i want to install poly bushings, and was wondering is that something only for a shop or can i install, and if i can, is there any helpful hints?

thanks

 

If you have access to a press you can do the job yourself, the press will be needed to get the stock bushings out, if you don't have access to one you could also unbolt all suspension components and take them to a shop to get them to press out the OEM bushings and then do rest of the work yourself. Most poly bushings can be fitted by hand and it's not excactly rocket science either so it's a fine DIY. And remember to do a full alignment after the work is done.

 

Save the money and do it yourself. I took off all my suspension pieces and just had a machine shop press out the old bushings...a lot easier then burning them with a torch. just my 2 cents...Angell

 

when you say taken to a machine shop, how much are you talkin about (roughly)?

 

I honestly have no idea, I helped a friend of mine doing a complete bushing install on his CRX and it took us like 2-3 hours getting all the old bushings pressed out, this also included pressing in new rear trailing arm bushings (go with OEM or Mugen for these, poly will bind up and not work properly here) So I guess whatever they charge for a couple hours work is what you will have to pay.

 

F that s. I installed a whole energy suspension kit (except balljoint and tie rod boots) with just these few things.

-Hand tools
-Propane torch (for burning out bushings)
-Pliers (to remove bolt sleeves)
-Flathead screwdriver
-Dremel with metal cutting bit or hacksaw (to cut out the sleeves that normally need to be pressd out)
-A couple 2x4s and some outside steps (to press bushings in with your feet. did it work? is it ghetto? yes)
-Some patience

I'm almost done with completely rebuilding my suspension, and the only time I needed a machine shop was when I had to have my trailing arm bushings pressed in. <pirate>Yarrr!</pirate>

 

my friend and i installed mine in about 5 hours with an impact, a ball joint press, and some elbow grease. if you don't have air tools, pull all of your suspension arms off, and drop them off at a machine shop with everything labeled for them.

don't bother with the ball joint / tie rod end boots.

make sure you grease them really good.

if you auto cross in a bumpy lot think twice about this upgrade. mine are too stiff and will be replaced with oem honda rubber next season.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by jwn7 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">if you auto cross in a bumpy lot think twice about this upgrade. mine are too stiff and will be replaced with oem honda rubber next season.</TD></TR></TABLE>

couldn't you just use adjustable shocks and lower the firmness? i haven't tried this yet.

 

You can take the old bushings with a torch but taking the sleeve out is a bitch...I got all my bushings pressed out for 25 bucks...I'd rather pay 25 bucks then get frustrated...it took my 2.5 hours...

 

where can you find the Mugen bushings?

 

Any more input about ride roughness after bushing install? Do the ES bushings make any noise?

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Bk2fwd &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">where can you find the Mugen bushings?</TD></TR></TABLE>

http://www.kingmotorsports.com

 

read this http://www.performanceforum.co....html
looks like Mugen bushing are not much different then stock, just get some stock replacements
also it's arguable but some people say urethane bushing bind, some dont. i'll be using some because i got them for free

 

i think its hard to say whether stock replacement and mugen trailing arm bushings are really different, when the difference is only stated as 130% hardness (30% more) of original rubber. its certain that they use the same mold and equipment probably, which is still a major plus.

for the price of these bushings either from OEM or Mugen (king motorsports or other retailers), its pretty much the same price, the arguement as to if theyre worth it is fairly moot.

so theres nothing to lose from just buying the mugen replacements.

poly bushings certainly arent designed to allow the flex that the OE design allows. whether thats really that detrimental to your handling is up to the user. i dont think anyone has even compared going from say ES/prothane bushings, back to new stock/mugen bushings and said there was a difference either way, that one would be better than the other.

now the front, inboard lower control arm bushing from ES has been reported to cause binding due to the extra meat they designed on both sides of the bushing. this affects the caster and causes binding. that i certainly wouldnt recommend replacing with the ES poly bushings.

theres a few companies that offer spherical bearings for this particular bushing. progress and orijin come to mind. but i really wouldnt recommend these for the street. the amount of wear and conditions theyll recieve driving so many miles on average just wouldnt be reasonable for the life of the bearing. i think stock would be fine.

ill note that i believe its important to make sure you reset OEM bushings whenever you install new springs and shocks and change the ride height. its even stipulated in the factory helms manual. but its a step often overlooked, and not doing so will tear the OEM rubber bushings, since the design of rubber bonded bushings only allows for a certain range of motion. constantly pushing outside that range of motion just tears the bushing. so you need to reset the range of motion by loosening and tightening the bolts while the suspension is under load. easy enough.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Tyson &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">so you need to reset the range of motion by loosening and tightening the bolts while the suspension is under load. easy enough.</TD></TR></TABLE>

Yes. And here's an easy way to do it.

