Torque Rod bushings??

[Kevin Desirello]

ah duh should have proof read it first.

I would like to have several sets.

be da beep beep da da be beep beep beep!!!!! LOL

[Cap'n Ron]

Awesome work, very cool. Wanna do more?

When I made the molds I had in mind making more bushings for others...I had such a hard time tracking down anything even close...I figured everyone would have this same problem.

I'm trilled with the way they came out...I'm just installing the axle now and with some other mechanical refurbs on the car, it might be a while before I can road test the new bushings for durability. Stay tuned!

Cap'n Ron. . .

[Cap'n Ron]

I think he does!

Yeah, I kinda do...because it was a fun project...I'm now tooled up to reproduce bushings...and it solves an impossible to find part out there for some of the Roadster community...

That being said, my only hesitation is making sure there is good metal to urethane adhesion so the part is good and durable in everyday use. Time will tell on my own car once I get it all back together...and if these fail, bushing 2.0 will hit the molds! : )

The other issue is cost. MAN was that time consuming...Sheering out the old bolt sleeve...then the rubber...then scraping most of the old rubber out...then wire-wheel cleaning the metal...then bead blasting...and chemically cleaning the surfaces...took a LOT of time to get things right. Add to that, pourable urethane is $35 a can and the can is a one-shot deal. Once you mix it, you have 15 minutes of pot time. That means that a pair of bushings at one time would be around $100. Are they worth that? I have about $250 into these two including tools, so I think so...

Cap'n Ron. . .

[Cap'n Ron]

If this is not your day job then I am impressed

Linda

Thank you Linda! Definitely not my day job! In fact, I don't even HAVE a job at the moment...which explains the "too much time on my hands" to make suspension bushings from scratch!

I'm a decent fabricator of many things and I revel in improving about anything I'm involved in...With that mentality, I figured...How hard could it be?

Cap'n Ron. . .

[Cap'n Ron]

Ron, Brilliant work. So would that work without removing the bushings from the rod?

Thank you very much!

No...I pressed the bushings out of the torque rod to seat them into the molds. Not difficult at all with a small hydraulic press. It's important the metal shell and the bolt sleeve form an occlusive seal with the mold. The urethane in liquid form is about the consistency of honey and will leak...and create voids if everything isn't just so.

My armchair analysis of the rarity of this bushing came down to this: The shell of the bushing is 40mm OD...probably not that unusual in 1967 Japan...but as we know, Datsun was throwing a lot of SAE-sized bolts into our cars to calm the nerves of US mechanics. To address this, they just molded in a bolt sleeve that has an ID of 1/2" for a half-inch bolt! It's the classic mix of SAE bolt with a metric outer sleeve that makes this impossible to find in the aftermarket.

Cap'n Ron. . .

[Linda]

Thread revival:
So Cap'n Ron, how are the bushings working?

Linda

[Mainer311]

Bringing this back from the dead. Ron, did you ever make more of these? Can I grovel at your feet for a pair?

[tjp]

Bringing this back from the dead. Ron, did you ever make more of these? Can I grovel at your feet for a pair?

I'd be in for a pair as well please.

[Mainer311]

If he's not willing to make more, I'm just going to 3D print a mold and pour my own out of some PMC-790. It's a 90A.

[Linda]

I think Cap'n Ron has gone fishing...
Linda

[brea]

FWIW I took my rear end torque rod to Rare Parts in Stockton, CA early last year and inquired about having them rebuild those bushings or if they had replacements.

They stated that those bushings were not rebuildable by using a pourable urethane as mentioned on this thread or any other type of product to rebuild them because the original bushings are bonded to the outer bushing housing which is then pressed into the torque rod.

They suggested to contact a few of the high performance bushing manufacturers to see if they would be willing to make them but the ones I did contact stated they wouldn't be willing to make something that has such a limited market because of the initial setup costs involved.

[nolastyankee]

Dumb question that I have been thinking about - while not factory correct, is there any reason a heim joint to replace the factory rubber would not increase location accuracy?

[Mainer311]

Brea, that's why you use the original sleeve and inner collar to remake the bushing. We bond urethane to aluminum all the time here at work. I'm confident I can remake mine.

[brea]

Mainer311, you apparently have the expertise and access to all of the proper tools and materials to get it done correctly that most of us don't have available.

I was lucky enough to get a customized set of bushings from a local vintage car / Mazda FM racer at the time I was resembling my rear end in early 2015. He had asked me if I wanted ones similar to the original bonded rubber ones or ones made of a high performance type material. I opted for the HP material since I had already purchased upgraded bushings and pads for the rear springs, etc. I paid over $100+ for the set (ouch) because I refused to reassemble the rear end with old worn bushings.

The HP bushings I got were almost an exact size replacement that not only pressed tightly into the torque rod but had a grease-able inner bushing. So far I have not had any issue with them and they have performed very well. I will look back and see if I can locate a picture.

[brea]

I found this one cell phone picture but does give you the idea of what it looked like before and after.