FTO AUSTRALIA

I got more new bits today Going to the letter box has been rather exciting last few days.

Heavy Duty polyurethane droplinks for lowered height GR



To replace these stock puppies



And rather than paying $65 bucks to get them sent out from the UK as a kit, let me know if you need some. They are nothing more than a few stock size poly bushes & some stainless bits.....

Bushes are (friggen made in Aus anyway!) Superflex part: SPF2092B (8 required)
Bolts are M10 x 150mm stainless steel - 2 required
Nuts are M10 nylocks stainless steel- 2 required
Washers are M10 x 34mm stainless steel - 8 required

Last you need 2 lengths of stainless tube - ID = 10mm, OD = 12mm
You cut this to size depending on how low your car is. The idea is to keep the swaybar as horizontal as possible.

hey ben...I've been doing some research on the bushes and it seems everyone doesn't suggest the poly ones due to their stiffness (its not a porn video after all). They rec. the rubber ones for a slightly softer feel.

what you reckon?? I guess it wont matter cos my suspension is hard anyway..I was just gonna buy all the bushes from Fulcrum and have main bits replaced...looks like I don't have to replace the drop links as they look ok.

For anyone thats intrested the most common ones you need are:

SPF1160 Front Control Arm - Inner Front Bushing
SPF1500 Front Control Arm Lower - Rear Bushing
SPF1344 Front Sway Bar Mount To Chassis Bushing (16k)
SPF2092B Rear Sway Bar Link Bushing Kit
SPF2004 Rear Sway Bar Mount To Chassis Bushing (18k)
SPF1574 Rear Trailing Arm - Front Bushing

I have been putting off ordering these but will send Fulcrum and email 2nite..

The other ones to lookinto are the ball-joints for the arms...the chasis one and the one in the middle.

Dont get me started KJ I've been through every suspension book under the sun in the last few months.

If going for Poly bushes - then you must do ALL you bushes poly. Else you will find, if you put poly bushes in places that connect to rubber bushes, you will tear those rubber bushes to pieces. The stiffness & rebound rate of all bushes on a connecting shaft or joint must be the same or the weakest link will fail - hence I have to sort these droplinks out....

SPF1160 Front Control Arm - Inner Front Bushing

Very common for it to go - stock unit is a one peice rubber unit with steel sleeve. Is replaced by 2 of the part numbers mentioned above with new sleeve.

SPF1500 Front Control Arm Lower - Rear Bushing

If front control arm bushes are done - this one must be done using the same density material. Available in both stock size & positive castor type. The superflex type only give 0.5 degrees positive castor. Where as the Whiteline ones give 1.0 degrees. Part number KCA317A

SPF1344 Front Sway Bar Mount To Chassis Bushing (16k)

For stock size, this is the way to go. If fitting larger sways (18mm) then go for the whiteline product KBR27-18

SPF2092B Rear Sway Bar Link Bushing Kit

These bushes are suitable ONLY for the GR. The GPX use the ball joint droplinks to join sway bar to chassis. GPX have vertical joins to the sway. GR's have a horizontal join point

SPF2004 Rear Sway Bar Mount To Chassis Bushing (18k)

Same as above. If fitting larger sways (20mm) whiteline KBR27-20

SPF1574 Rear Trailing Arm - Front Bushing

Rarely goes - usually replaced if the ass has been lost & a rear alignment is out

Khunjeng wrote:The other ones to look into are the ball-joints for the arms...the chasis one and the one in the middle.

You mean the ball joint that connects the front hubs to the lower control arms??

SPF2092B Rear Sway Bar Link Bushing Kit

These bushes are suitable ONLY for the GR. The GPX use the ball joint droplinks to join sway bar to chassis. GPX have vertical joins to the sway. GR's have a horizontal join point

Ya I have been doing the same and in the end I just spent a lot of time looking at my suspension and took photos to work out whats going on..

Ya I put that one in by mistake...I think u mean the GR uses the balljoint droplinks cos the GPX have vert joins as u say

I'm going down to a good suspension place tomorrow and see what they think...I'm actually going for a softer setup than it is now...I can buy all the bushes pretty cheap like EURO just need them to see if the drop links can come off...

I might upgrade the sway bars though...see what they say based on my requirements...

KJ

Lemmie know if you need sways I can still get them at trade price - about $350 for both including bushes.

KJ wrote:I think u mean the GR uses the balljoint droplinks cos the GPX have vert joins as u say

And no - the GR does not use ball joint drops at the rear. They are as the picture I posted above. The GPX uses the ball joint type at the rear

The front are the same thou

r u sure...here is a pick of the rear:

I thought they were just bolt on arms with bushes to allow movement...nothing special. But I do get the difference between the GR and GPX rear droplinks

In my mind a balljoint arrangement allows for horizontal and vert. movement. This is the GPX setup below, I thought the drop link to to fix the vertical position (and allow horizontal movement) while the control arm fixes the horizontal position (and allows vertical movement). This makes sense and they are no ball joints...but I have never looked at one close up so i don't know.

Drop Link GPX


Control Arm GPX

Hehehehe, you went out in the middle of the night & took those shots didnt you

I understand what you mean, we have our vocab terms crossed up. I wasnt talking about the movement of the joint, just the way it connects.

GPX - horizontal join



GR - vertical joint



Thats also the only difference between sway bars on GPX & GR, that connecting flange is turned 90 degrees.

And on the rear trailing arm there are actually 2 controller arms (as per pics - ignore red highlighting) The second on is right up high in the arch. Both of these units are only available from Mitsi are are a press fit bush arrangement. Each one is approx. $160 each to swap out.... and there are 4 of them. Having said that, they are pretty heavy duty & rarely wear that bad.




