Lateral link bushings ??

[Mazda_Powered]

You can also go the Energy Suspension way. Here's the part number and cost from their website; 9-9108, $9.00. They're about 1/4" to long, so you'll have to shave some of the bushing off. Much easier to get compared to the superpro bushings which are overseas.

JACK.

[FE3-323]

superpro has a US distributer right in Michigan. so you can get the products quick, pending you dont order a low stock/recently made bushing

[therieldeal]

oh shush. i was gonna get the ES rear trailing link bushings, but you talked me into the damn superpro ones!

-jon

[FE3-323]

trailing link & lateral link bushy's are 2 diff things jon

[SgtRauksauff]

I'll just throw this out there, just because. I have superpro bushings that I put on my Volvo last summer, and there were no grooves, and the instructions that came with the bushings didn't mention need for them. Just coat all bushing-to-metal contact surfaces with a "moderate" amount of the included lube.

Are the grooves really needed? Looking at it from a mechanical perspective, it almost seems like the grooves would actually diminish the surface area contact between the bushing and the sleeve, which would change the bushings ability to absorb and distribute the loads placed upon it.

Just something that ran through my brain just now, so I figured I'd post it.


--sarge

[therieldeal]

trailing link & lateral link bushy's are 2 diff things jon

yes i know, but i ordered them all together! supposedly they are shipping today though :D

sarge thats a good point... i'll be leaving mine as is, however they are when they come in. no grease slots for me

-jon

[FE3-323]

i didn't slot my superpro ones.

[svtfast]

What is the differance between lateral links and trailing arms?

What about control arms? Arnt control arms the same as lateral links?

[ftjandra]

What is the differance between lateral links and trailing arms?

What about control arms? Arnt control arms the same as lateral links?

In our cars, the rear has four lateral links that go left-to-right. There are two per side. The 'rear' one has the adjustment for the toe and the 'front' one is where the stabilizer bar mounts to.

Our cars, also have a trailing arm on each side in the rear that goes front-to-back that prevents the wheel from getting pulled back.

--Ferdi

[svtfast]

Yea its the exact same on my 94 Escort. I was just getting confused because I was looking up the bushings that I will need. $245 for all of them, OUCH.

[billzie]

Just an update on the ES install,
I have revisited this project because I'm finally ready to do so and I'm setting another improbable deadline of tomorrow to have the rear end done and installed. This time this rear end assembly will be going into my Tracer LTS and that cars' rear end is going into the Tracer wagon that's been on jacks since June last year.
The things that held me up last year were of the, er *cough* personal *cough* divorce nature and when I was ready to throw the rear in the wagon I had a lot of fitment issues with the spindle bolts and got one stuck again. I had to take it back to the shop so they could charge me again to remove it, another $15.
Current issues:
1. This time I took a barrel grinding bit on my dremel to the ID of the spindle and sanded the bolts until they slid through nicely, then coated all of them with anti-seize paste.
2. With the ES bushings you need to add extra washers to keep the bushings in place, doing so, slightly changes the factory geometry but very slightly so, but also then effectively shortens the bolts so you no longer have a few threads past the nut as it should. This only presented a big problem when installing the MazdaRacer lower tie bar b/c that mod causes the same problem. So when installing the bar I deleted the bolt head washer thus bringing me back to a nut almost flush fit to the end of the bolt.
3. Concerning all things rust prone... I chased and tapped all the threads on the nuts and bolts because they were rusting or had been distorted slightly in the removal process. That thread size is uncommon but NAPA ordered the tap and die for me, it is listed in there spark plug thread repair section of the tool order book. There is also a bit of surface rust on the spindle bearing surfaces (one side worse than the other), I will take an emery cloth or wet-sand paper and spray lube and give them a quick hand polish, there is nothing I can do about the spindle nut threads b/c the die for that isn't available or is crazy expensive I'm sure, I will just use the old nut and some oil and slowly work them on. Anti-seize or the Super-lube (ES bushing grease) will keep these parts rust free for a good long time.
4. Keep pics or diagrams with parts numbered to them, and all small parts in zip lock baggies. Trying to remember all this crap 10 months later (hell, 10 minutes later) can be crazy challenge, and one I'm still trying to figure it all out. (I can't remember where the extra sleeve is supposed to go and worse yet I can only find one of the two that I'm supposed to be using, argh!).

I haven't been taking pics along the way, just too dirty and time consumming this time, next time when I do the one in the wagon, I'll keep a photo diary.
All-in-all, I think that this is a great alternative for guys who have the time, tools, space, and persistance to do a great mod and save a lot of money.

Bill.

[therieldeal]

i am going the ES route too, this weekend probably. i'll try to take some pics. i actually machined down the stock sleeves on a lathe, so that they would fit into the ES bushings :D. the two that are longer, i machined down only the length of the bushing + a washer, and left a step for the washer to ride in (i had to order some washers from mcmaster carr for this)

[therieldeal]

ok here ya go. heres a couple pics of what i did to the longer sleeves... i measured how thick the bushings in the arm would be, and added the thickness of the washer, then turned down just that length of the sleeve. the stock OD is 21mm the new OD is 19.2mm. i have a bunch of extra washers like this if anyone else wants to do it this way, they came in packs of 10.

the other six sleeves i turned the full length down to 19.2mm, and i'll use some 9/16" ID washers on them (like the stock setup). same for the other end of the bushings on these.... the smaller ID washers will be used. hopefully this makes sense lol

-jon

[billzie]

Jon, any updates?
It must be nice having a lathe at your disposal. If it's at home, what type and model and how much? I'm trying to make a wish list of the next few years worth of shop tools and at these rural auctions I go to sometimes things like this turn up in some dead farmers' or retired professors' estate.

I got the rear end installed and have put about 2,000 miles on it already (round trip to Chicago was a big chunk). I didn't have time to mod the ES frame sway bar bushings so I don't have that on yet, but I can say that the rear end is tighter and responds very well even without it. AND, I towed a fully loaded trailer (riding mower, lawn mower, set of wheels/tires, 80lb anvil/vice, and all my tools) back from Chicago!

I will start on the next rear end within a month after a few other projects.
Bill.

[therieldeal]

well i assembled the whole rear end, i've just been slacking in the picture taking department. actually most of the car is back together... i'll hopefully take some pics tomorrow.

the lathe is at work... its a monstrous old thing but it works ok.