Strut Rod Bushes

Mach1 Ian · Jul 25, 2009

We have a bit of a debate about strut rod bushes, on a forum in the UK.
Which are the best, poly or rubber bushes as regards stress on the strut rod, and has any one experienced or know of a strut rod shearing off with poly bushes fitted?
Which way should the insulator washers be fitted, cupping the bush or the other way round?

Thanks for your valued opinions.

Ian

2+2GT · Jul 25, 2009

Mach1 Ian said:
Which are the best, poly or rubber bushes as regards stress on the strut rod, and has any one experienced or know of a strut rod shearing off with poly bushes fitted?

You mean like this?

2+2GT · Jul 25, 2009

Mach1 Ian said:
Which way should the insulator washers be fitted, cupping the bush or the other way round?

Some aftermarket "bushes" are spec'ed differently from Ford, but this is a brand-new 65:

View attachment 250484

Mach1 Ian · Jul 25, 2009

Yes just like that, picture looks familiar

66forfun · Jul 25, 2009

Ive seen plenty of corrosion under the stock rubber bushings on an otherwise good looking rod and would not run poly if pitting is deep, a good look at the rod (especially at the bushing location) is required if you are replacing the bushings with rubber or poly.
Got any pics of that rod under the bushings, i'll bet its pitted bad.
Bad rods need replaced period. they are a wear item.

sure was fun bringing it home with a bad strut rod ill bet

2+2GT · Jul 25, 2009

66forfun said:
Ive seen plenty of corrosion under the stock rubber bushings on an otherwise good looking rod and would not run poly if pitting is deep, a good look at the rod (especially at the bushing location) is required if you are replacing the bushings with rubber or poly.
Got any pics of that rod under the bushings, i'll bet its pitted bad.
Bad rods need replaced period. they are a wear item.

Yep, corroded rods are nothing to play with, especially since all of them are available new,.

The rod in the pic has urethane bushings, and since it failed at the thread, where it thins slightly, corrosion was not the cause. The stiffness of the urethane bushings force the strut to flex at this point slightly, which they were not meant to do, that's the bushings' job. I wouldn't use anything but neoprene on these.

Mach1 Ian · Jul 26, 2009

66forfun said:
Ive seen plenty of corrosion under the stock rubber bushings on an otherwise good looking rod and would not run poly if pitting is deep, a good look at the rod (especially at the bushing location) is required if you are replacing the bushings with rubber or poly.
Got any pics of that rod under the bushings, i'll bet its pitted bad.
Bad rods need replaced period. they are a wear item.

sure was fun bringing it home with a bad strut rod ill bet

Luckily mine are still OK but i wanted a few opinions before it got to that stage, whether to go back to the rubber bushes or stick with the poly bushes.

Mach1 Ian · Jul 26, 2009

With out sounding a bit thick, all the pictures i have seen with sheared struts have black bushes, mine are red, so are mine not poly bushes?

2+2GT · Jul 26, 2009

Mach1 Ian said:
Luckily mine are still OK but i wanted a few opinions before it got to that stage, whether to go back to the rubber bushes or stick with the poly bushes.

If your car is street-driven, not raced, you don't need poly bushes on your struts, which are work-hardening as we speak. I know a US supplier who sends parts to the UK all the time, if you need a source for neoprene bushes.

Mach1 Ian · Jul 26, 2009

2+2GT said:
If your car is street-driven, not raced, you don't need poly bushes on your struts, which are work-hardening as we speak. I know a US supplier who sends parts to the UK all the time, if you need a source for neoprene bushes.

Thanks that will be great if you post a link to your supplier.
What is the difference between poly,neoprene and rubber bushes, is it the diffrence in the hardness of the bush?

rbohm · Jul 26, 2009

Mach1 Ian said:
With out sounding a bit thick, all the pictures i have seen with sheared struts have black bushes, mine are red, so are mine not poly bushes?

the polyurethane bushings come in a few colors, usually red, yellow, and black, though other colors can be done depending on the manufacturer. red was the original color for poly bushings.

Mach1 Ian said:
Thanks that will be great if you post a link to your supplier.
What is the difference between poly,neoprene and rubber bushes, is it the diffrence in the hardness of the bush?

neoprene and rubber are the same basic material as far as automotive use is concerned. polyurethane is usually stiffer than rubber bushings are, it depends on the mixture used. rubber bushings can also be very stiff as well. it all depends on what compounds are used in the bushings make up.

2+2GT · Jul 26, 2009

Mach1 Ian said:
With out sounding a bit thick, all the pictures i have seen with sheared struts have black bushes, mine are red, so are mine not poly bushes?

OE neoprene is always black, but urethane can be any color you want, black and red are just the two most popular colors.

chris66dad · Jul 27, 2009

I went with an adjustable strut rod with sealed hiem joint to eliminate the rubber and deflection.
On the 66 it also makes adjusting caster much easier.

Good Luck and Be Safe
Ron

66warhorse · Jul 27, 2009

Here's an option for an adjustable strut rod that's pretty cheap to make. I'm really happy with mine and the other suspension changes I made.

Cяash · Aug 15, 2009

66warhorse said:
Here's an option for an adjustable strut rod that's pretty cheap to make. I'm really happy with mine and the other suspension changes I made.

Hey Warhorse, Those look good. Did you cut and thread some existing strut rods or did you use a kit. I am looking to do that in my 73 Mach 1.

JonK · Aug 17, 2009

I debated going with the poly on mine until I read a few suspension articles to realize that the rod has to move in a vertical arc to move with the LCA and suspension, the stiffness of the poly hampers this necessary movement (which may be what causes the snapping) but does keep the bushing from squishing during horizontal movement that you don't want. I went with DIY heim strut rod bushings that I fabbed up after reading this article by Daze:
DazeCars, Home Made Mustang Adjustable Strut Rods

I haven't installed or driven on them on my '67 yet but they allow full vertical movement with no horizontal movement so your alignment doesn't change. He has another good article on mustang suspension in general that you may want to read, I really like his site, very helpful:
DazeCars, Suspension 101

Jon

66warhorse · Aug 17, 2009

Yes, I used existing rods. I chose to drill 3/4" holes and bolt them into the frame. I put the holes as close to the original mount point which is maybe an inch or slightly less. I used spacer sleeves on each side of the heim joint and off-set it a little to the outside to ensure clearance of the 1" sway bar. Here's another picture as my old links seem to be broken.

Cяash · Aug 17, 2009

Thanks for the article link JonK, that has some good ideas. I'm not sure if I want to use my existing ones they're 36 years old I'll just probably fab some new ones. I'll post pics when they're done

Rusty67 · Aug 18, 2009

Mach1 Ian said:
With out sounding a bit thick, all the pictures i have seen with sheared struts have black bushes, mine are red, so are mine not poly bushes?

I might be wrong on this but I've never seen red bushings that are rubber. All the red ones I've seen are poly.

I've heard of some people using rubber on one side and poly on the other and that seems to be ok. I think the rubber goes towards the rear and the poly goes to the front ?

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