Kenlou

I am in the process of installing the front end of the superpro bushings kit I purchased this summer. And I gotta tell ya, my frustration level has just about peaked.


Everything circled in red looks normal to me, but the gap between the edge of the arm and the inside edge of the bushing is 3/16". I know this can not be correct. I have got it installed with the original washers as they were.
In the sheet that came with the bushings it lists a washer for the front and a washer for the rear.

BUT.......

Here it tells you to re-use the original washers as I have done. It mentions absolutely nothing about grease and where to apply it.
NOW......

For the lower control arms. it says to apply the grease to all mating surfaces. Then it tells you to apply the grease to the bore of the bushing and the outside of the crush tube.

So, on the upper control arms, I want grease on NOTHING?
And on the lower control arms, I want grese on EVERYTHING?

Can someone please enlighten me here on the correct way to install these things?
And why is that gap in that upper arm?

Kenlou

And are these even still being manufactured or have they been replaced with Nolathane?

AZSP33D

Grease on the inward parts (between sleeve and bushing) as on the outer surface should not spin in the arm bore.

drcook

It sure doesn't look like they have been pushed all the way through. When you pushed them in, did you do it in such a way as to not spring the control arm ?

You can see in the video(s) that the bushing is pressed all the way through the bore. Yours do not look like it. (the videos mostly show rear suspension, but the installation is the same)

Kenlou

I had a steel rod placed between the front and rear arms to prevent any bending when I pressed them in. I checked the measurement with the one still on the car and the spacing between the two arms are right at 9.5 inches.
The front bushing and tube are both bottomed out against that smaller inner washer.

drcook

Not being there to watch you install them, I and the others have to ask what seem like stupid questions to try and build a mental picture of how you went about it. That is the issue with trouble shooting on the web, after the fact. Trying to get that image without insulting the person that is having the problem.

Kenlou

drcook, would you happen to know the measurement between the two arms?

drcook

With a tape measure, mine measure a 1/64'ish over 9 1/2 inside dimension and a 1/64'ish over 12 1/2 outside dimension.

These pics should show you the gap spacing on mine. The pictures "look" like you might have squished the arms inwards a bit. Key word is look. Measuring will tell.

Kenlou

I have that same measurement before either of the nuts are installed and torqued. Would the measurement be greater with the nuts removed from the cross pin?

drcook

Are the internal sleeves not causing the washers/nuts to bottom out before they start compressing the arms ?

Kenlou

In the first post, those nuts are tight and there is that 3/16 inch gap. The inner sleeve and the bushing itself are tight between those two washers preventing any compression. If I did bend the thing, is it possible to spread it out or am I SOL?

drcook

Do you have someone close to you that you could compare with ?

Any other forum members here close to Washington, Illinois that could help out here for comparing against ?

I have a 1/4" gap at the arrows on both sides of the car.

Kenlou

No one close with a C4 corvette. I think I'll put this one aside for a while and when I get the driver side off, I will have one to compare with. This time I will use a piece of angle iron cut to fit betwwen the two arms while pressing old bushings out.

Thanks, drcook

Kenlou

AZSP33D, Grease between sleeve bore and control arm shaft also?

ghoastrider1

I live west side of Indy, very close to the dragstrip. I was given two A arms (vette) from a race shop. All I know is they are off a C4. They are striped of tyhe bushing, just a pair off arms. Later today I will try and find them in my garaqe to get the part numbers off them. and measure them.

AZSP33D

So the areas you have rotation (crush sleeve outer surface, crush sleeve being the inner part of the bushing as shown in the picture as the silver cylinders) and a little bit also for the washers, most importantly not the bore that the bushing gets installed in, but the arm to sleeve you can perhaps apply a light coating of grease to prevent dissimilar metal corrosion.

Kenlou

So, in other words, grease everything BUT the outer portion of the bushings and the inner bore of the control arms?

Kenlou

In post # 1 the instructions for the upper arms mention nothing of any grease....kinda misleading.

drcook

this should answer your questions. from the Super Pro site in Australia. www.superpro.com.au

basically it says to put grease on EVERY surface that will touch metal

Kenlou

drcook, I have seen that video and dozens of others but I have not seen anything directly related to a control arm procedure. In post #16 he states "most importantly not the bore that the bushing gets installed in". See what I mean. I was hoping to get a definitive answer. I even sent an email to superpro themselves, but you know how that goes. And once again, from post #1, the instruction sheet for the upper control arm bushings mentions absolutly nothing about grease.