

 

IMG_1852.jpg

 

IMG_1832.jpg

 

IMG_1831.jpg

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Thanks so much guys!

 

Do these kits usually come with instructions for where each bushing goes? Seems like it would be easy to mistakenly swap them since the sizes are so similar...

 

 

If the sway bar end links and T/C rod bushings look that bad, you should also replace your sway bar frame bushings too. I replaced all my front suspension bushings with Energy Suspension urethane for < $40.

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Also read this http://forums.hybridz.org/showthread.php?t=91528&highlight=rod+snapped

 

There is another thread about the breaking situation but I can't seem to find it right now.

 

Oh man, that's not encouraging!

 

So, the moral is...Poly bushings can be "too hard" and cause bits to break under load? So you need to mix it up with rubber and poly?

 

It also mentioned tightening to spec under load while the car is on the ground....it's kind of hard to do that when I need to put the car UP to get under there and replace/tighten things...am I missing something?

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Yeah I think it's poly in the front and rubber in the back, i will have to check when I get home. and for it being under load or not maybe theres a local shop with a pit that you can use for a few minutes, at my old job we had a few people come in and use the pit for brief moments.

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Hey, your bushings look just like mine! :P

 

What would happen if one of them was to crack completely off and just leave a nice metal on metal joint in the suspension?

We wouldn't be looking at a drastic failure, would we?

 

I really need to replace mine, but I think I might just end up pulling the l28e and the 5 speed out of my zx to drop into an s30. Well see where it all goes, but if I end up going that route my bushings will need some serious work ;)

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It also mentioned tightening to spec under load while the car is on the ground....it's kind of hard to do that when I need to put the car UP to get under there and replace/tighten things...am I missing something?

 

after replacing the bushings, dont tighten them up all the way. take it to a shop with an alignment rack, lift it, tighten them up while the wheels are touching the rack. all done.

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Hey, your bushings look just like mine! :P

 

What would happen if one of them was to crack completely off and just leave a nice metal on metal joint in the suspension?

We wouldn't be looking at a drastic failure, would we?

 

I really need to replace mine, but I think I might just end up pulling the l28e and the 5 speed out of my zx to drop into an s30. Well see where it all goes, but if I end up going that route my bushings will need some serious work ;)

 

 

I don't think there would be failure but there would not be much point to your sway bar as it would be pretty loose. It's never going to hit that hard there, it would be more gradual as you turn.

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