Rear suspension / ride height

[stylussprinter]

Hooray a convert

[drhunter]

Red wine instead of lager

Phil

Hooray a convert

And I thought these cars were for real men

[drhunter]

Took off one of the trailing arms this morning.
I had intended to sort out the squeaking noise but instead I found that the bushes and the outer tube were as one.
I considered tapping it out with a hammer and thin block of wood but I figured that once it's out I can't drive the car until the bushing is replaced.
So... I'm now looking for the correct bushes. Is it possible to buy them as a set from Tim?

[stylussprinter]

Did you decide why they were squeaking Was the bolt worn out of correct shape and are the chassis mounting points out of shape ---- oval If the bolt didn't clamp the inner metal then the squeaking will have been down to the inner metal pivoting round the bolt. The bolt MUST be very tight so that the inner metal sleeve cannot rotate. You have metalastic bushes not poly's . If they have been moving then what you need is new bolts --- are they shiny as though rubbed The arms look round tube --- the only straight arms I've seen have been box section . Are these arms dead straight OR dipped near the axle

[drhunter]

I have box section lower arms, straight not concave.

Oh, I didn't realise that it's different with metalastic bushes.
I only removed the upper/rear arm but looking at them I figured they didn't look right.
Are these meant to move around the bolt then?
The bolts did look like they have been worn a bit, but they weren't grooved or mis-shapen.
I did grease the two bolts that I removed with the idea that i could reduce any potential wear while waiting to replace the bushes.

[stylussprinter]

There's no difference in why they squeak only in the type of bush. They squeak if they're allowed to rotate around the bolt as said in the previous post. With metalastic bushes you need to do the final tightening once the car is lowered to the ground and has weight on it because otherwise there will be tension in the rubber when lowered to the ground. Just bolt them loose before lowering off the jack then pull up as hard as you like. The bolts themselves were never intended/designed to be anything more than a clamping device. Tim has replacement metalastics.

[drhunter]

Haha, I'm learning at my own slow pace
My bad, I thought the inner bush should be able to rotate inside the tube. Live and learn.
I'll jack it up, slacken, lower and retighten them again, thanks

Is there much of an advantage in having poly ones than metalastic or is the cost/effort unjustified for a beginner like me who's just using the car on the roads?

Again, many thanks for your help

[stylussprinter]

If you have poly's or metalastics , stick with them . You are unlikely to notice the difference unless competing. I prefer the poly's simply because they convey information to my backside immediately . Unless your metalastics have perished or torn rubber parts leave them be --- just rebolt them AND tight [/b]

[Schrodinger]

Evening- shocks and dampers are the same thing- guess you ment springs? if so 180-200 rear and 225-250 front seem to be the common set up for road and a bit of track use.




Alex

Not wanting to be pedantic BUT the bits that absorbs the shock are the springs and the the parts that stop oscillations due to the springs are the dampers

I know that dampers are almost always called shock absorbers but they don't the springs do.