I ran into this issue while installing the urethane bushing "energy suspension kit". Where the compression rod attaches to the body, or frame, the drivers side is missing the two "retainers things" that keep the bushings in place. They must have completely corroded away. The pic with the red arrow is the good side, and the other pic is the bad side. Any ideas? What options do I have here? I'm sure leaving it like this wont be a good thing. I'm kind of at a dead end here. Thanks for any input.

Edited January 11, 201015 yr by rubrbulits

You need to get a ring welded on and while you're at it check for cracks and other rust issues.

Throw them away and get some new ones from Arizona Z or the like ,as said where there is rust that is where a stress crack is likely to develop .Not nice at highway speed. A friend of mine had one snap at speed and destroyed his car and nearly himself.

Carrot, are you talking about the rods themselves? The rods are fine, the problem is where the rods attach to the frame. The driver side is missing the "cupped retainers" that the bushings rest in. Just wondering if anyone else ever ran into this problem, and how they delt with it.

You need to get a ring welded on and while you're at it check for cracks and other rust issues.

Iv'e been looking around different places trying to find something similar to the original rings but have had no luck. It's finding something thats "cupped" thats proving to be the challenge.

You might try OEM jounce bumper cups from pickup trucks. The gauge might be a bit heavier, but they should be very similar in shape and size. Look under most new pickup trucks and you will see the rear jounce bumpers hanging from the frame. The jounce bumpers are often in a steel cup that keeps them in place and provided a metal to metal stop if the jounce bumper ever falls off or gets torn.

I might have some from my '78 parts car. They are the same. They are yours for what ever it costs to ship. Couldn't be but a couple of bucks.

On the other hand....

I would check to see if there were a set of those that came as part of your bushing kit. I recall the Prothane Kit I used may have had those part new (I will check).

As long as the Compression Rod is not compromised in any way, you'll be fine!

I might have some from my '78 parts car. They are the same. They are yours for what ever it costs to ship. Couldn't be but a couple of bucks.

On the other hand....

I would check to see if there were a set of those that came as part of your bushing kit. I recall the Prothane Kit I used may have had those part new (I will check).

As long as the Compression Rod is not compromised in any way, you'll be fine!

I think you might be confused about what the OP is looking for. From what I can tell. he needs the sheet metal cups that are welded to the body of the car. To get them off a parts car, they'd have to be cut off. I'm not saying that can't be done, but it sounds like you are thinking of either the inner sleeves or thick curved washers that go on either side of the TC bushings.

Wierd that these cups are missing. If in fact they rusted off, I might be re-thinking putting on polys here since they will transfer a greater amount of stress and vibration to this area, increasing the likelyhood of a failure in the welds holding the TC box to the frame. I chose not to use poly for these bushings due to the extra stress they put on the TC rod and the TC box, and I don't have any rust to worry about. Be sure this area is solid otherwise before moving forward.

Just weld on some proper ID exhaust tubing. The ring is not a structural component per se, it just helps locate the bushings.

I am an industrial real estate broker. Now, maybe I've walked into too many warehouses while "filming" was going on, but am I the only one that thinks that first picture looks like the final scene of a B grade porno movie?

I have the exact same issue on my 70... Let me know how it goes.

So here's what I did. A friend of mine owns a machine shop and made these for me out of mild steel. Amazing what a 12 pack can get you. I still can't figure out how the original peices were missing, but the rest of the metal on the TC box and frame rail are in excellent shape. Although this car had its fair share of rust, it's not in all the typical places. So anyway, I drilled four 5/16" holes in each peice and welded them on. Good to go! And yes Enigma, I might just heed your warning about the urethane bushings. Iv'e read numerous threads about how these bushings are a risky application on the compression rods. I threw in an extra pic of the rest of my front end, just because.