I received a set of the red Weltmiester control arm front bushings as well as the steel bolt shaft. These bushings came with grease but I didn’t need any grease to install them into the aluminum arm. They slid in a little too easily and feel loose. I figured with the steel shaft inserted and torqued to 48 lbs in the cross member, maybe it would tighten up. Even bolted in the cross member it seems to have way too much slop. I can move the arm, by hand, about ½ inch forward and back.

I know others have installed these red bushings. Has anyone had this amount of play? These are the stock aluminum control arms on a 89 turbo.

Thanks

 

How is caster adjusted with stuff front bushings? Or does it end up being just what it is? I've wondered about that for some time. Might be wanting something other than rubber on my street car, but don't want or need the Racer's Edge spherical bearing ones like I have on the track car.

 

I have a full set front and rear for my 85.5 NA, I got them before I started hanging out on here. I kept hearing about them squeaking and wearing out? So I never used them?

I know that these days they impregnate the bushings with graphite and lots of guys on Tercelonline use them without problems but I don't think that's the case with the Welts?

 

I should of mentioned that the cross member and both control arms are out of the car. I have the exact same setup that is pictured in this post by ski.

https://rennlist.com/forums/944-turb...ning-so-i.html

With the cross member on the floor, I bolted and torqued the control arm to the cross member. With one hand holding the cross member and the other holding the ball joint end of the control arm, I can effortlessly move the arm 1/2 inch fore and aft. Is this amount of play normal?

 

No...edit - we really need to see some pics or drawings to fully understand what movement you are talking about...

 

Is it rotating around the bolt, or is the whole thing moving parallel with the bolt? If it is wanting to rotate, that isn't abnormal. The rear mount point will anchor it and keep it from rotating. That rotation also is what allows your caster to be adjusted.

 

The bushing rotates fine up and down, simulating the compressing of the front suspension. Its the front to back motion, the bushing being the pivot point, that seems to have too much play. I know that once I fasten the rear castor to the frame that will anchor things. I wanted to make sure this play is acceptable. The stock bushings I replaced only moved up and down. I can post pics after work showing the range of motion.

 

I just put PowerFlex poly bushings in my control arms, and it took me HOURS of cussing and prying and more cussing to get the bushings to slide into the cross member once they were installed in the control arms... There is absolutely zero fore and aft movement with them installed. Also worth noting though is that the PowerFlex bushings had thick metal washers that slide (read: barely fit) in between the bushing and the crossmember... I have no experience with the Weltmeister bushings, but the pic you linked doesn't show anything like that...

As I said, I have no personal experience with the Weltmeister bushings... but I can't imagine that any movement other than pivoting up and down is appropriate.

 

The pic in the link is precisely how my bushings look. No washer just the exposed red bushing and hollow shaft for the bolt. My 4 year old nephew could of installed these bushings into the control arm and my 6 year old niece could install the arm with bushings into the cross member. Something is not right about these bushings. I'm going to contact the vendor for an exchange. I may just get the OEM bushings.

 

I'll agree that there seems to be something amiss with your bushings, but I don't know if I'd take that as motivation to return to stock.

Check out PowerFlex. I've used them for quite some time in my Alfa (wherever spherical wasn't an option) and I've had great results... they might be a PITA to install, but they work great, and IIRC, they come in under the cost of OEM replacements.

 

Okay, so it sounds like it is rotating, or pivoting as you say, at the bushing. If you adjust caster, that is EXACTLY what happens. When you go to add more caster, you move the eccentric at the rear mounting point, which rotates the whole arm around the front mount point, pushing forward teh ball joint. I thought you were saying it was moving fore-aft parallel with the bolt, as if the bushing were too narrow. My prior car had a "true" McPherson strut setup, where the LCA was only attached at one point. The sway bar located the system. Even with PU busings, it was rotate a whole bunch if the sway bar wasn't attached.

Cliff's notes - it is normal, don't worry.

 

I think elephant racing now makes a sport hardness o.e.m style bushing. ya might wanna check out the web site.