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Front end suspension rebuild


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 Looking for a bit of advice in relation to the front end suspension rebuild. I'm going the Polybush route but I notice that the SuperPro kit doesn't come with lower inner bushes. I definately need to change these in the rebuild. Mine is a 1959 TR3A and I note early cars had rubber in the inner Bush but later (like mine) used a nylon insert. It looks like there are a few options in Moss - 

Polybush (but if this was the right option surely they would be included in the SuperPro full kit) 

Nylon - looks like whats in the Bush at present (but worn) 

Nylatron - doesnt really say if this is better or not. 

    I'm not going to use the car on track or particularly drive it hard. Just looking for a normal feel but ideally not planning to use rubber. Does anyone have advice on what's best for Lower inner Bush? 

   Also I'm aware that the poly bushes come with grease sachets. Does anyone know the type of grease used for installing them. 

Thanks, 

       Neil

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Given your car use I would match the colour poly bushes top and bottom. 
 

this way it’s all the same and depending on the poly bush stiffness should give you a good ride. 
 

I think the poly bush lube is a thick silicone type material but open to correction on that. 

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I use the nylon with steel bushes for the lower wishbones in both my cars. The poly ones will wear due to the loads they will experience.

The nylon and steel ones properly lubricated will last a very long time. I replaced mine about 30 years after the first rebuild and I do a lot of miles in the daily driver TR2.

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Hamish, John, 

    Thanks for both your thoughts. John you mention properly lubricated, I note there are no grease nipples on the inner bushes. I assume you mean properly lubricated during instillation. Do these require a specific grease at assembly. They were extremely dry on taking apart but they have been in 25 years. 

Thanks, 

        Neil

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If the lower inner is so worn that the nylon has been worn through you may find the eye of the wishbone that the nylon goes in is egg shaped.   This will need correcting.  Revington do exchange arms.  It is usually the front arm that is worn to excess.

The other devil is that the steel bush rusts onto the chassis pin and that will need heating/cutting to remove.

I have considered using caged roller bearings for these lower mounts  (real Mini trailing arm bushes are the correct o/d as are the rubber seal rings) but concluded the lubrication and alignment could stretch my humour.

Cheers

Peter W

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5 hours ago, BlueTR3A-5EKT said:

If the lower inner is so worn that the nylon has been worn through you may find the eye of the wishbone that the nylon goes in is egg shaped.   This will need correcting.  Revington do exchange arms.  It is usually the front arm that is worn to excess.

The other devil is that the steel bush rusts onto the chassis pin and that will need heating/cutting to remove.

I have considered using caged roller bearings for these lower mounts  (real Mini trailing arm bushes are the correct o/d as are the rubber seal rings) but concluded the lubrication and alignment could stretch my humour.

Cheers

Peter W

Thanks Peter, 

   I've just spent the last two hours trying to remove one of those metal bushes. One came off with a little persuasion, the other just would not budge. Ended up cutting it with a demel and trying drift with a cold chissel. Didn't want to cut all thw way through and damage the pin. Finally only budged it with heat. I was going to ask if anyone else had gone through this pain but sounds like it's the norm. 

 Still contemplating the Bush to use and if I go with nylon (which seems to be the standard) what it should be lubricated with when put back together (assuming I stick with nylon) 

I don't think the nylon was that worn the arms have gone egg shaped. I had to drift the nylon out with a socket. However I was only looking by eye and so will measure them follow this news. 

Everything is off, cleaned and painted at present. Quite happy with how it's gone, was even better before I realised there was a metal bush that needed to come off.

Ive only done one side as I didn't want to have two sets of parts off at the same time. My memory is not as good as it was in my teens striping down Mini's with no "filing" system. 

Thanks, 

       Neil

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I was quite liberal with coppa slip type grease. With metal nylon style bushes. 

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I recommend the standard nylon and steel bushes for the heavily loaded bottom inners. I’ve used them at the top too without any noticeable harshness. 
Plenty of copper grease on the pin/tube interface if the pin is good and the tube fits snugly. Otherwise clean it up and fit the tube with Loctite bearing fit. 
General purpose grease is fine between the nylon and steel. Use the Superpro poly sealing rings on all the bottom wishbone bushes. 
 

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Thanks Andrew. So upgrade to the SuperPro full kit which covers everything other than the bottom and leave the bottom standard on nylon bushes but use the poly sealing rings that come in the kit. Using copper grease for the metal bushes on the pin and standard for the nylon to metal bush. 

   All sounds good, thanks

Neil

 

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I used the grease that came with the bearing kit. I put a few drops of oil under the rubber dust excluders occasionally.

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15 hours ago, John McCormack said:

I used the grease that came with the bearing kit. I put a few drops of oil under the rubber dust excluders occasionally.

 

11 hours ago, iain said:

Superpro bushes are supplied with a specific Silcone based grease. 

Thanks guys, yes I plan to use the supplied grease for the SuperPro bushes. I was really asking what grease to use on the lower inner metal and nylon bushes. Sorry I wasn't clear on that. 

Neil

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4 hours ago, NCS_TR3A said:

 

Thanks guys, yes I plan to use the supplied grease for the SuperPro bushes. I was really asking what grease to use on the lower inner metal and nylon bushes. Sorry I wasn't clear on that. 

Neil

I recall using a lithium based grease on the nylon bearings. If they squeak in use a drop of oil usually cures it.

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4VC went back on the road in 1993, following comprehensive re-build by Revington TR.  Suspension was fitted with nylon bushes.  Two or 3 years later, the front suspension started squeaking (very embarrassing) and this was noticed by the father of one of my son's schoolfriends.  He recommended a spray lubricant, and gave me a can of it (he was a salesman and I think he might have been a rep. for the company). 

After a few applications, the squeaking had ceased, so I mentioned the stuff to Neil.  Neil followed this up and started selling the stuff as Masterlube. 

I use it whenever I grease the suspension, gently lifting the rubber ring with the end of a small screwdriver and squirting some of the Masterlube beneath it.  I do this from both ends of the bearing - a bit of a fiddle, but well worth it.

I don't think SuperPro bushes were available in 1992/3 when the suspension was put together.  Although the nylon probably gives a harder ride, I don't think it's noticeable in a car with competition suspension!

Ian Cornish

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