Powerflex Bushings

All things oily!
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jonclancy
Posts: 942
Joined: Tue Nov 01, 2011 9:30 pm

Re: Powerflex Bushings

Post by jonclancy »

Drat, lost my long post.

Pics instead...
jonclancy
Posts: 942
Joined: Tue Nov 01, 2011 9:30 pm

Re: Powerflex Bushings

Post by jonclancy »

Just had the arms vapour blasted locally...

Very nice finish!
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jonclancy
Posts: 942
Joined: Tue Nov 01, 2011 9:30 pm

Re: Powerflex Bushings

Post by jonclancy »

Finally...
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Last edited by jonclancy on Tue Oct 09, 2018 8:02 am, edited 1 time in total.
jonclancy
Posts: 942
Joined: Tue Nov 01, 2011 9:30 pm

Re: Powerflex Bushings

Post by jonclancy »

POR15.

Blimey, that does a LONG way. It poured way quicker than I was expecting when I was decanting into a small aerosol lid. Probably around 60 ml of paint. That covered two coars on the trailing arms, most of the faded coating on my workmate, and the handle on my trolley jack. Still had a load left in my lid, but the light was going....

Anyway, yesterday I painted two coats on my vapour-blasted trailing arms. I pickled them in a phosphoric solution prior to painting, but I think that the surface would work perfectly as was. Just an acetone or alcohol rub down would do, I suspect.

When doing this job, I found loosening the panhard rod helped, and that I had to screw out the bolts due the the chassis end shear plate holes being slightly out of alignment. No big deal.

I jacked up the car on the diff, then used a couple of appropriately sized timber rounds from the garden to rest the chassis on.

Make sure you note the correct orientation and length of the bolts as they come off. They will only tend to go a specific way due to ease of spanner/socket access.

My metalastic bushes were truly jammed in their housings! Only one pressed out in a manner that remotely suggested you could use a large vice and a couple of sockets. I have a recently acquited 12T hydraulic press and a multi sized bearing drift set, and it worked well. A couple of the metalastic bush housing edges were marked by the socket splines in the process, but not really noticable. A drilled piece of 4x2” wood to accept the pressed out bush completed my kit. I started off the process with a 23mm bearing drift in the press, and once it had first moved, witha huge clang, I then changed to a longer socket to complete the pressing out.

Reassembly today. Shouldn’t take too long. The finish on the arms is great. Brush painted to a smooth gloss. I am seriously considering removing the rear axle and re-finishing it in POR. Seems a good way to spruce up the dulled Smoothrite, but might make it all look a bit too shiny!

Pics to follow.
jonclancy
Posts: 942
Joined: Tue Nov 01, 2011 9:30 pm

Re: Powerflex Bushings

Post by jonclancy »

All finished yesyerday afternoon. The job took a little longer than antcipated. This was due, mainly, to getting the holes aligned to take the bolts. Loosening the panhard rod, and lifting the diff nose helped, as did using a thinner piece of brass bar as an alignment spigot.

The nice thing about these bushes is that the fasteners can be fully torqued down onto the crush tube while the car is off its wheels. Make access so much easier! You may need to open the gap slightly on the axle brackets, and the shear plates to allow the bush to fit. When tightened up, the tiny gap will disappear.

You will need the 1mm nylon washers. Pics to follow when I have sorted through them.

With the wheels back on, the chassis settled perfectly when the jack was removed. No binding or untoward noises. A quick run up and down the drive was promising, with the car feeling taut. I have SORNed for the Winter now, but am looking forward to trying this lot out in the Spring.

Just need to fit the sealed bearings I have to the hubs. A minor offside diff oil weep when the wheel is off could do with being addressed.
Last edited by jonclancy on Fri Oct 12, 2018 12:06 am, edited 1 time in total.
jonclancy
Posts: 942
Joined: Tue Nov 01, 2011 9:30 pm

Re: Powerflex Bushings

Post by jonclancy »

Pics, as promised!
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jonclancy
Posts: 942
Joined: Tue Nov 01, 2011 9:30 pm

Re: Powerflex Bushings

Post by jonclancy »

Nice BFV, eh?! :D

More pics...
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jonclancy
Posts: 942
Joined: Tue Nov 01, 2011 9:30 pm

Re: Powerflex Bushings

Post by jonclancy »

Finally, installed!
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jonclancy
Posts: 942
Joined: Tue Nov 01, 2011 9:30 pm

Re: Powerflex Bushings

Post by jonclancy »

I took a 75 mile jaunt aroind the local area today. I’m very pleased to report that the car rode brilliantly. The rear was supple, and the mild clonk I had sometimes while taking up drive has disappeared. This was an excellent upgrade and well worth the cost of the custom bushes and the time to fit them. :D
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