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[astroblaster]

Hi can you buy the wish bone poly bushes direct from powerflex or do you have to get them from somewere else

[Seth]

Get mine here John:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/POWERFLEX-BUSH-Vauxhall-Omega-B-94-2003-PFF80-902-/290623308713?pt=UK_CarsParts_Vehicles_CarParts_SM&hash=item43aa7fc3a9#ht_879wt_1086

Excellent service - couldn't fault 'em!

[VXL V6]

Got mine from Larkspeed 

[astroblaster]

Thanx Byron will give them a go

[roberts_1409]

I've been tempted to fit these. Are they any good?

[Agemo]

I've been tempted to fit these. Are they any good?

Short answer - YES. The theory is, you replace the front bush with Poly, so the wishbone lasts a lifetime - but, the rear bush then wears, so you have to replace that one, or fit another wishbone, PLUS put your Poly bush into that. One day there will be replacement rear bushes in Poly - one day . . .

[HockeyDave55]

Does anybody know why they don't make the rear bush???

[Nick W]

It's an oil filled void bush.
A solid one would not provide the movement required.
Well, not for long anyway!
It's not a particularly good design, but I do find it odd that it's the front bush that wears badly, when it's the one that's working 'properly.'

[Jukeboxnut]

I reckon the front bush wears out quickly because half of it is missing!  I'm not an expert but why they never used a simple plain rubber bush on the front which should last virtually forever is a mystery to me.

[feeutfo]

It's the front bush that's oil filled. Or at least it was when I drilled through both bushes to remove them for polly fronts and pressing in new rears.

The rear bush is in effect a ball joint, but has to be a rubber version of a ball joint or the suspension would be exceptionally harsh.

Front bush has void holes to allow a solid bush to flex, or it would rip to pieces far sooner. Remember the centre spacer is solidly clamped to the subframe bracket by the bolt. It can't twist with the wishbone. So the rubber bush has to twist arounfpd the spacer.
Poly bushes get round this with a bush that's not fixed to the centre spacer, so is far less stressed, and only has to absorb shock in one direction with one density to suit.

Hth

[Jukeboxnut]

Thanks for the info chrisgixer, I did not know that but can now understand why there is a void.

[HockeyDave55]

Are there not other cars on the Market, with similar designed wishbone/bush system where poly bushes are available???
But like you say, it would make it a lot harsher so I guess I would rather change the rear bush every few years rather than have a car that's not nice to drive. After all, there are many reasons why we love these cars and for many, while we would want it to have accurate and responsive steering and braking, we still love the comfort level.
Drifters, track dayers and boy racers may not agree but for me, there lays the compromise between comfort and handling....  IMHO....

[feeutfo]

Are there not other cars on the Market, with similar designed wishbone/bush system where poly bushes are available???
But like you say, it would make it a lot harsher so I guess I would rather change the rear bush every few years rather than have a car that's not nice to drive. After all, there are many reasons why we love these cars and for many, while we would want it to have accurate and responsive steering and braking, we still love the comfort level.
Drifters, track dayers and boy racers may not agree but for me, there lays the compromise between comfort and handling....  IMHO....

The way I see it, that's partly why they fail as often as they do. GM engineers designed in so much comfort for the passengers, ESP on Elites, think Chaufer driven cars, that the driver suffered lack of accuracy and precision from the car. Bushes are the same across the range obviously, but there is a lot of damping designed into the original bush, ESP the front. It actually forms part of the suspension damping itself, given the triangular positions of the key pivot points, and dependant on wishbone angle, when wheel hits a bump the bush takes some of the damping in a horizontal ish direction.

Bushes take a hell of a pounding. With soft suspension they have to deal with a lot of suspension travel(think chineses burn on your arm) braking forces of a two ton car(toe out on the brakes) heat from the emgine and cold salt and shite in all weathers on the rubber in winter... and they do all that providing comfort for the occupants by damping out harshness and maintain stub axle position or the steering will do all sorts of very odd things.

Ps, if you find any other bushes that will work please let us know, but powerflex only have one vertical ball joint bush design in progress in poly. It's far from a simple solution.

[HockeyDave55]

Chris,
I know what that poor little bush goes through and the environment he lives in but,
I'm sure I was looking for bushes a while ago.... For another car.... and I found a company that make them to order/design.... Just gotta remember who it was? Bugger....

[Turk]

Had some vague handling on the car over the last few days. Found the off-side wishbone ball joint was shot. So this evening I removed the wishbone, ground off the rivets, bolted on the new ball joint and all is well again.

Whilst the wishbone was off I checked the poly-bushes I fitted about two years ago. They're still like new.