Bushing Quandary

[87mj]

HI I have a well cared for '71 with 60,000 miles.  I plan to replace the factory shocks this winter along with the rubber strut mounts.  I would also like to replace the rubber steering rack bushings and the steering coupler but I would really prefer rubber parts.  But those don't seem to be available.

Will I be negatively impacting the car's ride quality by replacing low mileage rubber parts with new urethane parts?  My concern is my 45 year old car feel like those new bushings are made of concrete. Is old rubber better than new urethane? 

I should also point out I drive the car perhaps 1,000 miles per year.  I don't race it or anything like that.  The suspension is completely stock (literally stock in fact).

Thanks

Gary

Edited December 4, 2016 by 87mj
clarification

[jfa.series1]

Hi Gary,

Yes - the rubber couplers and rack bushings are pretty much unicorns now.  When I resto'd my car, I initially tried poly bushings for the coupler and rack.  With poly, there was no compliance in the steering and a lot of harsh snap back reaching the steering wheel with every little bump.  Great for track, lousy for street.  At the time (2011) I was very lucky to find a set of new rubber rack bushings and my OE coupler had no signs of aging, so everything went back to rubber.  If your OE rack bushings are not deteriorated, you might try the old racers trick of adding some metal shims under the clamps to tighten the old bushings.  This will probably work OK for a street car.  Look over your coupler before discarding it - it too might just be serviceable for the foreseeable future.

[Zed Head]

These guys seem to be addressing the problem.  They say the right words anyway.  Worth a shot maybe.  They have some other interesting products too.

https://whiteheadperformance.com/product/whiteline-steering-coupler-kit-w11044-datsun-240z-260z-280z/

http://www.whiteheadperformance.com/?s=whiteline+240z&post_type=product

[wheee!]

I had forgotten about these guys...