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Mystery rubber part fell off...

1K views 6 replies 5 participants last post by  RRClassy 
#1 ·
Noticed a lot of clanking when I was driving home today, and saw the below next to my parking spot when I got out. I pull over a large bank to park, b/c I'm having my driveway redone, so i'm guessing that knocked it loose. The material feels like a hard rubber, obviously its quite old and degraded at this point.

Due to the noise and I was thinking sway bar, but it doesn't look like a sway bar bushing to me. Could be unrelated of course, and I will need to do a thorough inspection of all of the bushings. Just got the truck a week ago after a nightmare of a shipping process and was perhaps overeager to get on the road. Had both diffs rebuilt, oil pan and water pump replaced before it was shipped, so I'm hoping everything was put back together correctly.

Can anyone ID this, or give me some ideas of where to look? Looking to get a head start on this for Thursday, which is when my next chance to investigate.
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#2 ·
By colour and shape, it initially looks like a "polybush " material (aftermarket alternative to original bushes) bush section from one of the radius location bars to the axles. Looking underneath it's the long links running along the vehicle to hold the axles in place that have a number of different sized bushes like this to hold the axle to the vehicle.

Not drastic to replace, just dismantling link and replacement by hand then bolt back up. Originally they where fitted with one part bushes that need a press to get them in and out of components, these are two part, easy assemble components, to fit as replacement.

Look up polybush and you'll see pictures of them new, available in different colours that denote material density, and range of elasticity to give owner's a choice of suspension feeling. Think red is hard, blue more aligned with std bushes.You'd normally buy a set and work your way through replacement.
 
#4 ·
Ah yes, the magic PolyBush. Advertised as an improvement over rubber. Long lasting and all (?)

Rubber is one of the biggest challenge for classic car owners as much of it is of poor quality. Also some rubber bushings require a press to install, unlike the polybushed which you can pop in with a vice.

Question is if Polybushes are so great why are the car manufacturers not using it?

I am guessing Polybushings have a good profit margin for the makers/sellers. I rather prefer to buy reputable rubber components.
 
#5 ·
Ah yes, the magic PolyBush. Advertised as an improvement over rubber. Long lasting and all (?)

Question is if Polybushes are so great why are the car manufacturers not using it?
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Because they’re loud without lube and ruin ride quickly. When you’re bathing your truck in mud and have oil dripping everywhere, you’ll probably get a couple more years off a set.
 
#7 ·
I needed to get my Rover moving and didn't have time to wait for a polybush set to come in. For anyone else who has a radius-arm-to-chassis bushing pop in a similar situation, FA498 at autozone is a pretty close fit: https://www.autozone.com/suspension...-control-arm-bushing-fa498/201301_484281_4222. Also pick up a tie rod removal tool if you don't have one, you'll need to remove the tie rod end and sway bar on the side of the bushing you are replacing.

After replacement with the autozone bushings, alignment seems good. Spacing between the mount and the washer on the arm is the same as on the side that wasn't replaced. Next step is to do all the bushings, and various other worn rubber bits.

Lastly, comparing the broken bushing to pictures of sets online, it looks like whoever installed it put a bushing for the rear radius arm on the front : /. So probably can't take this as indication of the overall durability of poly bushes.
 
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