SCCA ESP Legal Bushing or Control Arm Recommendations

[Department Of Boost]

Basically you can get the outer shell off easy enough. Then you need a 3" cutting disc (and a mask and gloves and glasses and a jumpsuit and a well ventilated area and probably a plastic sheet to make things easier to clean up) after you've cut through the bushing and the inner sleeve a bit, you can use an air chisel to spread it apart and come off. I spent the better part of a day doing just one arm.

Don't forget, you need these guys too!

 

[zquez]

Don't forget, you need these guys too!

Oh yeah I almost forgot! You also need to get Obama to declare a state of emergency so that the National Guard and FEMA can come assist in the cleanup.

 

[Vorshlag-Fair]

Still don't think the alternate bushing shell/designs is legal, as most of the options I've seen are significantly smaller, change the axis of the control arm at one end (not legal), etc. Remember: this is the SCCA, and they will weenie the hell out of any rule if they can! These days I try to avoid the gray areas to avoid these conflicts.

As for "Who needs tech support on a bushing install? i can read directions."... well... because if you're using a chisel and a hack saw you're doing it wrong. The directions are for crap on some items.

http://vorshlag.smugmug.com/Instructions/Eibach-poly-LCA-bushing/

If you have the right folks giving the right advice, this front LCA bushing job can be a lot less of a PITA.

But hey, if you wanna go eBay that's your prerogative.

 

[Roadracer350]

Still don't think the alternate bushing shell/designs is legal, as most of the options I've seen are significantly smaller, change the axis of the control arm at one end (not legal), etc. Remember: this is the SCCA, and they will weenie the hell out of any rule if they can! These days I try to avoid the gray areas to avoid these conflicts.

As for "Who needs tech support on a bushing install? i can read directions."... well... because if you're using a chisel and a hack saw you're doing it wrong. The directions are for crap on some items.

http://vorshlag.smugmug.com/Instructions/Eibach-poly-LCA-bushing/

If you have the right folks giving the right advice, this front LCA bushing job can be a lot less of a PITA.

But hey, if you wanna go eBay that's your prerogative.

Will this work for the 05-09 GT arms?

 

[Department Of Boost]

I'm guessing this would fall under cheating.....buuuuuuuuut.

Couldn't you drill some holes in the bushing, drain the water out, fill the void where the water was with "rubber" and have yourself a "solid" bushing?

 

[Roadracer350]

What kind of liquid rubber would you inject? It would have to be the same durometer?

 

[JesseW.]

terry- I was talking about the FRONT BUSHING, the rear was pretty easy. you don't read well do you...

basically, you burn it out, then you have to get the pressed in shell out of the arm. one member here bent his front "ear" trying to press it out. I don't own an air chisel, so out came the hammer, chisel and hacksaw...... your write up doesn't include directions for the front bushing. did you replace it?

 

[Department Of Boost]

What kind of liquid rubber would you inject? It would have to be the same durometer?

It wouldn't "have" to be the same durometer. The OEM bushing "works" and I can guarantee that the water in there doesn't have the same durometer as the rubber.

I would run "rubber" with as high a durometer as possible. The goal is to make it as stiff as a Prothane/Whiteline bushing right?

 

[Whiskey11]

I'm guessing this would fall under cheating.....buuuuuuuuut.

Couldn't you drill some holes in the bushing, drain the water out, fill the void where the water was with "rubber" and have yourself a "solid" bushing?

I don't think that under the current rules this would be necessary. So long as the stock front control arm bushings don't require multi-axis motion you could make them solid Delrin and still be legal to the letter of the rules. So long as the metal content does not change relative to the stock bushing.

 

[Department Of Boost]

I don't think that under the current rules this would be necessary. So long as the stock front control arm bushings don't require multi-axis motion you could make them solid Delrin and still be legal to the letter of the rules. So long as the metal content does not change relative to the stock bushing.

Oh, no need to cheat then.

 

[dontlifttoshift]

I thought MM was working on Delrin bushings.

I haven't had a control arm off and in my hand, but it seems to me that both front and rear bushings are in line and that is just about a perfect place to put delrin bushings.

As far as SCCA solo rules, as long as there is not more metal than a stock bushing you are good to go by my understanding.

 

[Norm Peterson]

It would have to be the same durometer?

Why???

The bushing material itself can be "any material (except metal)". Sounds pretty inclusive to me, even if there is a tiny amount of multiaxis rotation going on.



For the rear control arms, you can still use any material except metal, provided that the off-axis rotations are accommodated by bushing compliances. I think you'd want to DIY the bushings themselves, so you could think about offsetting the "center" holes a little and somehow ensure that the inner sleeves do not rotate in the brackets once set to produce slightly different control arm inclinations (this tweaks both anti-squat and axle steer in "good" directions).

You could also think about softening the rotation directions that are too stiff with a little creative drilling (depths and locations) and sanding (bushing faces). Having done exactly this in a before and after scenario on another car, I can tell you that there is a noticeable difference in lateral head toss, implying that you can restore a lot of the off-axis compliance that poly takes away. For SCCA's Street-whichever, plan on filling the holes with soft foam to get around the metal to nonmetal content restriction without having to argue that air is a bushing material. Bushing life is probably shortened, but it's still cheap once you get to where incremental improvements of any sort become costly.



Norm

 

[Roadracer350]

Why???

The bushing material itself can be "any material (except metal)". Sounds pretty inclusive to me, even if there is a tiny amount of multiaxis rotation going on.



For the rear control arms, you can still use any material except metal, provided that the off-axis rotations are accommodated by bushing compliances. I think you'd want to DIY the bushings themselves, so you could think about offsetting the "center" holes a little and somehow ensure that the inner sleeves do not rotate in the brackets once set to produce slightly different control arm inclinations (this tweaks both anti-squat and axle steer in "good" directions).

You could also think about softening the rotation directions that are too stiff with a little creative drilling (depths and locations) and sanding (bushing faces). Having done exactly this in a before and after scenario on another car, I can tell you that there is a noticeable difference in lateral head toss, implying that you can restore a lot of the off-axis compliance that poly takes away. For SCCA's Street-whichever, plan on filling the holes with soft foam to get around the metal to nonmetal content restriction without having to argue that air is a bushing material. Bushing life is probably shortened, but it's still cheap once you get to where incremental improvements of any sort become costly.



Norm

I didnt know I was just asking. I guess I worded that wrong. In that case in theroy you could use oil impregnated teflon right?