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[Viral_Jim]

So, I'm getting un-even tyre wear on my front ditch-finders, to the point where they are about shot.

I'm thinking its likely to be wishbones as the current set have done 13yrs and 68k of service. As the car's a keeper I'm looking at the whole shooting match: new wishbones and a proper geometry setup, followed by some new tyres!

My question is, whats the best source for these? Sure there are plenty around at the £30-40 mark, which would be ideal if I was going to MOT the car and immediately sell it, but I'm hoping she'll be a 50-100k keeper, especially once the LPG goes on.  So, I was thinking of buying second hand ones off Evil Bay (£20/side) then fitting new Lemforder bushes and ball joint, totalling about £65 each. Which kicks the ar$e out or VX's gobsmacking quote of £249 plus VAT EACH!!

If refurbishing is the best option, do the bushes need to be pressed in or can they be done in the garage at home? Also, is Lemforder a good bet for bushes and joints, or is there someone better?

Cheers
Jimmy

[Kevin Wood]

I would remove the wishbones and re-bush them. Cut out the front bushes with a hacksaw (not difficult but messy if the oil pockets haven't already ruptured) and replace these with poly bushes.

The rear bush will need a press or some sort of fabricated tool to remove and replace, but just replace this with genuine or a quality 3rd party part.

[TheBoy]

If genuine GM in otherwise good condition, poly the front (£50) and GM the rear (£20). The polys are pricey, but last forever.

Lemforder quality has gone down the shitter, even if you're lucky enough to get genuine Lemforder (eg, not bought from ECP), GM to pricey, and Firstline, Delphi, ATP, etc just being shite.

[05omegav6]

If you can get them, give Febi a try... They have the rear bush mounting as a continuous weld which is stronger than the more common quarter past nine approach...

[Viral_Jim]

Thanks for the information chaps. I think I'll get a pair of Febi's to start with so I can re-bush/joint the GM ones at my leisure. Found some on Rexbo.eu for €66 a corner - seems ok as shipping is only €13 and I can pick up some other service items while I'm there.

TB, who would be your shout for a replacement ball joint? The only name I've seen that I recognise so far is QH who I think used to be good (about 10 yrs ago). No real knowledge now!

[Diamond Black Geezer]

If your wishbones are the originals (ie GM) then ideally stick with these, or the above recommended febi, and re-bush them. Whatever wishbone you go with for the 'perfect' wishbone

Chop out both bushes
Replace front with Poly
Replace rear with Genuine GM
Grind/drill out ball joint, replace with QH, or GM, or similar quality make
Coat of stonechip paint/Hammerite/POR121 and you're away to the geometry place!

Worth doing droplinks and trackrods beforehand, too. 

It's all doable 

[Viral_Jim]

Looking good DBG! Very smart 

[Diamond Black Geezer]

Ta 

As a note that left wishbone did have its original ball joint at the time of the photo, however, upon fitting, found there was play,  so got two Genuine GM balljoints. Also in this pic the poly bushes aren't in yet.

for me wishbones came in at...

Wishbones (good second hand) £20
Polys (nicked them from my old car before selling it) £free
GM Ball joints £40
Stone chip paint £4.99
GM rear bushes £36

Total approx £100 all-in, for the pair, which have been made to OEM+spec, so £50 a side isn't bad going vs £249 each 

[Tick Tock]

If your wishbones are the originals (ie GM) then ideally stick with these, or the above recommended febi, and re-bush them. Whatever wishbone you go with for the 'perfect' wishbone

Chop out both bushes
Replace front with Poly
Replace rear with Genuine GM
Grind/drill out ball joint, replace with QH, or GM, or similar quality make
Coat of stonechip paint/Hammerite/POR121 and you're away to the geometry place!

Worth doing droplinks and trackrods beforehand, too. 

It's all doable 

I'm liking the look of the refurbished bone, and will probably do the same with mine, as the car doesn't need to be rolling anywhere soon, and nothing worse than being under pressure to get the job finished.

Looking at the prices and availability on a certain online auction website, I see 2 top hat poly bushes, and another for anti-roll bar to chassis comes in at around £50, and almost double that for a 'full set'? I'm a bit confused as to what you get for £50 (and have asked a question to find out more), so does each front lower replacement consist of 1 or 2 top hat poly bushes? Single, or two face to face in the same housing?

Would like to see a picture of your wishbones with the new polys fitted, if you get the chance.

Cheers

[Diamond Black Geezer]

Hi, the 'top hat' as you call it (there's actually a seal elsewhere in the engine which gets this moniker, coincidentally) comes in two pieces per wishbone, and a friction-fit tube which slides inside each. You push each half of the bush in from either side. Dead easy, and no need for a press. 

Sorry it's pretty rubbish, the only image I've got with the polybush in situ is here... You can see about a 5mm lip on both sides of the wishbone when you have fitted them. 




A shade under £50 for both front bushes and the anti roll bar bushes is the normal price. Prices can be far higher but no need to pay that. The AR bushes are, perhaps a little bit pointless. I haven't fitted mine yet, and on the 2.5TDs you can't even fit them at all, so poor is the access. However, I wouldn't worry  Powerflex is the company mine are, there may be others, doing them now, though mine have about 6 years/50k/2 cars on them so far no issues. 

[Nick W]

Each wishbone bush consists of three parts: two identical poly bushes and the metal sleeve pushed through the middle. The set you buy is for the car. You fit them by hand, but removing the old one requires either tooling or butchery(cutting them out which is a 'method' I gave up on some time ago):





and





The second photo is the tool and the extracted standard bush.
This was to fit new wishbones(buggering about with old ones is simply not worth the time) with my existing poly bushes.


Don't bother with poly bushes for the anti-rollbar: if yours are wornout, which is unlikely, new rubber ones are only a couple of quid each.

[Tick Tock]

Thanks for the clarity     So to just do the front lower bushes on both sides = 4 poly bushes and 2 sleeves, and of course GM standard on the rear vertical (and wise to replace the ball joint too whilst it's all apart).

[Diamond Black Geezer]

Yup 


I'm not sure if there's anyone else recommended for the vertical bushes, Lemforder used to be the ones to go for, but their quality fell through years ago. So I think genuine GM the only way to go now. 


Also we're all very jealous of Nick's tool 

[Nick W]

Yup 


I'm not sure if there's anyone else recommended for the vertical bushes, Lemforder used to be the ones to go for, but their quality fell through years ago. So I think genuine GM the only way to go now. 


Also we're all very jealous of Nick's tool 

A short length of thick wall 76mm tubing, two bits of plate for the end pieces, and some studding from B&Q would easily make another. I made mine with a lathe, but some coarse engineering with an angle grinder(or even a file) would suffice.

[Diamond Black Geezer]

Ta 

As you say, doing it the 'hacksaw and brute force and rage against the pain' method does get a little tiresome after a while! Making a tool such as yours worth its weight in gold if you've more than a couple to do