Spring Perch Bushings

[MIPS]

Both my front bushings are trashed and one of them let go on the weekend and now hard turns or a bump on the passenger side gives a *klunk* as it slides around inside the bushing.
They were not available when I ordered basically every other bushing two years ago. I can still only find new parts for the Rambler and Javelin. Has availability still not changed?

[TheBirdman]

Not that I know of.

I do however have access to a lathe now, so I could make you some if you want. I also have two off the blue eagle, theyre old but intact.

EDIT:
nevermind I forgot I already sold them, I can still try to make you some if you get the measurements

[AMC of Houston]

Rare Parts 15151.  Easy to find, but not cheap.   They got down to about $40 each a few years ago (when I stocked up!), but have gone up since.

[rmick]

 Might see if these might work I’ve heard they do but don’t have personal experience
https://www.ebay.com/itm/2171G-1-1-4-O-D-x-7-8-I-D-x-1-5-8-Polyurethane-Flange-Type-Bushing-/264495487770?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&_trksid=p2349624.m46890.l49286&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0

[MIPS]

I ended up buying a pair of bushing from AMClives when they were $159.97usd.
https://www.amclives.com/products/1968-69-amx-javelin-1964-69-american-upper-trunnion-bearing-only-kit

After taxes and shipping it came to $489CAD for the pair, plus UPS wanted in on the party and there was a $69 customs COD waiting for me at the door. x_x

[MIPS]

Cross-posting for closure.

They're in. Had a shop remove the old bushings and weld the new ones in. Don't forget to buy new bolts and nylon nuts.



Two things to note:

1 - Make sure the grease fitting points DOWN. If it points to the front or back you can't get a socket onto the nut for the shocks. The outermost nut is easy to reach with a spanner but the inner nut, oh man get ready for a world of caustic swearing.

2 - The bushings come prefilled with grease. DO NOT ADD MORE GREASE! I did and with one extra pump it blew the seals out. You can put them back in with a deep enough socket but you have to remove any extra grease that has oozed out and into the seat for the seal because when you put the seal back in it will hydraulically pop the other side out.

[Ludworks]

Another solution is the "John Elles" method. Much less expensive and much easier to do at home. Melt out the old rubber and reuse the pin and bushing sleeve with polyurethane bushings. Energy suspension part #2048. Buy four of those or get kit 4.2132G which has 4 in it. Then you can drill and tap a hole for a zerk fitting in the center of the bushing sleeve if you want and grease to your hearts content.

[maddog]

Another solution is the "John Elles" method. Much less expensive and much easier to do at home. Melt out the old rubber and reuse the pin and bushing sleeve with polyurethane bushings. Energy suspension part #2048. Buy four of those or get kit 4.2132G which has 4 in it. Then you can drill and tap a hole for a zerk fitting in the center of the bushing sleeve if you want and grease to your hearts content.

I'm going this route myself but I was wondering if there's any modifications that need to be done before putting the bushings in.

[Ludworks]

Maddog,

In theory no, in practice maybe.

You'll need to temporarily press out one of the pin bolts to get the center pin out of the old bushing and into the new ones. It's really easy, just use a small vice and it'll pop right out. Melting out the rubber is easy, just take a propane torch to the outside and push on the center pin, either the pin will slide out or all the rubber will. If the rubber stays in the shell keep heating and push something through, if the rubber comes out with the pin you can try heating the pin or you can cut the rubber away with a knife. What rubber remains on the metal parts is annoying and stick, but I found a brass wire wheel on a drill works pretty well to remove it.

The new poly bushings should pop in fairly easily, however you will find that one side of the perch sleeve has a slightly smaller ID than the other. You may need to use a vice to help push that side in. If you find it really hard to get the pin back through that side you have a couple options: Either you can open up the sleeve using something like a brake hone or flap wheel, you can trim down the bushing OD (put a bolt through it, toss it in a drill, and hold a file against the outside for a minute), or you can use a large drill bit to open the ID of the poly slightly.

On mine one perch went together fairly easily with a vice, the other perch needed a little persuasion on one side with a hone.

I drilled and tapped a zerk fitting on the bottom center of the sleeve to facilitate easy future greasing. I found the shell plenty thick enough to tap, but a press-fit zerk is a good option too. I recommend SuperLube instead of the Energy Suspension grease. It comes in tubes for a grease gun and I feel like it works better too.

You'll need to press that one pin bolt back in once it's all assembled. If those bolts are in bad shape you can replace them with standard non-knurled ones, you'll just need to put a wrench on the head when you tighten them. Proper knurled replacements bolts don't exist.

[maddog]

Okay thank you and I had already removed the pin and rubber bushings, (I borrowed my boss's 20-ton shop press) I was just worried I would have to remove the bit of tube that sticks out on one side but since I don't that makes things a lot easier. And I was planning on doing the grease zerts.

[Ludworks]

You can remove the bit that sticks out if you want but it's not necessary. I ended up doing it on mine because I originally planned to do something different, but for the poly it doesn't matter either way.

[MIPS]

So a problem has developed with these perch bushings.

2 - The bushings come prefilled with grease. DO NOT ADD MORE GREASE! I did and with one extra pump it blew the seals out. You can put them back in with a deep enough socket but you have to remove any extra grease that has oozed out and into the seat for the seal because when you put the seal back in it will hydraulically pop the other side out.

This is a problem. The bearings on either side have starved themselves of grease somehow and now up/down movement makes some pretty awful metal on metal squeaking. Fresh grease cannot be forced in as if it has become hydraulically locked. It's not the grease fittings.

To my extreme annoyance I will have to dismantle both sides of the car again to remove the perches and figure out why on earth they will not take fresh grease.

[Ludworks]

Yikes.

Bearings sound good in theory but they're finicky, and those don't get fully rotated so I'd expect them to wear poorly over time.

Maybe drill a couple of small relief holes in the seals when you have them out? Then you can force fresh grease in on occasion without hydro-locking.