Energy suspension bushings - Not that bad

Gary57 · Post by **Gary57** » Mon Aug 11, 2008 2:26 pm

Who wants to do half a job?? You strip the engine and then let me rebuild it...

widowmaker · Post by **widowmaker** » Mon Aug 11, 2008 2:32 pm

true - especially when the stripping is the fun part

Guy · Post by **Guy** » Mon Aug 11, 2008 4:20 pm

Isn't there a way of removing the old bushes without having to burn the rubber out? That sounds like the hardest/kakest part of the whole job.

widowmaker · Post by **widowmaker** » Mon Aug 11, 2008 7:37 pm

of course!

veecee · Post by **veecee** » Mon Aug 11, 2008 9:01 pm

Guy wrote:Isn't there a way of removing the old bushes without having to burn the rubber out? That sounds like the hardest/kakest part of the whole job.

sometimes you're lucky and you can get the bushes out with only 7 tons of force, but mostly we couldnt even get them out with 12 tons of force. instead you just tend to damage the bush housings!

so its better to get the center metal bit out by burning the rubber and then loosening the tension on the housing by hacksawing the inner ring, and then only having to use about 2.5 - 3 tons of force to get that inner ring out!

widowmaker · Post by **widowmaker** » Mon Aug 11, 2008 11:13 pm

dare i say it?

damaging bush housings, burning rubber, peer pressure... my specialty

errm, ok when i was still a man

Doctor G · Post by **Doctor G** » Sun Aug 17, 2008 8:35 am

wow this thread brings back k@k memories. Burning out the rubber bushings was the fun part for me. Except for the mess it made I enjoyed watching the inner metal sleeves project 2m far out of the rubber bushings when heated nicely.

Hacksawing and pressing out the inner sleeves is a $hit job. So is all the work on the two rear spindles.

I removed my suspension bits, burnt out the rubbers, realised the hacksawing was a $hit job so I took everything to a suspension shop who charged me 2 hours labour to hack and press the sleeves out.

I then clean sanded and pressed in the new bushings at home wih a vice. Was the best compromise for me.

Pinkfluffybunnys · Post by **Pinkfluffybunnys** » Mon Aug 18, 2008 8:52 am

OK OK The back bushing are a Bi@tch, but I will say they are not a R2000 rand or even R 1000 worth of bi@tch. The hardest part is the cutting but also getting those damn Bolts loose.

Also Veecee did you fit the sub frame inserts? Did the front ones fit? Because On my car there in no slit in the rubber (As bad as this sounds)

Also the kit comes with three sway bar bushing kits two for the front one for the back, I have a spare front kit but it’s a 24mm not a 25mm but the end link bushings can be replaced anyone want it?

veecee · Post by **veecee** » Mon Aug 18, 2008 9:23 am

its definitely worth the money you pay to have someone else do it!

how long did it take you to do the whole car??? then mutliply that by some hourly fee, and tell me what you get to!

yes there is an extra set of front sway bar bushes, but there shouldnt be extra end links!!!

the front subframe doesnt fit. i actually dont understand it, but on all the cars i've fitted i cut the extensions shorter and they went in!

Pinkfluffybunnys · Post by **Pinkfluffybunnys** » Mon Aug 18, 2008 9:39 am

Didn’t need to cut any of the rear inserts but the fronts don’t fit. So I cut off the fingers and inserted them with the washer.

Not sure if it’s called the end-links you will have more knowledge here. The Item that holds the Sway-bar the chassis those round bushings sounds really stupied cant think of the name.

veecee · Post by **veecee** » Mon Aug 18, 2008 9:44 am

im pretty sure thats what they called. the end links are the 4 little pieces that go on each side of the swaybar.

i know you get two front swaybar chassis mount bushings like you mentioned! the USA cars had different swaybars depending on the model. i think the difference was whether it was a J or Q car, or a K car - where the K's got thicker front swaybars! but im not entirely sure about this!

those 24mm bushes could be machine out by 1mm to make them fit though! although those little machined ridges on the ID hole are important for lubrication - so you would have to make a plan to somehow keep channels for lube!

300sx · Post by **300sx** » Mon Aug 18, 2008 10:29 am

just wondering now..

i also got the energy susp. kit for the s13, which we all know has INSERTS for the four big subframe bushes (which was not really what i wanted)

but in the set i got for my z32 300zx , there is four proper replacement bushes for the subframe.. as far as i know, the s13,s14 and z32 subframes
are nearly identical, i wonder if a set of z32 subframe bushes would fit a s13? anybody tried this yet?

Pinkfluffybunnys · Post by **Pinkfluffybunnys** » Mon Aug 18, 2008 12:17 pm

They do that allot in the states you just have to cut down the bushing a little to my knowledge, they say the Z32 Sub-frame is a bit taller

Well anyway I have a spare set if anyone wants it

300sx · Post by **300sx** » Mon Aug 18, 2008 6:19 pm

Well anyway I have a spare set if anyone wants it

spare set off? z32 subframe bushes?

veecee · Post by **veecee** » Mon Aug 18, 2008 8:09 pm

i think he meant the spare set of 24mm front swaybar chassis mount bushes.

cos the complete sets usually cater for the s13's with either the 24 or 25mm swaybars!