[67 Swedish Convertible]

Don't know if this is the right forum, but I'll give it a shot.

Planning the resto of my 67 'vert, I have some thoughts about what kind of bushings to use. Should I go rubber or "poly-graphite". Should I go nylon?

Reason for asking is that someone told me that "Go rubber if you want comfort - Go harder, e.g nylon or graphite bushing, if you want better handling". OK - so far - I'm with him. I can agree to that. But he also said that all the small stones and uneven surfaces will travel easier into the car with harder bushings. That i'd feel everything a lot better in the car.
For a more forgiving, smoother ride, I should use rubber.

Does anyone out there have any experience with this? What did you choose? Could you tell the difference between the two types (hard vs soft)? Can you feel the difference or can you only tell by the way the car handles on the road?

Hope you can help.

[DL]

Hi there,

A few years ago I replaced the rubber bushings on my 67 for PU bushings. I can only say that it is one of the best changes I've done to my car. The Poly Graphite lubricates better then the PU's as for squirking noises. I did some adjustments (camber etc.) and now it doesn't make the cracky noises anymore.
I think my ride is still comfortable as the shocks still do their job.....and my tires also absorbes small shocks. The biggest improvement is the steering!! I love it, more directer and sharper. Even on the 'small' roades here in Europe!

I can't tell about the Nylon, never used it.

I'd go for PG, or nylon should be better then PG, maybe someone else can chime in.

Goodluck on your choice

[Larger Dave]

The rubber bushings were designed for that "jet smooth Chevrolet ride" of the early sixties (specifically with Dina Shore in mind. It is all about the pillow soft, silk smooth ride. If you want the car to handle you wouldn't use rubber.

I'm no "girlie - mon" so I used aluminum bushings (I think Moroso still sells them), only because polyurethane hadn't been invented yet. It changed my jet smooth car ride into a stiff responsive sports car. Be sure to replace the bushings in the front suspensions as well to obtain the full affect.

Larger Dave

[gmranch]

I use PU, but PG would also be an excellent choice. I also used PU on the shocks, but changed out the lower top bushings to new rubber to soften the bump but still enhance the rebound control.

[blue ss]

I changed from the original to the original , it lifted my front end panels 1/2 inch. Looks like I put new springs on. I want original to avoid vibrating more and makeing other things rattle. I have not drove it since the install but I expect to be happy with it. I dought there is a huge difference between the solid the original, original is farily hard when installed.

[CarlC]

Originally Posted by blue ss

I changed from the original to the original , it lifted my front end panels 1/2 inch. Looks like I put new springs on. I want original to avoid vibrating more and makeing other things rattle. I have not drove it since the install but I expect to be happy with it. I dought there is a huge difference between the solid the original, original is farily hard when installed.

Be sure to tighten the A-arm bolts after the car is on the ground when using a stock rubber bushing. Leave the nuts loose, set the car on the ground, then tighten.

IMO, if performance is the goal Global West's del-a-lum bushings are the best on the market. DSE also offers a delrin type bushing that will work very well.

[dawg]

i put solid aluminum in mine and it made the car handle great.
didnt seem to pick up not much if any road vibrations.

[Dave69Z]

I have had stock, aluminum and finally polygraphite subframe bushings. Ths stock ones wer still good when I repalced them with aluminum. I then switched to polygraphite because my aluminum ones weren't the interlocking kind and I'm a perfectionist. The ride is much better with poly graphite than the aluminum. They don't squeek either. I went poly because the rubber will deteriorate much quicker and I don't want to have to do it again.