Rear Sway Bar Bushings Again

[D-a-n-i-e-l]

Could some one get me the mesurements for the rear sway bar bushings. I am working on a source for a few pairs, but I do not have acces to my car to check the measurements.

Daniel

[Guest 89 Maui]

Daniel -

Having just replaced my rear suspension, I had the problem with the sway bar of having to reuse the wornout bushings or try being creative with a redesign bushing since there has not been a source with a replacement.

The opening of the strut is 1" the width of the sway bar is 1/2" which leaves 1/4" gap on both sides of the sway bar and the opening in the sway bar is 3/4" dia. and the sleeve on the bolt is 1/2".

I searched NAPA & Advance Auto and searched the web for any type of rubber tube or hose having 3/4" O.D. with 1/2" I.D. with no results.

Having to do something is better than nothing even if it may be a temporary means until a source can be found. The only thing I found to serve the purpose was a vynal hose I found at Home Depot that had the 3/4" O.D. and 1/2" I.D. It was a very snug fit in the 3/4" I.D. of the sway bar. I cut a piece of the vynal hose at 1" length, to match the width of the strut bracket, and inserted it into the hole of the sway bar. The vynal hose was very snug and that reduced the inner diameter of the hose and the sleeve of the bolt did not want to go through the vynal hose, approx 7/16" I.D. I then ran a 1/2" drill through the vynal hose to ream to 1/2" I.D. I lubricated the bolt and it then slid through the vynal hose.

The original bushing is basically an "H" configuration, the center of the "H" is what wears out. I removed the center of the "H" leaving the outer bushings which do not have any wear. I slipped the outer bushings onto both sides of the vynal hose and slipped the configuration into the strut and inserted the bolt and tightened down.

The only real frustration was the tension of the sway bar not wanting to stay centered while inserting into the strut bracket. I designed a 4" turnbuckle with one end having a "V" to hold the sway bar while the other end pushed against the wheel hub assembly. This allowed me to center the sway bar while inserting into the strut bracket.

Like I said, I do not have any idea how long the vynal hose will last versus rubber but even if it is temporary it fills the bill.

[D-a-n-i-e-l]

Thank you. I will post if this pans out.

[ol' yeller]

I know rubber stuff is made from castings. How are uerethane bushings made. Could it be as easy as getting a block of uerethane and turning it down on a lathe? Probably been discussed before but I'm trying to think outside of the box. My Brother in Law has a pretty impressive lathe and machining tool setup. Is there a source for uerethane blocks? I know uerethane gives a harsher ride but harsher may be better than no bushings. The same maybe could be used for the engine cradle too!?! I'd be willing to approach him about this with a little more knowledge.

[D-a-n-i-e-l]

Yes it can be done on a lathe. I do not have one or I would have already tried. I imagine the cradle bushings would be easier to do, because of size. Although a good lathe and the right tools the smaller pieces would not be hard to create.

[D-a-n-i-e-l]

OK this is for eveyone on here.

I need a real truthfull reply from anyone interested in these. I am going to have them made and as with everything the more I order the lower the price per set becomes. They will be polyurathane and come with just the bushings. I believe I can have them made in red, black, and most likely any other color I would like.

Here is a importand part, They will come in two pieces, not one like the original. They will serve the same function and be easier to install than the original for this reason.

I would like one more mesurement and a picture or four, if at all possible before ordering them. I am in Afghanistan at the moment so I cannot accoplish this on my own.

Worst case senario they will be $50.00 per set for any I purchase above my own needs/wants. If intrest is high (20 orders) the price could drop to as low as $25.00 per set. (set being four bushings enough for both sides)

Before people jump on the split in the middle. I made some out of swaybar links and they held up for three years, so a manufactured one shoul last qute a bit longer. Pluss have fun getting a polyurathane bushing squeezed through the sway bar hole. I am not ordering rubber due to it having a faster breakdown rate.

The company is waiting on my final numbers and conformation of dimensions for the order. So I am only waiting through the weekend for the over all count on this.

[D-a-n-i-e-l]

One other thing. If anyone would like bulk orders, say 5 or more, I will work out a price on the side.

[ol' yeller]

I'm in.

[Ronnie]

Check dimension C. If the drawing is intended to be anywhere close to scale, dimension "C" can't be 0.25".

Have you considered making the bushing long enough that it goes all the way through the sway bar, then make a separate "thrust washer", with the dimensions: B, D and F, made of the same material, to insert on the opposite side of the bar to take up any side to side play. That way the parting line between the two pieces wouldn't be in a load bearing location.

[zoltanb]

Hi Danial, If you can get this worked out I'm in for two sets. I hope this works out for you.

