Metalastik bushes

[brewdexta]

Which model are you working on? I had a 1969 TVR Vixen S2 way back in early 80s, I changed all the bushes and all 6 shockers and loads of ball joints. Worst bit was finding the front top ball joint. TVR had asked Quinten Hazell to make some but that was 2 years previous and were always pushed to the back of the queue as they only wanted small quantities.

So I had an MOT failure with no means of repair unless I modified the suspension.

As luck would have it in them pre-Internet days, I some how found out that March Engineering used the same ball joint on a track modified Triumph Herald Vitesse and they has some left over. I think I may have one left in my dad's garage, would have to ask/search.

I think my dad has a box of bushes, some may be left over from the TVR, not sure, probably mainly old mini/escorts etc. Would take me a while to find out as impending wedding taking all my time and my dad lives 60 miles away but if your desperate next time I'm over I'll see what spares are left and see what bushes he has left.

While I'm at it I have this is cluttering up my workshop, it's a TVR Vixen air intake for the Smiths "heater". I was trying to restore the Vixen to close to standard as possible but the heater had to go, about as useful and annoying as those bog fans than make a racket but still leave a stink! I took out the smiths heater, fabricated an adaptor from an old square biscuit tin and used a Mk1 VW Golf heater - what a difference, warm air actually came out of the window vents and condensation was a thing of the past!

Yours if you want it!



Cheers
Andy

 

[Wedg1e]

Forgot about this... Dexta, it's an '87 390SE, one of them wedge-shaped things so your pipe isn't much use to me I'm afraid, but thanks anyway!

Dom at LRS never did get back to me so I guess he had paying customers to deal with - other avenues have still failed to turn up the correct bushes so I may have to resort to paying Trelleborg's prices for the nearest ones and cutting them down on the lathe.
Car has now been in bits almost a year; to be fair the bushes have taken a back seat as I've amassed a collection of other jobs on the car... leak in the n/s fuel tank, new UJs on the propshaft, cut open, restuffed and rewelded the exhaust silencer, renewed all the fuel lines, got a crack in the chassis to weld etc. etc.

 

[Alex.]

http://clever-trevor.net/ has what look like rubber bushes for a 350 if that has similar suspension? (I'm not into TVRs)
Failing that, can't you get the measurements you need from the parts the bushes fit onto?

 

[Wedg1e]

http://clever-trevor.net/ has what look like rubber bushes for a 350 if that has similar suspension? (I'm not into TVRs)
Failing that, can't you get the measurements you need from the parts the bushes fit onto?

Aye, tried them... the T350 is a completely different car!

I know what size the bushes need to be, it just happens to be a size that nobody keeps, or can identify as being from something else (although they almost certainly are). Robush list a couple that are very close, might just need a tickle in the lathe. AntiVibration Components used to list one that was the right ID and OD but too long, I see they don't list it any more...

 

[Julian_P]

The Wedge TVR's use Jag IRS don't they? Is yours like this? At least that may help you look in a motor factors parts catalogue (well those that still keep them and don't rely on computers)

Or maybe one of the Jag parts suppliers like Martin Robey, but you'll have the problem of getting ones that haven't come from China.

Julian

 

[Alex.]

If you put up the sizes I'll have a look at a couple of Scimitar suspensions I have in bits just now.

 

[Wedg1e]

If you put up the sizes I'll have a look at a couple of Scimitar suspensions I have in bits just now.

Hey up Alex, I didn't see this reply sooner... I bet you've put those Scimitars back together by now, haven't you

 

[Alex.]

Still lots of bits lying around - what are your sizes?

 

[normspanners]

What a lot of people do wrong when tightening metalastic bushes is to tighten them with the suspension drooped instead of at normal ride height, then when the suspension goes to full bump the bush can partially tear, because it is over rotating.

 

[Big Mick]

Don't know what sizes you need, but when I raced my MGB the standard upgrade on the front suspension was to fit MGB GT V8 metalastic bushes to the lower wishbones.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/MG-MGB-RO...arts_Vehicles_CarParts_SM&hash=item485b2abd25

Cheers, Mick.

 

[Wedg1e]

Don't know what sizes you need, but when I raced my MGB the standard upgrade on the front suspension was to fit MGB GT V8 metalastic bushes to the lower wishbones.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/MG-MGB-RO...arts_Vehicles_CarParts_SM&hash=item485b2abd25

Cheers, Mick.

I think those are the type without an external steel sleeve...?

I've managed to find some more or less the right size, modified them in the lathe and got them in OK, but thanks for the info!

 

[Wedg1e]

What a lot of people do wrong when tightening metalastic bushes is to tighten them with the suspension drooped instead of at normal ride height, then when the suspension goes to full bump the bush can partially tear, because it is over rotating.

Yep.

 

[Wedg1e]

Still lots of bits lying around - what are your sizes?

Well there are three types; one's a genuine Metalastik (13/802 or something like that) and is 30.15mm OD, 23.6mm long outer sleeve and 30mm long inner, half-inch (12.7mm) bore.

Another, with no maker or number, is 41.3mm OD, 35.1mm outer length and 41.1mm inner sleeve length, 12.7mm bore.

The third (the one I've modified from a bigger bush) is 27mm OD, 45mm outer sleeve and 50.8mm inner sleeve length, 12.7mm bore.

Obviously all Imperial sized bushes, it'd be handy to find out what else they might have been used on for future reference...

Ian