The other main ones that go on the ass end is the one that conntects the rear hubs to the arms (as per pic)



And the one in the base mout of the strut to the rear arm (as per pic)



These 2 cop most of the pounding when htting the bumps - both mitsi OE parts

lol mate....nar I had those pics from a while back...

Yeah basically you have confirmed what I thought and yes the ask "trailing arm" joint needs to be replaced I reckon...I'm off to the suspension place today after a meeting to talk to them and get it on a hoist.

Yeah I think there is an upper arm...just I didn't put in in the pic. The purpose however is the same as the lower control arm.

Its great to have a fellow suspension guys to talk to I'm only learning...

ok well I finally took my car to what I believe is a really good suspension place and its near my office yay!

Its in today...My shockers were hitting on the bump stops which has all but gone which has resulted a crap ride but as suspected..looks like Koni Sport shockers now. These have easy dampening adjustment with a handle on each of the 4 shockers....nice.

I'm trying to maintain the same ride height however it all dependant on the length of the shockers...after some investigation most ppl but some really good shockers and then get lowered springs which restrict the travel on the sockers i.e. you get not as much dampening as possible...however this might not be an issue cos these are designed for sport apps and I hope my ride is stays the same hight with much better ride...

ok my new suspension has been installed and I have had a chnace to test it out.

I got a full set of Koni Sport series shockers with external damp. adjustment. The adjustment really makes a difference!

4xbump stops and dust boots
whiteline spring insulation/wrap
4xnew wheel to hub sprigots
Bush check and full inspection (not the push test!)
wheel alignment and full road test and adjustment of the shockers for good ride...
final wheel alignment

We decided that my remianing issue is my tyres which will need ot be replaced soon.

I have to say the 2k on all the parts and work has really made it a much better car to drive now...on the soft ot hard setting

2k! Thats why I got greasy today

Fitted new rear droplinks - cut them to size to suit lowered GR.

*Must remember when lowering ones car - get the rear drops to suit! Applies to GPX's as well!*



Rear sway now sits horizontal to the mount points.



See the height of the old bolt? The sway was sitting way up high & as a result the bar & lower mount were fretting really badly against the bolt. The old bushes were cracked & petrified as well....



Also pulled the front control arms out to file down the crush tube in the front bushes & install positive castor ('anti lift' as the yanks call it) rear control arm bushes.







The 2 bushes sitting on the metal tube - the bushes had compressed so that the tube was actually longer than the 2 bushes combined - aka giving me a knock under load & brake. Solution was to file down the tube so the bushes take the main part of the load & not have the car slide on the shaft & make the knock noise.



Positive castor bush pic (right). Bush also gives more negative camber (which was the last thing I needed after the tein tops had 2 degrees dialled in on them - off to get aligned again tomorrow) Note the lower position of the hole on the yellow bush. This mounts the rear of the front control arm further down, pushing the whole strut assembly forward - hence giving me positive castor. It gives a much more precise feel to the steering with immaculate turn in - not only that, its stopped the big wheels rubbing on the inside of the arches!!



You'll probably notice the standard castor bushes look almost new - thats because they are, I just wanted to the +'ive castor type. Stock type (nolethane none the less) are now for sale! There is nothing wrong with them. $30.

After all my droplinks and associated bushes were replaced I was still getting knocking from my right hand side....... eventually the mechanics found that the top of the strut was loose....... its now perfect...

nice work Ben...looks great. I had all mine checked while I was there and under the hoist and they looked in OK condition.

Yeah 2k...was a lot...but the parts cost about 1400 and they did a lot of work..spent like 12hrs on my car so wasn't so bad.

There is still one noise ona certain angle over say a gutter/driveway...we suspect its the drop link on one side and we will check it out later...

but looks like u've done it yourself...nice1!!

Bennoz, that big yellow thingy looks suspiciously familiar, where have i seen it before?

khunjeng wrote:nice work Ben...looks great. I had all mine checked while I was there and under the hoist and they looked in OK condition.

Yeah 2k...was a lot...but the parts cost about 1400 and they did a lot of work..spent like 12hrs on my car so wasn't so bad.

There is still one noise ona certain angle over say a gutter/driveway...we suspect its the drop link on one side and we will check it out later...

but looks like u've done it yourself...nice1!!

I tell you, Im paying the price today! Physically very sore from bending my body at all sorts of wrong angles under the car Wish I had a hoist!!

wildfaye wrote:Bennoz, that big yellow thingy looks suspiciously familiar, where have i seen it before?

Funny thing was - when I got it, the lube satchel had burst during postage at some stage, so I was covered in white 'bush lube' by the end of the day

Great product none the less!

Its good u got it safe n sound, minus the white sticky gluey stuff that came. haha. Enjoy them mate!

Bennoz wrote: Wish I had a hoist!!

http://cgi.ebay.com.au/2-post-hoist_W0Q ... dZViewItem

Can I borrow it on the weekends?

Renamed the thread & stickied it. Im getting a heap of suspension questions at the moment. Before you folks ask me - have a read of this thread first. Then you'll be armed with all the info you need

just a quick question guys...

i like doing stuff myself and not scared of getting my hands dirty...

do you guys recommend that i change the droplinks and swaybar brushes myself?

Rear swaybar bushes are a peice of piss if you get the ass off the ground, but you need the hands of a micro surgeon to get at the front ones...

The only difficulty with droplinks is if they have been on the car for a long time, the nuts on factory ones rust up pretty good. Have an angle grinder at the ready