[KDirk]

Daniel,

I am in for 3 sets minimum. Would like a set for both of my current Reattae and at least one more in anticipation of getting (possibly) a third. Depending on the final price, I may go for 4 or 5 to have some spares. I figure I am going to try like hell to keep these on the road for another 20 years and so will probably need to do them again if I am successful. Maybe wishful thinking, but planning ahead never hurt (except in the wallet).

KDirk

[Guest 89 Maui]

Daniel -

The way you have this designed, two of these will butt up in the center between the strut bracket supports and the sway bar will be centered over the buttment of the two bushings. There could be twisting of the bushings against each other in the center of the sway bar and could cause wear or breakdown.

I recommend that in your drawing, extend "C" to 3/4" so the width of "D" and "C" be 1" and "E" becomes 1". This would be a solid one piece between the two strut brackets. Then a separate "D" section would be 1/4" in width with the exception of "B" and that becomes 3/4" and slips over the "C" section.

Still two pieces but this would eliminate the twisting and premature wear in the center. The two "D" sections are spacers to center the sway bar in between the strut brackets. Thus the tightening of the bolt would squeeze the two strut brackets against one solid piece of polyeurethane of the width of "E".

Woody

[Guest Furman83]

Daniel,

I am in for 2 sets!!!

[NCReatta]

I sent you a PM Daniel. I'm in for 10 sets at least.

[Guest Kingsley]

'ol yeller - I have found McMaster Carr - www.mcmaster.com - to be an excellent source of plastic material in various forms and have been very pleased with the material and service they offer.

Urethane is a natural for this use and it machines quite well. Most importantly, McMaster offers a wide range of durometers and this will be an important consideration once the basic dimensions are confirmed.

Kingsley

'90 Coupe

www.reattaspecialtyparts.com

[D-a-n-i-e-l]

I am looking at other designs, keeping in mind the cost and ease of manufacturing also making the installation as easy as possible.

Now for the bad news. I will have to put this on hold without more input on the demensions. Woody I do trust your mesurements, but I am looking at forking out half of what I paid for my Reatta originally just to get this started. So I must be absolutly sure of the specs.

Daniel

[ptt]

Im in for two.

[Machiner 55]

Daniel,

At $25.00'ish I'd take at least one set.

John F.

[Jim]

Here is a picture of the bushing.

It is true they get bad and sometimes so bad sometimes they will fall out. Over the years I have had about 10 requests for these pieces so in my opinion the cost of remaking them would not be financially practical.

I am guessing many of the GM cars used these bushings and for sure the Toronados, Rivieras, and some small Cadillacs use these bushings so if I needed one I would go to the local U Pull It and most of the time they have the cars up on stands with the tires off. Remove the bolt and then with a pry bar get the end of the stabilizer bar out of the mounting and the rubber bushing can be pushed out of the bar.

[D-a-n-i-e-l]

Jim,

If you still have that handy, could yo please provide the mesurements of it.

On the other hand I am not worried about making a profit off of this. I just want to make it available. I have looked at 50, and that is a low estiment, E and K body cars and have not found one bushing I would use on my car. Granted they were all in the NW. The one you have there looks to be in top shape and most likely the best example I will come across.

Daniel

[KDirk]

I just wanted to chime in with support of Daniel's effort. Even if a good condition bushing can be found used, how long will it last considering it will still be over 20 years old if off a similar car line. Parts like these are safety critical and if they aren't available new, we are taking a gamble on whether or not we can keep our cars on the road long term. I don't know how many here intend to continue driving their Reatta(s) for another decade or two (or more) provided it remains possible to keep them road worthy in the face of parts availability issues, but I expect to do so or at least make a solid effort at it.

I feel projects like these are critical to that objective, and at the current age of these cars (and any parts cars that can be culled from) it won't be too much longer before we have to be inventive like this on a fairly regular basis. Suspension parts just plain wear out, irrespective of the operating atmosphere the car is used in. Certain climate/weather conditions accelerate the rate of decay, but no place is immune to rubber parts eventually breaking down.

KDirk

[Jim]

Daniel,

I emailed you a picture with the dimensions.

Jim

Jim,

If you still have that handy, could yo please provide the mesurements of it.

On the other hand I am not worried about making a profit off of this. I just want to make it available. I have looked at 50, and that is a low estiment, E and K body cars and have not found one bushing I would use on my car. Granted they were all in the NW. The one you have there looks to be in top shape and most likely the best example I will come across.

Daniel

[D-a-n-i-e-l]

OK one last question.

Does any one have the mesurment for the opening on the rear strut, where the sway bar bolts to.