Take several 12"x12" sections of lumber and bolt/nail/whatever them together to form large wooden blocks. (Use jackstands just under the jack points as well, just in case) Lower the car, wheels installed, onto these. You can now crawl around under the car and loosen/tighten things from the comfort of your creeper.

BTW - store-bought ramps work too. Drive front onto ramps (if not in air already) and jack up the back, then lower onto blocks or ramps.

 

eh, or you could just jack one suspension corner up while its on jackstands anyway until it just lifts off the jackstands and then tighten the suspension...

 

I love my bushings, made turn in much sharper and crisper. the don't make any noise and they weren't hard to install.

I had a shop press most of my OEM bushings out. Ithink they first told me $10 a bushing, but they ended up doing for $5 a piece. I also had them press in new hubs and bearings at the same time though so they may have cut me a little brake.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Tyson &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">i dont think anyone has even compared going from say ES/prothane bushings, back to new stock/mugen bushings</TD></TR></TABLE>

i will be doing this next winter. i just want to get some more experience with the ES ones so i'll be a better judge of how it changes.

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">now the front, inboard lower control arm bushing from ES has been reported to cause binding due to the extra meat they designed on both sides of the bushing. this affects the caster and causes binding.</TD></TR></TABLE>

that's exactly what happens!!! going over a few sections of our lot (at 50 - 60 mph) which are full of moguls my front wheels can't travel as much as they need to and repeatedly bind up. this makes turning, accelerating, and braking very difficult over these sections, and of couse, this doesn't help my times.

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">i certainly wouldnt recommend replacing with the ES poly bushings.</TD></TR></TABLE>

neither would I. unless every surface you drive on is very smooth.

 

I was curious what exactly you guys meant by the bushings binding. I am wanting to replace the bushings in my trailng arms, but someone says OEM is a better choice cuz the urethane bindon trailing arms.

 

could bushings be pressed in with a clamp?

 

I've been working with my friend changing every single bushing in his integra and replacing them with energy suspension polyurethane bushings. Yes a press would be helpful but not at all times. They're useful in popping out the old oem bushings and sleeves but the collars around the holes in the rear lower control arm-shock bushing and in some other areas are a pain in the *** to take off. They were so hard to take off that we had to torch them out carefully. If your doing it yourself, be prepared to handle lots of frozen bolts. Removing suspension parts here and there are really just common sense stuff, just see where things go, examine again, remove, reverse install and wham! WHen you change the bushings in the from upper control arm, just be aware and not mistake the bolts for the strut bolts esp the center one. good luck

 

and for some of the bushings, we didnt even use a press, we used a bench vise. put a small socket that will fit through the lca hole and a big one at the other side to catch the bushing when pressing using the bench vise. press against the bushing with a smaller socket or anything similar and let it fall out the other side in the big socket.

 

you can rent a "ball joint press" from autozone. its basically a big *** C clamp. i imagine if you can press the bushings out of a lower control arm or something with a bench vise, this thing will be able to do it just as easily. it even has an open cylinder to push the bushing through, youll know what i mean when you see it... or you could just use an appropriately sized socket.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Tyson &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">you can rent a "ball joint press" from autozone. its basically a big *** C clamp. i imagine if you can press the bushings out of a lower control arm or something with a bench vise, this thing will be able to do it just as easily. it even has an open cylinder to push the bushing through, youll know what i mean when you see it... or you could just use an appropriately sized socket.</TD></TR></TABLE>

yes, works just as fine, should make this thread a sticky hahaha

 

I actually just installed my ES master kit a few days ago. The susp had been apart so it was fairly easy without any seized bolts. What I did was press out the old metal sleeve and then use a sawzall to cut the metal ring in 3 spots. Use a punch/chizel and hammer out the old ring. I used a vise to press in the new ES bushings. Pretty straight forward. Once the Koni SP3's arrive things will go back together. I cant wait to see how much the Koni's improve things. HTH