Trailing arm bushings, Tutorial? Options

[Porschef]

There’s a pretty good chance I may be removing these on Labor(!) day, is there a recommended/preferred tutorial for this procedure? I’ve seen a YouTube video or two, but they’re not as descriptive as I’d hoped for. This’ll be my first rodeo...

I don’t know what’s happened to the search feature but it ain’t what it used to be.


Thanks in advance all.

[914_teener]

I've done these and you need to think about how it functions and how it was designed.


The replacements "bushings" orginally do not function as how the swing arm was orginally designed. My opinion since I did not design them.

Originally the rubber is vulcanized into the control arm with the metal rod through it. Sorry don't have the PET as reference. The arm acts more torsionally and as a damper for vibration. I just think this was a cheaper way of doing it. Addtionally.....check the swing arm first to make sure they aren't bent...I'm sure you probably already know this .
Over time this rubbercompound deteriorates and cracks putting the torsional load onto the mounting nut or attachment point (the slotted 17MM nut if IIRC). This will and does oval that hole out.

Now...the replacements since they are not vulcanized into the shaft act more like true bushings. When I replaced mine I realized that they are a compromise to the design.

I would suggest the hardest coumpound possible without sacraficing dampening. Since the shaft will now rotate through it's degrees of freedom which are compound by the way, I put zerk fittings around the arm and cut sprial grooves into the inside edge of the bushings.

I deemed the Elephant ones to hard in durometer for my liking. Other opinions may vary. If you can bend that outside flange I'd think those too soft and maybe an issue to align the car. IMHO.

At the time Eric at PMB just started selling them and those worked out ok. Now I think Mark at 914 Rubber may sell the very same ones.

Good luck....I did all the rear bearings since I took both control arms off and the hubs and the CV's. Well worth doing all of them and never worried about the rear suspension after that.

I wrote a thread on this....probably six years ago...scary.