Control Arm bushing group buy

[Earthworm]

This is more of a feeler at the moment. I will update this post as needed.

If there is enough interest I will have custom front control arm bushings made for our SVX. These are not sold separately from the arm itself from Subaru so in order to change them you would have to replace the entire arm.

Pricing will only be in sets of 4 (2 per side) unless a replacement is needed.

We would need a minimum of 50 pieces (or 13 orders) in order for this group buy to happen.

I will also need someone to donate a sample bushing to get cloned. This person, in return, will receive one new bushing for free once manufacturing is complete.

I would expect pricing to be similar to the rear differential bushings at a maximum of $40 each ($160/set) but that will be determined once I can get a sample. Of course if we get more orders this price will be lower.

Current list of interest:
1. Earthworm
2. SVXRide (2 sets)
3. mohrds
4. mission
5. shotgunslade
6. DarknessofDeath

[Earthworm]

1. Earthworm

[mohrds]

I will donate the bushings. I will have them by the end of the month.

Doug

[Earthworm]

Originally Posted by mohrds

I will donate the bushings. I will have them by the end of the month.

All I need is one (unless they are different).

[SVXRide]

1. Earthworm
2. SVXRide (2 sets)

[mohrds]

Originally Posted by Earthworm

All I need is one (unless they are different).

I won't know until I get them out, but I believe they are the same.

[mohrds]

The front control arm is currently at a shop having the bushings pressed out.

The front and rear are different, very different. The rear is larger in diameter and is actually two concentric bushings. The is the outer shell, rubber, another metal cylinder, then rubber, then the bolt sleeve. There is next to no clearence to press them out without special tools, so I decided to take them to a pro to extract them without damage.

They should be done in a few days and then I'll get some pictures posted and send the bushings to Earthworm for the work to begin.

Doug

[SVXRide]

Doug,
Thanks for taking the time to have this done "right" Think your "pro" could describe to you and unique aspects of the bushing removal process so we could pass them on to our respective machine shops when it comes time to do the remove-n-replace on our control arms?
-Bill

[mohrds]

Originally Posted by SVXRide

Doug,
Thanks for taking the time to have this done "right" Think your "pro" could describe to you and unique aspects of the bushing removal process so we could pass them on to our respective machine shops when it comes time to do the remove-n-replace on our control arms?
-Bill

I will. Here is the general idea. Black is the control arm, Red is the outer metal, Grey is the rubber material, Green is the second metal part, and Blue is the bolt sleeve.

Some type of fork needs to be inserted in between the bottom of the arm and the middle metal bushing to prevent damage to the bushing during removal.

Once the real ones are made, there is no reason why you couldn't destroy the inner bushing and then use a standard press to get the outer bushing out.

[Earthworm]

Sounds good. Is there any reason we wouldn't want to move to a more simple design (metal-polyurethane-metal) like the rear diff bushings to keep costs down?

[mohrds]

Originally Posted by Earthworm

Sounds good. Is there any reason we wouldn't want to move to a more simple design (metal-polyurethane-metal) like the rear diff bushings to keep costs down?

I don't see why not. Unless the extra lip is to give a dampen to forward or reverse motion under extreme circumstances. Once you see them, you might be able to understand them better than I can.

[Hocrest]

One thing I noticed about the bushings. In relation to your diagram, the blue tube is longer than you show in the cross section of the control arm.
I'm not sure, but it always seemed to me that it is designed to allow movement of the control arm in the direction parrallel to the chassis. I have never seen a brand new control arm to verify this, but the "good" control arms that I have pulled from cars that allow for no movement across the bushing, still allowed movement front to back.

Something that should be verified before we stick a solid chunk of urethene in there????

[mohrds]

Originally Posted by Hocrest

One thing I noticed about the bushings. In relation to your diagram, the blue tube is longer than you show in the cross section of the control arm.
I'm not sure, but it always seemed to me that it is designed to allow movement of the control arm in the direction parrallel to the chassis. I have never seen a brand new control arm to verify this, but the "good" control arms that I have pulled from cars that allow for no movement across the bushing, still allowed movement front to back.

Something that should be verified before we stick a solid chunk of urethene in there????

You may be right. I would expect that the only travel designed into it would be in a dampening role.

I did get a call (right before they closed ) that the bushings were all set for me to pick up. I'll grab them tomorrow and post detailed pictures of them.

Now the big question is what color to powdercoat the control arms??? I'm getting kind of partial to the satin chrome. It is appearing on more and more peices of the car...

[mohrds]

I picked up the bushings on the way into work this morning and talked to the guy who pressed them out. He ended up machining a piece of 3/16 flat stock with a hole in it the size of the bushing and a 1/16" machined rim for the control arm frame to rest in. Then he cut it in half and slid it in between the control arm and the bushing lip and pressed it out.

Now on to the problem... One of the control arm bushings committed suicide during the removal process. The outer ring was perforated with rust and collapsed while being pushed out. It was all greasy and I was in a suit so I didn't do too much investigation so I couldn't tell which bushing it was. I'm hoping it was the normal one, not the double one but I won't know until I get them washed off and compare them to the control arm.

I will post pictures tonight. If needed, I can take in the other control arm in and have the bushings pressed out of that one.

[Earthworm]

Originally Posted by mohrds

If needed, I can take in the other control arm in and have the bushings pressed out of that one.

As long as accurate measurements can be taken that should be good enough. We had to destroy one of my rear diff mounts to get it out. It couldn't be pressed out.