2Litre

Hi all . I have replace all my bushes on my 3 door except the rear beam bushes. There seems to be a gap of around 4mm from the lower bush sleeve and the main blot locator plate. The top is sitting hard up against chassis leg, is it normal for bush not to sit flush on lower locator plate(the one with the main 19mm through bolt and two m10 blots) Or are these standard bushes very badly worn?
How would the cars handling be effected by badly worn beam bushes?


Thanks for your help.

Tim.

The Crocodile Hunter

I'd say they are knackered! Mine were similar before i changed them.

Do you find the rear end wonders around alot especially when you lift of the throttle after giving it a bit of stick?

Easiest, cheapest and best solution is to change to solid mounts.

2Litre

Hi , the rear just does not feel planted at anything over 65mph. and seeing that these are the only bushes left to change I hope that replacing them will cure it.
I am also changing my rear left trailing arm as I believe it is slightly bent as the camber is o degrees where the right is 1 degree 10mins.
Will a diff in camber like this impact the handling?

Cheers.

Tim

The Crocodile Hunter

When you say you have changed all the bushes have you put poly bushes in the trailing arms in place of the bearings? They are no good as they allow movement which will effect your camber.

I wouldn't have thought the beam bushes will effect camber, they just allow the whole axle to move.

2Litre

Yes I replace them , but with GGR copies of the original bearing.

Cheers. Tim.

The Crocodile Hunter

What about the diff mount?

I changed my for one of those uprated ones msd sell at the same time as fitting solid beam mounts and it transformed the car.

All my old mounts were totally finished

2Litre

Yep replaced mine with the same- Would the difference in camber on the rear I have make the car feel less planted?

Thanks for your input.

Cheers. Tim.

Glenn_

iTrader: (1)

How low is the car matey. My beam bushes were worn. I could shake the wheels side to side and the beam would move.

cossynut2

Hi Glenn,
I was having problems a while back with my 2wd Sapphire , had poly bushes put in the rear beam and it sorted it. I think because its quite a big job to do it a lot of people do everywhere else with poly bushes but leave the rear beam.
By the way you didnt answer my query as to why you ditched the after-market air con that was in your car?
Cheers Richard.

The Crocodile Hunter

Does your car wear the tyres quickly on the inner edge?

The Crocodile Hunter

I found the original bushes were easy to get out using the large socket and jack method, but if putting poly bushes back i don't know how you'd do it with the beam on the car?

Marc sierra

iTrader: (1)

Just push them back in using the jack, very easy!

Glenn_

iTrader: (1)

I thought thd bushes came out a piece of piss. The poly bushes went in easy to. I just found it hard to get the big bolt back in through the bushe and metal sleeve.

Glenn_

iTrader: (1)

I ditched the air con cause it didn't work. If it worked I would of left it on the car.

Marc sierra

iTrader: (1)

Putting the bolt back in isn't that difficult either. Just make sure the metal sleeve goes into the hole in the chassis rail, then put the guide plate underneath the bush and jack it up to compress the bush. The bolt goes in easily then.

2Litre

The car is standard ride height , and I don t use it that much so tire wear is not evident. As far as big jobs are concerned it's had all but the rear beam bushes replaced. I have spent four years pumping money into this car , don t get me wrong as I will probably spend another four doing exactly the same .
Everything on this car is new.

So I revert -Can a camber diff of 1 degree from one rear wheel to the other cause the less planted feeling I am feeling?

????

Thanks very much.

My Best . Tim.

2Litre

Does anyone speak English ? please advise? I have been a part of this foram for a while and tend to ask specific questions. Don t want to upset anyone but have no time to waste.

Thanks . Tim.

The Crocodile Hunter

From my own experience and what others have said I'd say that worn beam bushes cause all sorts of problems do do with funny handling characteristics. As you haven't changed them do this first.

The camber problem may just all be caused because the beam is sitting that way because the mounts are worn so it can't be helping can it? Once you have changed them you'll see if it sits properly?

Marc sierra

iTrader: (1)

If you already have replaced all the other bushes, why haven't you done the beam mounts? The standard rubber is quite weak, so using poly bushes will definately improve it.

But whether that solves the 'less planted feel' is difficult to answer. Less planted than what? No one here knows how it feels or how you would like it to feel. Personally I would think the 1° camber difference doesn't cause the feel you are describing. I can imagine that weak beam bushes cause this feeling though. I have had worn beam mounts on a Sierra I used for drifting and with the worn bushes you had no idea what the rear was doind. Basically the direction the rear wheels were pointing in changed constantly.

2Litre

Thanks very much, changing them next week. I did not change them before as I was holding out to try and find the standard items but no one would post to Malta so now am putting some powerflex ones in.
There doesn't seem to be a lot of lateral movement in standard bushes but there is about 10mm up and down.
I think that left rear trailing arm is suspect re camber as its had a meet and greet with a kerb. Fitting a shaf one so will remove arb pick-up and weld on outer as per three door.
Anyway as you say replace and see.

Thanks very much for your help.

Tim.

Marc sierra

iTrader: (1)

Be aware that camber settings changed from the 3dr to the sapph, so it could well be that a sapph arm will give a different camber value on a 3dr. I would use the correct arms to make sure this is the same.

cossynut2

Before I changed the worn out standard rear beam bushes to new poly bushes on my 2wd Sapphire it felt like the car was constantly tramlining and wanting to sometimes steer itself! t was not nice especially at higher speeds!!

2Litre

Hi , thanks marc for heads re trailing I was told that the geometry of the rear trailing arms was the same it is only the arb pick up point that differ.
Are you 100% about this?

Again, thanks.

Tim.

Marc sierra

iTrader: (1)

No I'm not 100% sure on this. I have some press articles on all cosworths and it said that Ford changed the camber settings of the rear wheels from the 3dr to the sapph.

2Litre

Interesting, well I will find out I guess fitting a saph on the rear left and leaving 3 door on the right.

Cheers.

Tim.

2Litre

Well an update on fitting saff rear trailing arm. It has sorted out my rear camber diff of 1 degree.

Rear readings(standard beam-standard ride height)

Camber Left=40mins neg Right =52mins neg
toe Left=17min pos Right = 18mins pos
Thrust angle= 0

So quite happy .

Cheers.

Tim.