Replace 1 bushing, or everything?

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danielb927

danielb927

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Got my car up in the air again to replace the torsion bars, and I notice that the LCA bushing is pretty much blown out on the passenger side. I should have noticed it earlier, the wear on that tire is really strange ("cupping" I guess would be the technical term). My question is, since I'm already replacing 4 shocks, leaf springs, torsion bars, an LCA bushing and at least one inner tie rod boot that's cracked, should I just go ahead and get a full front-end kit and replace all the bushings and everything? I want to do things right but at the same time I don't want to just be throwing money around without reason. The UCA bushings and ball-joints look okay but I still need to see if there's any play there. Sway bar bushings are definitely old and have some cracking. Haven't had a look at the strut rod bushings yet.

The more I type this up, the more I feel like I'm answering my own question and I should just get new parts while I'm doing the work. Never hurts to get other opinions, though. If I get a kit, any thoughts on PST vs. ESPO vs. something else? Is it worth 25 bucks and finding a friend who can weld to box off the LCAs? Or should I just take things apart and decide afterwards based on how stuff looks?
 
I would replace it all if it's in your budget. Sounds like all the front end stuff is getting close to the end of it's life span.

I just use moog stuff (quality stock replacement parts).
 
Any other ideas? I'm looking at the ESPO front end kit, USA made and good price. I'm getting leaf springs and bushings from them tomorrow so I'll see if their quality looks nice. Starting the teardown process on the passenger's side tomorrow too.

Planning on sticking with rubber, not poly.
 
I'm changing all the bushing soon , using MOOG LCA bushing and Energy for all the rest . If your changing one , the others can't be far behind you might as well get it over with . As to stock over the others that is a matter of how you like your ride . Poly bushings might last longer , not sure
 
Had the same issue last summer. I used moog. Not a racer or full restore, just a driver. I figure the factory stuff lasted 30+ years it should be good for some time.
 
I would just go and change everything while it's apart, then you will know what you have.
It's not really that expensive if you buy a kit and do it all at once.
I've had bad luck with new spicer front end parts in the past.
Moog, i've never had a problem with.
 
danielb927 said:
Any other ideas? I'm looking at the ESPO front end kit, USA made and good price. I'm getting leaf springs and bushings from them tomorrow so I'll see if their quality looks nice. Starting the teardown process on the passenger's side tomorrow too.

Planning on sticking with rubber, not poly.
Click to expand...

USED A ESPO kit on James dart years ago. nice parts and have held up good.
 
Thanks guys, I think I will go ahead and do ball joints and bushings.

I don't have easy access to a welder or grinding tools, so would it be worth it to box off the lower control arms? I don't plan on doing much more than cruising in the car, but I saw you can get the plates on P-S-T to do that for about 25 bucks.
 
Check your Moog boxes well. I have heard they are outsourcing some rubber parts. I can also tell you that they completely mis-spec'd the sway bar bushing for my 89 LeBaron GTC (rare 1.25" sway bar).
 
Ok, here's a question. I've got a 73 car with the 73+ disc brake setup, but a 70-72 k-frame. Is the 73+ sway bar different from the pre-73? Are the bushings between the k-frame and sway bar different for different years? I know the end links are different, but didn't know about the middle bushings or the bar itself. If so, how do I tell which sway bar I have?
 
I went the full PST kit on my Newport ~15 yrs ago. Pricey and not sure all parts were needed. Since then, both strut bushings tore up, even though only driven ~30k miles, so not sure of the quality.

On my Dart, I have just replaced what was needed. Since the control arms came out, I replaced all bushings. The rubber was old and new ones are cheap. I replaced the lower ball joints since they take abuse (one worn out). I kept the upper ball joints and just added new boots, ditto for steering linkage. All joints seemed tight, so why replace? New parts can be worse. I have been buying new suspension parts piecemeal when I find a good price (ebay or rockauto), often genuine Moog. That seems cheaper than the full kits if you can control shipping costs. Certainly get the "improved design" strut bushings, not the old "push thru hole" single piece ones. If your kit has the later, they didn't do their homework. Ditto for the missing important parts in some kits (check asterisks).

Re polyurethane, I think great for strut bushings, boots, tranny mount and such. I wouldn't use for control arm bushings, since it seems quirky to slide rather than twist the rubber as the factory designed. Definitely not for the LCA since it seems the torsion bar could slide back.

I wouldn't fool with boxing the LCA. Maybe needed for dirt track or such, but not a driver. Ditto for connecting frame rails. Maybe needed for hard-core drag racing, but defeats the uni-body concept and adds unneeded weight.
 
Just an update on the progress, I'll probably just turn this into a suspension rebuild thread. Got the old leaf springs off the back, the shackles and shackle bushings were quite new so I think I'll reuse those. U-bolts look like they're in good shape too so I'll probably reuse them. Since the car will be up for a while as I work on the front, I'm going to get some good black paint and paint the spring hangers and plates while they're off the car.

The rear leaf spring hangers (that the shackles hang from) look pretty worn out and the cylinder part is split open. I found new ones on Mancini but if that's the price for a single bracket I need to look somewhere cheaper! Is it even worth replacing them?
 
Been a while since I updated:

Everything in the back is done. Wire-brushed and painted the spring hangers and plates and got the ESPO 6-leaf springs back in. Ready to torque everything to spec soon as I let her down on the ground.

Out front I got the works ordered from RockAuto. Ball joints and all bushings, plus tie rod ends and sleeves. Rebuilding the calipers since I had a torn seal on one side and replacing the wheel bearings as well. Just got one side taken apart yesterday and should get the other side torn up tomorrow, ready to take everything over to a shop and have the bushings and bearing races pressed out and in. 2 weeks to get her put back together!
 
I used poly bushings for everything but the LCA , seems everything I've read says to stick with MOOG LCA bushings , as for the rest of the bushings ride is great with the poly bushings so far , just hope they last , rubber ones were shot and they were in there for 6 years , way deformed and worn through in other spots , 6 years 17,000 miles .
Swaybar bushings 73+ are different , I like the design better than the old system
 
I really butchered the x-member side threads on my strut rods getting the nut off. Does anyone have some straight ones they'd be willing to sell? I need the 72 and earlier style (fine threads), would take the nuts too if you've got them.


While we're at it, here's one for the "time to replace" all-time greatest hits album:

p1020795f.jpg
 
Well, went to finish things up today. Got the driver's side all done minus adjusting the ride height and toe-in to take it to an alignment shop! Then I tore the dust-boot on the lower ball joint for the other side, so now I have a looooong wait for new boots in the mail before I can finish her up. Something's always gotta go wrong at the last minute, right? Had to convince myself it wasn't worth it to overlook that small tear, but what's the point of a 2 month, 900 dollar full suspension job if you're gonna half-*** it on the last day...

On the plus side, I'll get to see how much longer the E.S. boots last than the rubber Moog ones, and everything has gone together pretty smoothly!
 
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