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How To Replace Radius Rod Bushes VT / VZ

Dayvo

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This a an easy ‘How to” and takes about an hour .
The tool you need are a 24mm socket or spanner
A 13mm ring spanner and a jack ,maybe.
The kit comes with 2 x bushes
2 x crush tubes
4 x washers
grease
2 x 8 mm spacers
2 x 4mm spacers
2 x 2mm spacers
This kit has adjustment from – ½ degrees to + 1 ¼ degrees caster which is good if you have lowered suspension so you don’t scrub out the inside of your front tyres

The instructions that come with the kit says to jack up the car and put on chassis stands , but I found it easier to do without jacking the car up because when the suspension has no load on it , it is harder to get the bushes out due to the angle of the radius rods.
If you have a S or SS it is easier to remove the front bar which takes all of 5 minutes .refer to picture 1
Pic 2 shows kit
Pic 3 shows the old bush
Pic 4 shows the new bush
I found it easier to have the steering in full lock when removing the bushes i.e left lock when doing the right bush and right lock when doing the left bush .In doing this it relieves the pressure on the bush .
The center nut can be hard to undo so I found that placing the jack on the spanner or socket and slowly jacking it up to undo the nut works ok.
Atfer removing the center nut proceed to undo the 4 smaller nuts and the bush will slide off . refit new bush as per instructions and tighten to specifications ,then repeat procedure for the other bush .followed by a wheel alignment .
The old bushes were distorted ,the one on the drivers side was split and all the fluid had drained out of it .
The new bushes are a great improvement , steering and braking is more responsive , and the inside of the front tyres are not wearing premature .
 

WAGON MAN

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Great work Dayvo. :thumbsup:

How much did you pay for the kit?

Some postive rep your way buddy.
 

DannyboyDS

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looks allor easier then doing it on the VS, what about the bushes at the other end of the radius rod, on the control arm, did you do these?
 

Dayvo

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looks allor easier then doing it on the VS, what about the bushes at the other end of the radius rod, on the control arm, did you do these?

These bushes were ok so i didn't bother about changing them
 

Dayvo

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One of the easiest ways to find out if your bushes need to be replaced is to drive at about 20 to 30 kays then brake hard and come to a complete stop but don't take your foot off the brake pedal. Then get someone to measure the gap between your tyre and leading edge of your wheel arch , then take your foot of the brakes and take another measurement , This measurement can vary up to 20 mm . This is what causes your inside edge of your tyres to scrub out . It is hard to visualy check the origional bushes for leaks as the fluid in them is water based .
 

vxcalais_01

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Dayvo, out of curiosity, what caster setting did you put it at ???
 

WAGON MAN

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8 examples of different caster adjustment which can be
obtained with the Nolathane 48166 kit.

-1/4 deg Caster Setting

(A) (B) (D) BUSH (D) (C)


+1 deg Caster Setting

(B) (D) BUSH (D) (A) (C)


+1/2 deg Caster Setting

(C) (B) (D) BUSH (D) (A)


STD Replacement Setting

(A) (C) (D) BUSH (D) (B)


- 1/2 deg Caster Settings

(A) (B) (C) (D) BUSH (D)


+1/4 deg Caster Setting

(A) (D) BUSH (D) (B) (C)


+ 3/4 deg Caster Setting

(B) (D) BUSH (D) (A) (C)


+1 1/4 deg Caster Setting

(D) BUSH (D) (C) (B) (A)


FRONT OF CAR ------>
(A)=8mm spacer (B)=4mm spacer (C)=2mm spacer (D)=Flat Washer
 
Last edited:

cpbait

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i bought the factory bushes brand new for $120 of ebay, that was for both, alot cheaper than factory i know that, i'm going to replace mine when i get my lowered suspension in early to mid april. if they go again i will get nolathane, what other bushes are worth replacing with nolathane?

i spoke to a peddars joint early last year about the kits and they said they try to use factory were possible as they have found some of the factory bushes to be better, but some of the nolathane better on other parts of the steering suspension.
 
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