Darklands

Streetsnake contacted me on this topic if I can sent him a set to the US but unfortunately the rear arms are big and heavy and should be exchanged.
There is 300 € exchange fee on the pair.
It‘s too much work for me to do this because I have a business and I‘m selling a house and planing building a loft above my Porsche cave in the barn.
My tractor is since end of August broken, the insurance will pay the new engine because a broken new fuel rail flooded the engine with 10 gallons of diesel.
This is a 80.000 € elephant in the room.

So if there is the need for this parts in the US someone like 928 international should ship 40 arms for refurbishing to Prekom and has only one time the hassles with customs.

Or someone with masochistic tendencies in the US should do the work for customers.

ROG100

The parts to rebuild the rear lower control arm are readily available from 928 International or 928sRus.
Shipping would be a killer both ways for the complete control arm and the returned core.
New EU Customs & VAT regulations have all but stopped shipping from the USA to Europe.

Darklands

I think with the right tools the work would be easy but the shape of the rear control arms make it difficult to put the force of the press in the right angle on the two bushings there the long pin is in.

GregBBRD

We do a tremendous amount of suspension restoration, simple rebuilding, and of course the previous mentioned upgrades.

One of the issues we faced was the downtime required if the client wanted the stock suspension pieces "restored" to "better than new" appearance.

Our solution was to have multiple complete sets of the parts, from front sway bars and brackets, spring hats, rear control arms, even multiples of the hardware redone and ready to install.

We have multiple sets of rear contol arms (and every other "black part" stripped of the bushings, old paint removed, and powder coated, ready to have us press in new bushings. (We just completed 2 "early cars", which have different rear control arms. We may be low or out of these rear control arms, until the "take offs" have the process completed.)

We keep a minimum of 3 sets of every suspension bushing, bump stop, and every other rubber piece, ball joints, sway bar downlinks, in inventory.

We keep a minimum of 3 sets of Bilsteins, 3 sets of M474 shocks, and a set of Koni shocks in inventory (just in case someone insists on having Koni shocks.) We even have a set of vintage rebuilt of double external adjustable Koni shocks, in inventory (terribly expensive to have modified or rebuilt, these days.)

We keep a minimum of 3 sets of every variety of rebuilt upper and lower front control arms in inventory (because 928 International, very close to our shop, occasionally runs out of these pieces or are having shipping/customs issues.)

We have multiple sets of the available stock springs (from Porsche) in inventory.

And, of course we have multiple sets of the pieces required to build our Version 4 and Version 5 suspension upgrades.

My point here, is that it is possible for a parts vendor, who Rennlist people like and want to do business with, who can do the same thing we do for the 928's, which come into our shop.

streetsnake

I love when the FedEx man brings me gifts. First puzzle piece.

Bigfoot928

Ironic that you would add this after the way this thread has gone sideways. Are you sure that this criteria really includes you?

ROG100

Plenty of fronts available but getting harder to find. The rears are hard to find, if not impossible, so hope you can find a pair. Talk to Greg as he has a number in stock if you get stuck.

streetsnake

@GregBBRD i was wondering if you are willing to share the “which”, “where” and “why” of you and your team utilizing some of the Powerflex bushings. Thought I’d try to glean a little wisdom if possible. Hope you’re willing to share. Thx

PK68

I am interested in this as well. Moreover, is a ‘79 26 mm front sway bar a hollow one? How well would it interact with poly sway bar bushings? As previously indicated, ride quality is of paramount importance to me due to the poor state of the roads here.

GregBBRD

We started a complete GTS suspension, today, and have two more, waiting patiently, in line. That will leave me with one lonely rear shock and a set or two of fronts. I had a used pair of rears, which literally had 200 miles on them, but we sold them, very cheap, to a good client, today.

Mary was told, today, that a shipment of fronts are in transit. Rears are apparently due around December 15th.
We have a standung "order" of both fronts and rears, but I guess that it could not possibly be large enough to "consume" all the shocks that are coming.

Although just my guess, but this time frame may not hold up many "home" projects, long enough to be an issue.
If so, I've got another good used set of rears, with low mileage on them (more than 200 miles, but not much more) tucked away...somewhere in the disaster we call a shop.

Worth mentioning, by the end of December, we should receive another batch of our very custom double externally adjustable shoccks, with shortened bodies (for cars lowered at or below 150mm), which allow proper spring and shock travel, and get 928's "off" of the bump stops (or as Porsche calls them, "suppplemental springs".)

GregBBRD

In my theory of suspension function, it seems that a sway bar should transfer the force it receives to the opposite side of the car, with as little resistance as possible. Any "added" force to move a sway bar "adds" to the spring rate, (again, my theory.)
We undertook a study of sway bar resistance to movement with a very highly technical device...a fish scale.
We found sway bars that would not move, in their swollen bushings, with over 50 pounds of force.

Poly or new rubber bushings with lubricant should be an improvement, in my opinion.

GregBBRD

All the 26mm bars I've seen are hollow.

Poly bushings are a bit unyielding and, in my mind, should, by definition, transfer more noise than rubber. Worth noting I believe that one of the companies who makes poly bushings offers different hardness versions.

I believe that making the rubber bushings last longer is to cure any oil or power steering leaks.

That being said, old rear rubber bushings, which are not oil soaked, can also be very difficult to move. (Changing rear sway bar bushings, in situ, can be a bit of a struggle, but difficultly does not mean this isn't needed.)

PK68

So, I have found this, which, to my uneducated eyes, looks to be in a reasonable condition and, if suitable, I am thinking of purchasing [despite freight costs being virtually double the price!]
https://www.ebay.com/itm/394025707434

BTW, do I have to replace my 28mm rear way bar as well, or I can make it with just the front one? Thx in advance!

GregBBRD

That's a good price. Yes, shipping would be awful, especially right now.

And I wouldn't tell you to hunt around and buy one, unless you have suspension modifications or if the car has the suspension high enough to appreciate the subtle difference.

I knw I keep "preaching" this, but once the front suspension hits those bump stops (supplemental springs), the spring rate, the shocks, the sway bar, and the lower control arm busings mean very little...those bump stops are almost completely in control.

Leave the rear sway bar alone, until you "fix" the understeer. In my experience, making the rear "looser" by making the rear sway bar stiffer is just masking the basic problem....understeer.

PK68

A leap of faith: I purchased the old “softer” anti roll bar. Under the circumstances I have decided to stick with the original settings and make subtle improvements, since the car will, hopefully, stay with me for a long time and I am old enough not to hold boy racer pretensions. This means that the 28 mm bushings I purchased from Roger will be next to useless but I will deal with this later.
I hope I am not highjacking the OP thread. If so, the moderators are free today intervene.