PaulUptime

Sigh.... This stuff only happens on the eve before a trip...
Planned to take my '65 to Dearborn (Henry Ford) for the weekend and after cleaning up decided to go over all my suspension bolts tonight.

Good thing, too as I found the front side (passenger) lower control arm bushing retainer bolt missing! The bushing is also gone.

Here's a pic:



To find a match tomorrow morning, I removed the bolt, lock washer and bushing retainer washer from the driver's side. You can see the bushing I need here:



Questions:

1- Can I just jack the car up, push a new bushing in by hand, finger tighten a new bolt, then lower the car and tighten the bolt to spec (45-55 ft-lbs?) or does the entire control arm have to come out for new bushings to be pressed in?

2- About five years ago I changed to a Borgeson steering box and at that time also had all the suspension bits replaced fresh. Unfortunately I chose urethane bushings, wanting to tighten up the ride/response. If the control arms are coming out, I'll be going back to rubber as I think (from what I've read) that the urethane bushings are known for working the bolts out. Is this true?

3- I wasn't the person who installed the bushings bolts in the first place, but I'm trying to do more now myself and give it that extra bit of attention so I'm thinking I should dab some Loctite red on all the end threads this time 'round. Can I just remove the bolts (with the weight of the car on the suspension) and then replace them with the Loctite on the threads? If I'm just doing the bushing retainers and one at a time, will I need an alignment afterwards?

4- Are these bushings unique to 63-82 Corvette or are they the same as other same-era GM cars? I'm hoping if they are common that it will be easier for me to locate new bolt retainer and bushings rather than order in and wait from the big suppliers.

Thanks in advance.
Gonna catch a few hours sleep now and go parts shopping tomorrow.
Maybe I'll need to find them in the Detroit area Saturday?
I think a company in Windsor has the bushing, but not the bolts. Recommendations of any suppliers open Saturday in Dearborn/Detroit?

nassau66427

1. Yes, to the former.

2. False - Lack of proper torque caused the bolt and bushing to fall out.

3. A. Yes B. No

4. Don't know.

PaulUptime

Thank you!

Bluestripe67

Paul,
You should be able to push in a new urethane bushing, lube it first. (A rubber one is a complete unit and that requires the a-arm to be R&R.) You may need too assist it going in. Clean out the threads with chase, dab some red loctite on, bolt it up. Lower the car and let it set over night, then hit the road. You will not need an alignment. Dennis

BADBIRDCAGE

To question four the bushings are the same as full size Chevrolet models like the Impala. Just do what others have recommended in this thread, replace the missing bushing with urethane like the one that came out and use some loctite on the thread of the bolt.

buns

Have the car on the ground when you torque the bolt.

nassau66427

The OP has poly bushings.

Unlike the factory rubber bushings, the poly bushings are bonded neither to the sleeve, nor to the shell.

The bonding on the factory bushing gives the bushing a limited range of motion before it becomes damaged, thus requiring that it be torqued at 'ride height'.

Poly bushings do not possess this limitation.

4 Speed Dave

I have installed these style bushing on my Jeeps, 1 ton dually, my Nova had them on for a while before changing to Global West bushing and now the 66 has the poly bushing. I have never had the bolts fall out.

In that photo, I see on the driver side the cross bar end is inset inside the bushing which leads me to believe either, 1 the arm has moved forward or 2 the back bushing steel body isn't pressed far enough into the A-arm.

On the photo where the bushing is missing the cross bar appears to be more in line where it should be. The end of cross bar should be closer than what is shown in the driver side photo. This is just my observations from my experiences installing and using these style of bushings. I also don't see any evidence of the super tacky lube they give you on the end of the bushing. I bought a jar of it and use it on everything when I put these in and nothing ever squeaks.

If you really want to go the trick route the Global West bushings are the best for zero deflection under load with almost no drag. But for a cruiser they transmit everything back to the driver thus a harsher ride.

DUB

I have to AGREE with "4 Speed Dave". the GLOBAL WEST bushings are the ultimate. No comparison to any polyurethane or rubber bushing...that is for sure. But they are also not something a DIYer can do in a weekend with NO TOOLS.

And I have also installed my fair share of bushings...rubber and poly. And from what I have found is that some of these poly bushings DO NOT allow the inner sleeve to actually lock in place. THUS...the control arm moving up and down can cause the bolts to loosen. AND as WE all know...the factory bushings have teeth (so-to-speak) on the ends of the inner sleeves...that actually bite into the cupped washer and also the cross shaft.

This is why when installing some of the poly bushing you have to take great care in looking on the cross shaft and actually seeing how much of a groove the teeth from the factory sleeves ate into the cross shaft...thus making it so that some of these poly bushings do not allow you to adjust the inner sleeve ( because they are actually longer)...and KNOWING that the poly bushing will not collapse like rubber....when you tighten up your bolts....even if the front end is on the ground...the inner sleeve is not being touched....and the assembly can move. DID THIS MAKE SENSE????

So this is why the Vette Brakes and Products poly bushing at least allow you to make the sleeve the length you need. I have had some cross shafts that were really grooved out...and some poly bushings would not even come close to being correct.

DUB