Strut Rod Bushings
1st Gear Member
Joined: Apr 2010
Posts: 67
From: Texas
Uh oh. Not this again. The strut rod does not NEED to become shorter nor should it in theory of this design. This has been beaten to death.
There is no question in my mind that strut rods with rod ends operate far superior than any strut rod with bushings be rubber or poly. They are the bee's knees and anyone who has been on this forum or most other vintage Mustang forums over a month knows this by now. The only issue I have ever had with most aftermarket designs is that they move the strut rod pivot slightly which may not even make a significant difference. So they should be fine.
However, strut rods with rod ends are not Vintage legal to my understanding so there has to be a way to get the most out of bushings to stay Vintage legal. I just don't see a way around it.
Fred
There is no question in my mind that strut rods with rod ends operate far superior than any strut rod with bushings be rubber or poly. They are the bee's knees and anyone who has been on this forum or most other vintage Mustang forums over a month knows this by now. The only issue I have ever had with most aftermarket designs is that they move the strut rod pivot slightly which may not even make a significant difference. So they should be fine.
However, strut rods with rod ends are not Vintage legal to my understanding so there has to be a way to get the most out of bushings to stay Vintage legal. I just don't see a way around it.
Fred
http://images.speedwaymotors.com/RS/...91645140_T.jpg
Last edited by F15Falcon; Jul 29, 2010 at 12:02 AM.
Thread Starter
5th Gear Member
Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 4,462
From: Texas
I got the new rubber bushings from Mustangs Unlimited. They say that they are rubber, but I'm just curious if they are or not. They look and feel kinda like poly ones. How hard/stiff are the rubber ones supposed to be?
6th Gear Member
Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 7,635
From: state of confusion
Doing your own alignment is certainly possible, once you know how to measure the various angles and have a flat area to set up in. Everything else is wrench work and knowing which things to move a little (there aren't that many). And having the patience to at least double-check every measurement.
No idea concerning the material.
Norm
No idea concerning the material.
Norm
6th Gear Member
Joined: May 2009
Posts: 5,232
From: PA
If the wheel alignment was good on a 64-66 and then later the strut bushings were trashed, theoretically you should be able to replace them without aligning. This is because the 64-66 struts are not adjustable, so if you were replacing stock originals with new stock bushings, you'd actually be getting back to correct alignment. Now, if the trashed bushings were "acme auto parts", and the new ones were stock, all bets are off.
6th Gear Member
Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 7,635
From: state of confusion
They may not be dimensionally identical, but there is another reason for at least checking the alignment when switching bushing material.
Since poly is somewhat stiffer than rubber - this being the usual reason for using it in the first place - poly should be set to slightly different specs than rubber so that the caster and toe while running will still be appropriate (rolling drag and braking will compress the front halves of these bushings slightly, allowing the lower ball joint to move rearward slightly from the statically aligned position). Whether or not this was done when the poly bushings were installed is a separate question, but not knowing whether it was or not is still enough reason to at least check it.
Norm
Since poly is somewhat stiffer than rubber - this being the usual reason for using it in the first place - poly should be set to slightly different specs than rubber so that the caster and toe while running will still be appropriate (rolling drag and braking will compress the front halves of these bushings slightly, allowing the lower ball joint to move rearward slightly from the statically aligned position). Whether or not this was done when the poly bushings were installed is a separate question, but not knowing whether it was or not is still enough reason to at least check it.
Norm
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