20 replies to this topic

[Minicarter]

Hi All,

 

I replaced by lower arm bushes about 12 months ago with the standard rubber ones from Minispares (21A1882) as the previous ones had perished after very little use. The new ones now appear to have gone again in the same place, where the plate on the pin presses against the side of the bush (see attached photo).

 

The end of the bushes have gone hard and flaked off (photo also attached). The arms still feel very solid with no play.

 

Is this normal for these rubber bushes to breakdown here? Do they really need replacing if the arm feels okay?

 

The car is an 87 City. It is lowered slightly with hi-lo’s and has adjustable tie bars however these are currently set to the same length as the standard ones.

 

Many thanks in advance for your help.

 

Simon.

 

 

Attached Files

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•  Screenshot 2022-09-01 142413.png   561.98K   6 downloads

[sonscar]

I would say that is poorly and in need of replacement.The arm does not appear to be paralell with the pin which would not help.You did tighten the bolt up when the car was on the ground?All that and  the bushes of today sadly have a short life.Steve..

[mini13]

that will almost certainly fail the mot as deteriorated

 

the standard "replacement bushes" are pretty poor these days, also the arm looks to me at an angle, have you got any kind of modified geometry going on?

 

I would say the below bushes would be a better bet,

 

 

https://www.minispar...82.aspx|Back to

 

https://www.minispar...32.aspx|Back to

 

 

 

 

[Lplus]

Just changed the ones on my clubman estate.  Even with a standard configuration it seems the lower arm hole is not perfectly parallel with the bolt so they were clearly distorted.

[mab01uk]

Maybe not much help in this particular case but lots of useful info in these threads on the Mk1 Forum about the poor quality of rubber parts.....not just Minis most classic cars are affected probably due to low volume manufacture overseas......only Japanese repro-rubber parts seem to last, more expensive but as the saying goes 'buy cheap buy twice'

RE-PRO RUBBER GAITERS:-
http://mk1-forum.net....php?f=5&t=9865

Japanese Mini rubber parts seem to be high quality reflected in higher prices.....Somerfords sell some Japanese items under the Valtain brand name.
High Quality Mini Parts Direct from Japan:-
http://mk1-forum.net...php?f=5&t=28486

Minispares have improved a few parts like Knuckle gaiters (see below) and petrol tank neck rubber seals recently.

POLY UPGRADE TRACK ROD END/KNUCKLE GAITER
Minispares Part No. 21A425EVO
Polyurethane upgraded gaiter for all knuckle joints and many track rod ends
(For standard rubber versions see 21A425)
Please note- this does not fit all track rod ends as so many genuine and aftermarket parts have been supplied in 55 years. It does however fit every suspension knuckle ball joint GSV1118 ever made.
https://www.minispar...|Back to search



GENUINE MINISPARES FUEL FILLER NECK GROMMET
Genuine Mini Spares product. The seal that goes on the neck of petrol tanks as protection against water intrusion and to also to make the hole look neater, so replace them when they crack or shrink through heat. This is the original fatter type as used pre 1997 and made in the UK using high quality EPDM for better looks and longevity. Worth the extra money for looks and quality alone. £8.69
https://www.minispar...057GENUINE.aspx

or pay £2.40 for the poor quality item.....
https://www.minispar...ic/14A7057.aspx

Edited by mab01uk, 01 September 2022 - 05:00 PM.

[Spider]

There is quality rubber out there, you just need to look to some of the non-main stream suppliers.

[DeadSquare]

The lower arm doesn't, or seldom, fits at right angles to the pin, hence the need for a rubber bush.

 

I found this when I attempted to replace the rubber with nylon, to try and firm up the handling when racing.

 

The answer was, that when cutting through the lower arm to lengthen it to obtain negative camber, to tack it at right angles and weld it up with a slight kink.

[Andosoft]

I went polyurethane - i had fitted new rubbers and they did exactly the same as yours in under 12mths, but the car had never even been on the road just sat in driveway. So far poly has been ok, new formula from some of the top suppliers means they perform similar to rubber.

[nicklouse]

I went polyurethane - i had fitted new rubbers and they did exactly the same as yours in under 12mths, but the car had never even been on the road just sat in driveway. So far poly has been ok, new formula from some of the top suppliers means they perform similar to rubber.

The problem with poly in a rotational use is that it does not flex. It just rotates and wears out and the fails.

[Andosoft]

The problem with poly in a rotational use is that it does not flex. It just rotates and wears out and the fails.

Ugh, looks like i will be replacing them as well then. Hopefully with the number of km I’m doing it will at least be a few years.

I was hoping that all the marketing on these new poly bushes was at least 1/2 true and thought is was worth a try again. I could push my fingernail into this poly and it had a little flex, so i thought it was going to be an improvement on the 80’s poly bushes that were as hard as heck and would just disintegrate. https://superpro.com...spension-bushes

[Spider]

 

I went polyurethane - i had fitted new rubbers and they did exactly the same as yours in under 12mths, but the car had never even been on the road just sat in driveway. So far poly has been ok, new formula from some of the top suppliers means they perform similar to rubber.

The problem with poly in a rotational use is that it does not flex. It just rotates and wears out and the fails.

 

 

 

[timmy850]

I swapped my lower bushes to the black poly ones after the rubber ones disintegrated after a short life.

 

I'm no expert in how the suspension loads up the lower bushes, but does the bush stay static to the arm and the pivot is on the metal sleeve? If so it's only performing an isolating role and not a rotational flex? I haven't had any issues with the poly ones so far - they've been fitted 3 years 

Attached Files

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[Lplus]

I swapped my lower bushes to the black poly ones after the rubber ones disintegrated after a short life.

 

I'm no expert in how the suspension loads up the lower bushes, but does the bush stay static to the arm and the pivot is on the metal sleeve? If so it's only performing an isolating role and not a rotational flex? I haven't had any issues with the poly ones so far - they've been fitted 3 years 

Having just taken some old rubber ones off, the sleeves seemed to be still tight in the rubber since I had to cut them out.  The sleeves are thin but also seem to be well clamped to the subframe.  It appears to me that the flex is in the rubber itself as the suspension moves up and down, though there might be a small amount of slip if the suspension reaches full bump or rebound.

[DeadSquare]

I once read somewhere that the bush was intended to be tight on the pin and tight in the arm, but it took too long to assemble, so the bushes were 'tubed'.

[mbolt998]

 

I swapped my lower bushes to the black poly ones after the rubber ones disintegrated after a short life.

 

I'm no expert in how the suspension loads up the lower bushes, but does the bush stay static to the arm and the pivot is on the metal sleeve? If so it's only performing an isolating role and not a rotational flex? I haven't had any issues with the poly ones so far - they've been fitted 3 years 

Having just taken some old rubber ones off, the sleeves seemed to be still tight in the rubber since I had to cut them out.  The sleeves are thin but also seem to be well clamped to the subframe.  It appears to me that the flex is in the rubber itself as the suspension moves up and down, though there might be a small amount of slip if the suspension reaches full bump or rebound.

 

I just replaced mine with urethane (should have read this thread first). Anyway regarding the old rubber ones, on one side the tube was completely bonded to the pin and had to be blow-torched to get it off. On the other side it wasn't stuck at all which probably means it must have been rotating in use.