Tension Rod bushings-rubber-old/new are different?

[Mikes Z car]

The two new tension rod rubber bushings I bought from the local Nissan dealer (and 4 from MSA) are thicker than the originals (see pic) and seem thicker than can be accounted for by the old ones being under compression for a long time. Is that because the new ones were made for people going to the one rubber, one polyurethane bushing install and not for people like me who want to use all rubber with no polyurethane bushings? I am installing these on a 240Z, MFR date 1/70. I wound up with 6 of these bushings because Nissan at first said they didn't have the part and then two showed up later even though I had ordered 4. Maybe I got the last two from somewhere? The Nissan dealer and the MSA part appear identical as far as I can see. Thanks for any info.

Mike

[motorman7]

I put new rubber T/C bushings on both my '70 and '71 and they were both a challenge. I remember pushing in the rubber and washer while turning the nut at the same time. I will need to do my '73 here shortly, so I will try the jack trick.

Regarding the bushings in the pick, mine were pretty thick; as thick as the larger one. I am not sure if they compress over time.

[Mikes Z car]

motorman7,

Thanks for the info. Your experience looks like what I am facing. I don't know if this would work but hearing about the jack idea I thought of driving halfway up one of those rounded curbs or on a steep ramp with the back wheels securely chocked to see if that forces the tension rod rubber into enough of a compression to get the nut on. I tried vice grips but couldn't get a toe hold on anything. As the car sits with the tension rod installed except for the back nut I can look down with the hood open but when I try to put the nut on I still can't though there might be some optimum angle for the tension rod obtained with a jack to allow the nut to get started.

Mike

Edited October 5, 2010 by Mikes Z car

[JohnnyO]

Pretty sure i used 6 inch c clamps.

[Jeff G 78]

I had to use ratchet straps to do poly/poly on my '78. To get the alignment correct I had to add a few washers to the LH TC rod which made it way harder to get the nut started.

I did poly/rubber on my '74 and it was a bit easier.

[Mikes Z car]

The local Z mechanic told me today that you can sometimes use wide opening channel locks to compress the TC rod bushings to get the nut started but said it is a lot easier if the car is up in the air. I assume he just meant jacked up and did not mean having the car on a lift. He also mentioned using a pry bar but I don't see how to do that.

Edited October 7, 2010 by Mikes Z car

[motorman7]

Pretty sure i used 6 inch c clamps.

It's all coming back to me now....that's what I used, a C clamp.

[Mikes Z car]

Jeff,

I saw ratchet straps in harbor freight today but the mechanical advantage of the strap I saw didn't seem powerful enough, the handle was only a few inches long and moved a lot of the strap for each pull. If you think of it could you describe the ratchet strap you used?

Johhny'O and motorman7, I will try again with the C clamp, The one I have kept slipping off though I was trying to compress both bushings and might have better luck going from the TC mount to just one of the bushings instead of trying to compress both of them.

Thanks everyone for the ideas.

Mike

Edited October 7, 2010 by Mikes Z car

[Mikes Z car]

It's all coming back to me now....that's what I used, a C clamp.

motorman7,

Thanks for the idea on the C clamps, I happened to have a couple of 6 inch C clamps and got that to work for me once I had the large steel 2 inch washers flipped the right way so that the smaller contact surface was toward the rubber. I used a spare bushing to keep one of the clamps from slipping off the steel washer. Attached are pictures of the position of the clamps and the position of the wheel end of the TC rod propped up with a 2nd spare bushing to maximize how much of the TC rod threads stuck out of the end with the clamps for the nut to grab onto in case that helps anyone else.

I put POR 15 on any metal in contact with the rubber (2 inch steel washers, frame mount point and 2 inch metal cylinder bearing inside the bushings on the TC rod) and put grease on everything else.

Mike

Edited October 10, 2010 by Mikes Z car

[kjphilippona]

Thanks this really helped, having a friend helping also made things easier :classic: