Club 80-90 Forums

CovKid wrote:Gearbox nose poly bush makes a massive difference to gear changing too

Does that go for all models? I'm just about to look at changing all the front bushes etc to polys, and I may as well do the box too if it's worth it.

Cheers

Just put the new bush in.and can not believe what a difference it makes so happy

Excellent, good work!

Just need to replace all the old bushes with polly ones.

Go steady with that one. You wouldn't be the first to swap them all out, discover they don't like some aspect of the ride then not know which bushes altered it.

Do them in turn, and test.

I'm not a big fan of them everywhere as the composition (softness/stiffness) is decided by someone else. Ask anyone who races. Bush stiffness is tweaked to suit. You can ofcourse make your own and the 2-part mix comes in several grades. Trailing arms, nose bush and steering bushes really do benefit from modern materials although I found the trailing arm bushes rubbed and limited the free movement of the arm, requiring light reworking on a lathe. However, areas that are awkward or difficult to get at are always best replaced with powerflex or similar.

On the front end of mine I have powerflex ARB bushes, but the rest are rubber as I prefer the softer feel through the drop links. All personal preference ofcourse, but makes the point that what suits one doesn't suit another. In the late 80s I experiented with poly bushes on bugs and it really took a lot of testing to get it absolutely right. Get it wrong and the ride can be hard as hell - great for handling but terrible for your back.

Ordered these tonight or I won't pass MOT this year: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Powerflex-PFF ... Swa~BYUX7d" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

This one: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zi09IU8IBok" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Thanks for the info not to worried about a harsh ride as my daily ride is a polo mk2 bread van lowered by 80mm.and my toy is a mk2 escort used for tarmac rails.the idea of replacing them with Polly bushes is that I can fit them and forget about them thanks.

CovKid wrote:Even if replaced, recheck engine mounts by jacking engine slightly to see if any have since parted company. Unfortnately it does happen. A good test is to see if you get bad judder reversing up a moderate slope. If it does, I'll wager an engine mount has come adrift. The other thing that can cause judder is a loose bolt holding engine and gearbox together so check those carefully too. An expired gearbox nose bush is easy to diagnose as it can be felt through the gearstick between gear changes. It tends to rise and dive.

If you do replace nose mount, avoid solid ones. Brickwerks sell one that flexes properly. The solid ones merely induce vibration. Expect nose mount to put up a fight when you try to get old one out.

I get this on mine. Smooth changes throughout going forward not an isse, put it in reverse and even at mild speed I get a bad judder! I'll look at the engine mounts!