308 rear hub outer bushings

Well, I'm in the middle of a classic, "as long as you're in there...syndrome". A few weeks ago, I styarted rebuilding the front suspension with ES poly bushings and found out the ball joint boot was split, apparently from my previous removal of the koni to replace the funky bushings, so ordered a new ball joint from Dennis McCann as well as a couple of rack boots, since mine were leaking. Put those goodies in and drove the car a couple of weeks and found the Koni's both leaking - major bummer, so ordered new QA-1 shocks and 350-300 springs. Since the front was going to take a bit of grinding on the upper a arm to make the shocks fit, I thought well H*ll why not do the rears first, so I jacked it up and started moving the oil cooler, took out the wheel well liner and found out I have to remove the uper a arm to get the shock out. So as long as I'm in there, why not install the rear a arm bushings that I bought as well as the Goodrich brake lines.
So, the a arms are out and the outter bushings are tight but showing a bit of rust on a couple of washers. I haven't tried to clean the stuff up yet, but was wondering what type of lube to reassenble the outter upright bushings with??? My initial guess from the appearance of the 30 year old stuffs white lead--- I need to get this thing back together for the 700 mile trip to san diego on the 30th of this month. I'm beginning to think I have as well as'd myself into a bit of a tight spot help- help.

chris

 

Thanks Hankum,

I decided to go the a arm removal route because the distributor cap and oil coler likes were kind of fouling the shock. with the price of the cap and the potential for both delaying and driving up the cost, i opted for the "easy" way out.

I've got some high temp disc brake grease on the shelf, that ought to do it.

What spring rates did you go with?

Did you have metal bushings turned to mount the shocks? I am a bit concerned that washers may tend to move too much and the bolt diameter doesn't match either supplied bushing. I lucked out and found some thin metal sleeves that pressed right into the QA-1 bushings and fit the 12mm shock bolt. But the width of the eye is so much narrower than the koni.

What shock adjustment are you going to start out with?

How (did) - do you plan to adjust the corner weight with the adjustable perches??

If you haven't yet done the a arm bushings, I found a great tool for grinding off the spot weld on the stock bushing - A Roto-Zip with a 1/4 inch carbide straight bit. It works very well.

Thanks,
chris

 

Sam,

Here is a thread with a lot of sources in it: http://ferrarichat.com/forum/showthread.php?t=6096

Birdman, amongst others have recently done a very good job of documenting suspension work.

To answer your question, yes, the vast majority of the resondents do recomend having the bushings tack welded.

Have someone knowledgeable in ferrari suspensions look at yours, particularly the ball joints/boots, rack tightness and "gaiters", brake lines, CV joint boots and check the rear uprightoutter pivot tightness.

Then order all of the parts. This will hopefully prevent you from having the car up in the air for an extended time while you order yet another part.

I just redid the front bushings, one pball joint and the Koni bushings only to find a couple of hundred miles later that the trauma of replacing the koni bushings somehow caused them to leak, bumer, so ordered the QA-1s.

Once you have the shock of, it is really easy to do the a arm bushings, once the a arms are out of the way, the brake lines are suddenly much easier to do, ditto the rack bushings/boots. You know, "as long as you are in there and everything is out of the way...."

There are a couple of things that I had not yet heard about when i got to the rear shocks. The pivot bolts are 12 mm, the QA-1 bushings supplied are 5/8 and 1/2, so you need to have a sleeve turned or find a suitable sleeve at your auto parts store to prop0ely mount the shock. Aditionally the QA-1 mounts are narrower than the Koni mounts, so spacers need to be fabricated. I don't think washers are a good long term fix, but that is what I am doing to get the car on the road for a fast approaching trip, then, I will have the proper bushings made and installed. check recent posts on this one.

Dennis McCann has a very nice $64 (freight included) package for the cv boots, clamps and grease. I tried to get one boot through my local parts house who was going to get it from a bay area Ferrari dealer and One boot, (not the whole kit) was going to cost me $75 without the freight.

The Energy Suspension graphite bushings work very well, the drop link bushings take a bit of lathe or drill press and sander work to make work.

Goodrige does good ss brake lines.
And the shocks from Summitt, (QA-1) are single adjustable for about $136, springs $36 each or you can get a double adj set up from Norwoods, I believe for $1500.

My recommendation is to do it all at once - It is much easier with things out of the way, then get it aligned to specs that fit your tires and driving "style"

good luck, (PM me if you have further questions).

chris

 

I was just this very evening, spending a couple of hours pressing out the old rear bushings and pressing in the new goodies from Energy Suspension and I was struck by a few of thoughts,

Why doesn't some enterprising, mechanically inclined 308 demi-god make a few sets of sleeves and bushings with bolts and nuts, to use as a poor man's "press set up" to remove and install our inner a arm bushings??

This could be "rented out" at sufficient cost to cover the postage and aggrivation of shipping, plus a bit of moola to recompense said "demi-god" for the labor and materials required. Additionally, a sufficient "deposite" could be posted to ensure return of said demigod's efforts to the central supository of special tools like the ones needed to do a clutch or perhaps a few valve adjusting tools ect. ect.

A few guys have had bushings and sleeves made BUT, it takes time to dissasemble and science it all out, have it built/made then hopefully do it. Then the tools sit in his garage or get loaned out, perhaps never to be seen again. Stuff occurrs.

Every mechanically inclined owner will most likely be doing the suspenion, the clutch and I haven't yet delved into the other mechanical operations. requiring special tools.

A "rentable" body of tools would be a great boon. I am achieving a satisfactory result, cobbling together a combination of sockets, cast iron plumbing fittings, washers, hole saws, nuts and other spacers to get the job done, but It would sure be a great deal easier, less frustrating and more "FUN" and less time consuming for the first timer to not to have to reinvent the wheel. It is possible, I have done it, but it sure would have been cool to call VB or some other keeper of the sacred tools, had it shipped, done the job and restuffed the box and mailed it back. Obviously, some simple rules need to be prolmugated and posted.

If we assembled a few cogent posts re the specific operation, coated them in plastic and included them in the "Tool packet" life would be sweet indeed.

With a modicum of respect and great regard for our f cars,
I remain,
chris