[D-a-n-i-e-l]

OK due to cost and production I am most likely going with a differnt design. The new design will reduce the cost to no more than $25 per set and may be a little cheaper if I can manage to order more. It is not the same as the OEM but I believe it will perform the same job.

I want to go with this design to reduce the cost to each person that wants/needs them. They will be made out of red polyurethane with a hardness shore A 60-65 (a little harder than automotive tire tread). It will be a three piece assembly consisting of a bushing and two spacers. This should eliminate concerns of the pressure point. (good catch). The spacers will fit over the bushing and keep the sway bar from moving side to side in the strut. I need the measerment of the strut eye to ensure that it is smaller than the 17.5 mm diameter of the bushing.

Any and all input on this is welcome. As I am doing this for eveyone that cannot find these elsewhere.

I am also attaching a scetch so every on can get a visual on the idea. The hand drawn is the original bushing specs. The second is the one I am wanting to go with.

[waltmail]

I am in for a set. I cant stand the clanking.

[Bushwack]

I'm in for two sets. Thanks Daniel.

[jonlabree]

Daniel;

I'm in for a set.

Jon..

[Blue90]

Daniel, Count me in for a set. How much do you need to go ahead with the project? There seem to be alot of pre-orders; maybe people could pre-pay; after all, it's not like you're going anywhere (meant as a joke). Stay safe.

[D-a-n-i-e-l]

I am ready to have them made. I am planning on having them shipped to my wife. then have one of the guys in the rear install them on my car, and maybe one other vehicle, just to ensure the fitment. Then she can send them out from there. So I am looking at production time (TBD) pluss two weeks. Then I will have her sent them out.

The ony thing I am waiting on is a measurement of the eye on the strut.

[Guest spongebob]

buy some acetal (delrin) rod and machine the bushing from it..

[D-a-n-i-e-l]

buy some acetal (delrin) rod and machine the bushing from it..

Machining by hand would take too long. Also tooling would be alot more expensive than forming molds.

[Guest spongebob]

Machining by hand would take too long. Also tooling would be alot more expensive than forming molds.

hmm i made a set for my corvette in about a 1/2 hour...all it took was a lathe..

[D-a-n-i-e-l]

I do not have 30 minutes to make them everytime some one wants a set. So I had them factory made. They are being shipped out and I should have them in two weeks or so. I have to test them, but once done I will put them up for sale. They will come in sets to complete both sides and the proper grease. I am a little worried about the posibility of the polyurethane squeak so I went ahead and desided to provide the grease with each set. I may look into providing new bolts and crush washers but that is not a priority and would slow down making them available to people.

[DAVES89]

How many sets did you have made and how much a set was the final cost?

[D-a-n-i-e-l]

I had 50 sets made. I am looking around $25 per set plus shipping. Shipping should be less than a couple dollars via USPS.

[ol' yeller]

Still in!

[DAVES89]

Daniel why don't you post how much you want for product including freight and who to send the money to with address and start taking orders? Then keep us updated as to how many are left. I didn't say I wanted any, but may/will order after all other prior commitments have been filled.

To keep everyone happy please start a fresh post on the Buy/Sell part of the Reatta Forum.

[Guest Furman83]

I'm still in for 2 sets. Will look for new thread in Buy/Sale

Thanks for your efforts!! I now can replace my rear struts!

[KDirk]

Daniel, I'm still in also. Depending on demand, I may want more than two or three sets. I don't want to hog 'em, and short someone else so please let us know how many sets are committed for pre-orders, and I will base my order on that.

Oh, and thanks for spearheading this!

KDirk

[D-a-n-i-e-l]

Once I have test fitted them I will put them up for sale and let every one know how to get them. Also I will be able to have more made. with a month turnaround time. So worringing about numbers should not be an issue. They will also work on other vehicles. I am currious if the work on the Allante. If so I believe that I will be able to have a few other parts for the rear made. I am not trying to make a profit on these but I am trying to set up a system where I can devolope these and other parts for our cars. Things like the leaf spring bushings, the links for the rear sway bar (thedog bone looking part), and any others I come accross while completely replacing the under side of my car. The trick to doing this is to be able to keep a surplus on hand and being able to develop other items with the procedes. On that note if any one has an idea for parts no longer available let me know. the company I am working with is reasonable and can make most anything as long as I can provide specifications and/or a working modle. Like I said before I am not trying to profit from this, but keep in mind this is the test run and these parts are not produced by major manufactures due to the lac of profit they would bring. With that being said, more complex parts may be more expensive. With the people here and their input I think I can continue to figure out how to make a few more parts available.