Spring Plate Bushing Suggestion

[chris_seven]

901.333.195.00, readily available and the price has recently fallen.

We use the same bush on the inner and outer.


The PET shows this as the very , very early 356/Beetle style bush but if you order to this number a bush that fits well arrives. They are the ones bonded to the refurbished Spring Plates in the above photograph.

I will dig out a can of adhesive and find Order Code in the morning.

[smedley]

Here's a curve ball....I intend to install the old school Weltmeister adjustable spring plates (old set screw type) on my '67. Not tracking it, but want the adjustability for corner weighting and proper balance.

The Weltmeisters come with a set red "plastic" bushings I do NOT want to use as this is simply a street hot rod. Are there any rubber fitments/bushings available or that I can adapt to these plates to avoid the plastic problems???

[Paragon]

You may be able to adapt something with some modification but the Weltmeister/Sway-A-Way spring plates definitely take a different bushing. Elephant Racing makes a PolyBronze bushing set for this application:

http://www.paragon-products.com/Poly...on-2061401.htm

[Flieger]

I've got the Rebel Racing ones and am very happy with them. No grease, no squeaks.

[jpnovak]

I have never understood the purpose of gluing the bushings to the spring plates (or a-arms for that matter). Can someone please explain? Are these bushings supposed to operate in a rotational shear? I realize this type of arrangement allows them to add to the spring rate and somewhat damp the rotation but there are more effective ways to do this.

I prefer to not glue the rubber bushings and allow for some rotation. I shave them to fit snug but still allow rotation with the weight of the car. With some modern silicone lubrication they do not squeak after years of service. This gives a modern, compliant ride and really helps the car feel planted on rough roads.

[Flieger]

They are designed to twist. That makes them silent and smooth. Porsche tried bushings that were not bonded and the handling of the 904 was terrible. The stick/slip made for changing corner weights and bad friction and lots of noise. The solution was the silentblocs.

[chris_seven]

I agree with Max, the twist provides a reasonable degree of damping but very little change to the spring rate when compared to the torsion bar. Bonding them is more to do with NVH than handling. Stick/Slip is an issue and can affect ride height as often seen when the grease washes out of a Polybush.

The front control arm bushes, however, are not bonded into place, they are secured by using a significant amount of radial compression.

Before installation the bush is around 35mm long and the central hole is around 25mm diameter. They are pressed onto the arm which is around 36mm diameter and they stretch to around 55mm long.

This radial compression has a significant effect on the rubber, which unlike steel is non-linear elastic in terms if its behaviour, and increases both its static and dynamic stiffness. It also modifies the tan delta or damping behaviour.

If you replace control arm bushes with the after market slip-in rubber bushes you will not only affect the NVH behaviour but will adversely affect the control arm alignment particularly when cornering.

[304065]

Here's a curve ball....I intend to install the old school Weltmeister adjustable spring plates (old set screw type) on my '67. Not tracking it, but want the adjustability for corner weighting and proper balance.

The Weltmeisters come with a set red "plastic" bushings I do NOT want to use as this is simply a street hot rod. Are there any rubber fitments/bushings available or that I can adapt to these plates to avoid the plastic problems???

Mark,

You will probably find that the diameter of the splined tube is smaller than the Factory plate, requiring you to use their bushings, or an equivalent. I found this on my race car when I went to polybronze, had to swap the Factory size (with larger ID) for a custom set designed for the SAW/Weltmeister jack screw type springblades.

You can dial in corner balance pretty closely using the original vernier plates, what you save on not buying new springblades you put into labor.

[Flieger]

Just go with the factory adjustable spring plates or any one that has a pinch bolt to hold the two parts together.

[Mr9146]

I like the Smart Racing bushings. We machine them to fit...