924Board.org

-nick · Guest

i've been using poly spring plate bushings for about a year and a half and upon hearing some rattles from back there i checked to find that both rear control arms have about a quarter of an inch of play!

culprit is the poly bushings (weltmeister brand, grr... i should know by now) have practically disintegrated. i planned on regreasing them this summer thinking they would be alright until then. oh well, back to rubber bushings. the welts never really fit very well to begin with.

just an fyi,
-nick

924RACR · Posted: Sat Mar 23, 2002 8:54 am Post subject:

Really? I'd like to hear more, as I'm using these (new last year) on my racecar, the inner bushings (poly-graphite). My outers are Delrin. Which did you have, poly-graphite all around? How about the bushings on the other end of the trailing arms? Stock or poly?

_________________
Vaughan Scott
Webmeister
'79 924 #77 SCCA H Prod racecar
'82 931 Plat. Silver
#25 Hidari Firefly P2 sports prototype

-nick · Guest

i got them from Jason@Paragon, i believe they are all poly-graphite. i didn't know there were delrin ones out there (that's the softer compound right?)

anyway, i haven't pulled the torsion bar caps off yet to look at them. but that is the point where all the movement is coming from. i'll let you know what they look like.

btw- doesn't racer's edge or anyone have sphericals for the spring plates?

-nick

TroyDest · Guest

Delrin is the hard stuff (like nylon). It is white and doesn't give at all. The extra 931 I just got has delrin bushings in the front control arms. I don't know where they came from and I can't find out. They are NICE! Of course I've never driven the car so I can't tell you how rough they make the ride.

Vaughan, is somebody selling the delrin bushings or are you just having them machined? By the way everybody, delrin is very easy to machine if you know someone with a lathe. You can buy delrin rounds from McMaster-Carr and it's not very expensive.

924RACR · Posted: Mon Mar 25, 2002 12:53 pm Post subject:

I got my delrin spring plate bushings from Paragon.

Having roller bearings in the spring plates is nearly impossible, requires extensive machining, took a lot of work just for the factory to do it. As I recall, the D-Prod 933's had them.

_________________
Vaughan Scott
Webmeister
'79 924 #77 SCCA H Prod racecar
'82 931 Plat. Silver
#25 Hidari Firefly P2 sports prototype

-nick · Guest

well i may have over reacted a little- the bushings didn't really self-destruct. i pulled them out over the weekend and found that the inner diameters on both of them (inner & outer) had worn considerably, to the point where there was about an 1/8" gap all the way around. so they were just flopping around on the shafts, royally screwing with the rear alignment.

it looks like the problem came from dirt and road grime getting wedged between the surfaces. the thick white bearing grease turned to a black mush. if there was a way to seal them up from getting any crud in there i think they'd be fine. although i thought they were a little too loose on the shafts to begin with. the new factory are very tight- i had to grease the shafts to even slide them on.

btw- what's the difference between the left and right inner spring plate bushings?

*absolutely nothing. although they are different part numbers:
311.511.245 (right)
311.511.246 (left)

the outer bushings are both:
111.511.245.E

-nick

924RACR · Posted: Fri Apr 05, 2002 12:59 pm Post subject:

Maybe you need some RTV?

The aftermarket bushings I got were not left- and right-handed.

Thanks for the follow-up - I'll stay out of the kitty litter! LOL

_________________
Vaughan Scott
Webmeister
'79 924 #77 SCCA H Prod racecar
'82 931 Plat. Silver
#25 Hidari Firefly P2 sports prototype