Trailing arm bushings, 2 Q's Options

[toon1]

I pulled the trailing arms today and the bushings look ok.

HOw can I check them to see if they are still usable?

Will the stock bushings survive powder coating?

[toon1]

enigine bay and under trunk got primered Lotta work but it's worth it

[hwgunner]

My recolection is that powder coating ovens are set at about 400 degrees. I have see soldered items fall apart. Ask the powder coater but I do not think that the bushings will survive.

[ConeDodger]

I do not think the bushings will survive. Even if they don't melt they will probably degrade. Become harder and crack. You have the TArms out so... ROLLER BUSHINGS!!! Talk to McMark and get on the list!

[Krieger]

Your car looks great! The only problem is that you have to make everything else just as nice. The bushings can easily be pressed out. Update to poly bronze, or poly graphite or roller depnding on what you are doing. I imagine you could press the rubber back in but that seems kinda halfa$$-they are probably distorted.

[PeeGreen 914]

Ummmm.... Roller as in needle? Don't do that.... You will be sorry if you do that. Do the Elephant racing bearings. Your car will be that much nicer.

[kconway]

I'm prepping my engine compartment also and haven't had alot of luck getting the sound pad adhesive off. What did you use? Looks great!
Kev

[toon1]

I've been reading on the different types of bushings. The elephants are out, PRICE.
I didn't think the orig. would survive but though I would ask.

I'll talk to Eric Shea, I know he was working on some.

the trainling arms will be P coat CHROME! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif) BLING!BLING!

I like the old school "hot rodder look". All my engine tin is P coat chrome, it looks nice.

I am going to strip the car down to the metal before I paint the engine bay and trunk. It's soooooo tempting to paint it though.

[toon1]

I'm prepping my engine compartment also and haven't had alot of luck getting the sound pad adhesive off. What did you use? Looks great!
Kev

Luckily, it was stripped by the PO.

There is adhiseve remover you can buy that works good. I used it on the inside, it takes some elbow grease but it will come off.

[PeeGreen 914]

I'm prepping my engine compartment also and haven't had alot of luck getting the sound pad adhesive off. What did you use? Looks great!
Kev

Go to your local body shop and see if you can get some of their adhesive remover. That is all I did, and it worked great at getting anything off that shouldn't be there. It also works great on cone scuffs.....so I've heard (IMG:style_emoticons/default/dry.gif)

[PeeGreen 914]

I've been reading on the different types of bushings. The elephants are out, PRICE.
I didn't think the orig. would survive but though I would ask.

I'll talk to Eric Shea, I know he was working on some.

the trainling arms will be P coat CHROME! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif) BLING!BLING!

I like the old school "hot rodder look". All my engine tin is P coat chrome, it looks nice.

I am going to strip the car down to the metal before I paint the engine bay and trunk. It's soooooo tempting to paint it though.

I know the feeling on the elephants racings cost, but they are nice. Just stay away from the needle bearing type. People think they are really good, but their is a big flaw in that needle bearings are only designed to spin one way. The trailing arms go two. So eventually you will be screwed.... and not the good kind. There is some good bushings that are not too expensive, and they work well with a little adjustment and fit.

[toon1]

I've been reading on the different types of bushings. The elephants are out, PRICE.
I didn't think the orig. would survive but though I would ask.

I'll talk to Eric Shea, I know he was working on some.

the trainling arms will be P coat CHROME! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif) BLING!BLING!

I like the old school "hot rodder look". All my engine tin is P coat chrome, it looks nice.

I am going to strip the car down to the metal before I paint the engine bay and trunk. It's soooooo tempting to paint it though.

I know the feeling on the elephants racings cost, but they are nice. Just stay away from the needle bearing type. People think they are really good, but their is a big flaw in that needle bearings are only designed to spin one way. The trailing arms go two. So eventually you will be screwed.... and not the good kind. There is some good bushings that are not too expensive, and they work well with a little adjustment and fit.

I'm going with the "not to expesive" bushings, the car will never see an AX, just street driving( which may be worse).

It will be a while, I'm sitting here thinking that I will put the TA's back on, as is until the car gets paint in Feb.. They may get meesed up in the process of preping the car. I won't have to worry about them the way they are.

[PeeGreen 914]

That sounds like a good idea. Maybe you can find someone who has a spare pair to do all this to. Then you can just swap them out. It never hurts to have a spare set anyway.

[Rand]

This is the first time I've ever heard anything negative about the roller bearings. Why do so many race cars use them? Are you sure they use directional bearings? There are needle bearings that work well bidirectionally - seems like they would use appropriate bearings.

(Not trying to argue with you Jon. Just looking for some clarification on a point you raised. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif) )

Mueller? Mueller? Anyone?

[PeeGreen 914]

Hey Rand

This info all comes from Greg Fordahl... You know... The cheif engineer for Alex Job racing. That is what he said, and why his team does not use them anymore. He said they tried it for a time, but the fact is that they are really only for one direction... like in wheel bearings or something similar. He also said that people are always rying to make them work, but with all the other stuff out there you really don't need to. He is the one that turned me onto Elephant racing and all the products they have. Hope that helps. Rand, if you need more info on why they are no good I can talk to Greg again and find out more, but when I asked about them he said NO...... and then said to use elephant for the 914. Between running my mods past Greg and Tim Kornacki I have some rather good advisers I think;)

[jd74914]

I can't understand why needle bearing would be unidirectional? It doesn't quite make sense to me. Could you talk to him and ask for the reason for this?

[neo914-6]

How can bearings be uni-directional if you put them on both sides of the pivot rod? (IMG:style_emoticons/default/confused24.gif)

Here's some discussions of options in the beginning of my thread.

[jd74914]

Thats why I don't understand it Felix . . . unless he thinks that they end up wearing badly and become more adept at pivoting in one direction? (IMG:style_emoticons/default/huh.gif)

[PeeGreen 914]

Yes Jim... that is what he said. They will have a memory for going one direction which it will travel well in, but the other direction will put a strain on them. He was telling me about two of their cars that they had them blow up on, and he had his team find out what had happened. They kept runnning them as they were a very good product, but he said once the poly bronze came out they went to that very fast as they were more reliable. You have to remember that his cars are ALMS cars too. They get abused like no other. I will talk to him more about it when I see him.

[Joe Ricard]

Race car gets race parts and those parts get inspected and replaced.

Street car gets abused and neglected with the owner scratching his/her head when race parts break on thier street car.