Suspension probs/ advice
Hi guys. I need to have new bushes installed for front lower arms and panhard rod, so im thinking of just doing all bushes etc at the same time. I have found this set on eBay, is the price ok? Can someone tell me if it is overly difficult to do it all yourself and does a gregory's cover this sort of work?
Also related to suspension, when looking at my car from the rear, it seems to tilt down on the right rear side, any ideas what thats all about? Spring/ shock stuffed?
Cheers for any help, Chris
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/HOLDEN-CO...item3caee1e12a
Ive got the nolothane bushes,the same as the ones in the link above,fitted to my VS, and Ive found that they are excellent when compared to rubber type bushes. They give good feedback through the steering wheel,actually you get excellent road feel back through the whole car when compared to the normal rubber bushes.Also once the original rubber bushes have been pressed out,you dont have to have the nolothane bushes pressed back in again.They just fit in by hand,which is excellent if you ever need to replace them again at some stage.The nolothane type bushes also last a lot longer than the rubber type bushes..The only downside is that if you have very low,stiff springs,you may get a heaps harsh ride.Ive got genuine holden FE2 springs fitted to my VS, and the nolothane bushes work excellent with these springs,no harshness at all.
I mentioned before that the nolothane bushes dont have to be pressed in once the old rubber bushes have been removed, and that they just fit by hand,but I should mention that the rear lower control arms on the live axle cars will have their rear bushes located in the diff housing.These are the only nolothane bushes that will need to be pressed back into the diff housing once the old ones are removed..
Last edited by Brett_jjj; 04-07-2011 at 01:53 PM.
Bret has already given you quite a good insight into the job, as he said nolathane bushes are quite hard and stiff and won't give you much in the way of dampening the movements if your running stiff suspension, on the rear of the car e.g. control arms and such, they will be great as it helps to eliminate any movement in the diff which can change handling conditions. as for the price of them it looks about right to me they are fair bit more expensive then the original rubber ones but you pay for quality i guess.
Originally Posted by Brett_jjj
There must of been something wrong,
Mine needed to be pressed both in and out, And i was replacing Nolothane for Nolothane.
And its been this way with EVERY bush i have ever replaced, Rubber Nolothane ford or holden.
If the bush is loose in its " Seat " dont use it. Even if it pushed up firm by hand.
Cheers guys. I have no idea what 'pressed out' means, something a pro should do? Just for my knowledge the meaning would be appreciated. Id prob go with getting it done professionally, esp if the diff neads to be opened.
Brett, did you get the whole kit put in? If u had someone do it, how much was it?
BTW, standard height, no plans for lowering.
P.S Anyone got any ideas on my car tilting down to the right??
Nolothane bushes are designed (where possible) to be fitted by hand.Thats why they mostly come in 2 seperate parts instead of 1 single part like the rubber ones..Maybe next time you should actually try reading the instructions that come with the nolothane bushes..
Most rubber bushes need to be pressed in and out of the control arm when they are replaced.You use a press and press plates etc to push out the old bush and to push in the new bush.You should use a bit of soapy water with rubber type bushes when fitting them to make then slide in a bit easier.I fitted my own bushes myself.Heres a link below to a post that I posted up a few days ago.Im actually in the middle of rebuilding my front end in my VS at the moment and if you scroll down through the posts in the link,theres some good pics of the nolothane bushes etc .Im just waiting on payday so I can get new tie rod ends and finsh the job as the ones I got before were the wrong ones.Grr..
---Rebuild front end---
Last edited by Brett_jjj; 04-07-2011 at 03:34 PM.
Nice ride GL with that. Your car Your life.
From viewing the link, A couple of the bushes are made to be pushed in by hand and held firm.
However, If its case'd bush, Like a rear lower control arm bush, and you mearly " pushed " it back in by hand you should of just left the old bush in place, It will slop around something shocking.
Mate, Ive already mentioned this above about half an hour ago, that the rear lower control arm bushes,the ones in the diff housing, are the only nolothane bushes that need to be pressed in on the VR/VS.
Yes, I was using it as an example.
And yes there some some that are made to be pushed in by hand and help firm but a bolt etc.
But, As i was trying to say before you informed me that i should read the instructions was, If you ever encounter a case'd bush, IE lower and even upper control arms on a live rear axle set up, and they push in by hand, Don't use them, Either the bushes are undersized or the arm's opening's have been stretched.
Every bush i have come across has needed to be pressed in or out, Apart from the purpose built 2 piece one's !
Well if thats what you meant,then why say that stuff about there being something wrong, and that EVERY bush youve replaced had needed to be pressed in and out,whether it was nolothane or rubber etc etc.It comes across like you meant that fitting nolothane bushes by hand is completely wrong, period,and this is not right,they are supposed to be fitted by hand when the nolothane instructions call for it to be done that way,even if the old rubber bushes you are replacing were originally pressed in.Its just the excellent way nolothane have designed their bushes with the 2 halves..it makes it a lot easier to replace most bushes..
Ahh, Didnt think i needed to, Was rushing when replying.
Nice thread mate, pictuers help me place it all in my mind a bit better, although I'm still not %100 with the pressing,Ii understand the term but cant picture in my head how it would be done, lol. Can the old bushes just be pulled out with pliers or something? If I was to attempt it all myself, and the only ones you say I'd need to have pressed in are the rear lowers, it it possible to do it any other way than with a press or press plate?
Also, the spring compressors, can you just pick them up from an auto shop?
I'm trying to minimise my professional involvement as I'd like to learn and also save money as I also plan on rebuilding my transmission and getting a major service on the engine! Thanks for your info so far Brett.
You should always start with a good worskop manual and have a good read on whats gotta be done first..Spring compressors are available cheap at most auto places.You can remove the control arms from your car yourself, and take then to a workshop to have the old bushes pushed out.It only takes a couple of minutes to push them out with a press,so it shouldnt cost very much.With the rear lower control arm bushes in the diff housing,you can take the car to a mechanics and get them to do just these bushes.You can also make bush removal/installation tools yourself from nuts,bolts and washers and pieces of old steel pipe.See the pics below..Ive used these lots of times with excellent results..
Excellent, thanks again mate. Ill pick up a gregorys and guess the next step is buying the bushes.
PS any ideas on why it sit lower on right side? its only noticable when you look at the car from the rear...
It could be any one of a few different things causing it to sit lower on one side,like a weak or sagged spring,worn spring seats or worn bushes.If the car has over 300,000 km on the clock,then all these items probably need replacing anyway..
[QUOTE=SWE11L;1913805]Excellent, thanks again mate. Ill pick up a gregorys and guess the next step is buying the bushes.
QUOTE]
You will learn heaps about your car from these workshop manuals,they are an excellent place to start if you want to do your own servicing or repairs ,but dont know a real lot about it all..Ive been using these manuals now for over 25 years,and I still use them.At least you know that the job is done 100% right and done at the cheapest cost as you can shop around for any spare parts etc you need...
Not far off mate, 232xxx, I've done 110xxx in it since I got it 8 1/2yrs ago and I've slowly felt the handling getting sloppy, can be quite a scary experience in wet weather! I'll compare the rear springs with each other when I start this task and go from there.
The manuals are great, I picked one up years ago when I had my VC. I can credit that book an my old man for teaching me what I know about cars and the confidence to tackle new issues as they crop up.
my car was saggy on the right side of the car, all i did as replace the rear springs and now it sits fine, so i suggest if u get new rear springs then ur car should sit flat
its looking like being part of the plan mate
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