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Help with Lower control arm bushings

Plymouth71

Plymouth71

Waterslide Decal Artist
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I took my car in for an issue in the front end / noise over bumps, and the shop lifted my car performed an inspection and lubed my suspension. I guess the last place I went to did not lube it. However upon inspection they also advised me that my lower control arm bushings need to be replaced. they warned me that it may be difficult finding the right pieces, because it seems that all of the bushings they seem to purchase for these old Mopars have problems. They advise me that on some cars they've tried three or four pairs because they don't quite fit properly. I spoke with another friend funny actually he was the one who suggested this shop. And he is restoring a 1967 Coronet RT. And suggested I look at PST. I went on their website, but couldn't find anything for my 1971 Plymouth satellite. Can anybody recommend them, or any other options? I see RockAuto has a lot of options, but if they're not likely to fit and they will be a problem being pressed in I don't want to waste my time and money. The shop gave me a number to a local guy who has a selection of NOS items, but I'm not sure that's what I need. You guys have helped me before, and I'm looking to you for your advice now thank you.

PS, the rest of the front end is pretty much all new, it was replaced when the vehicle was safetied about 8 years ago and maybe has 12,000 mi on it..
 
The man is referring to recent Moog LCA bushings... They in the past were the premium choice for replacement bushings... But in recent times they have redesigned the inner sleeve and it no longer fits the shaft... It is a loose fit on the shaft & it should be a press fit....

My experience with PST in the past was they are low quality off-shore sourced parts... They work, they fit, but they don't live very long....

So far I've been able to find old stock of Moog that still works but the last time it took six bushings to find two that were useable...
 
1 Wild R/T said:
The man is referring to recent Moog LCA bushings... They in the past were the premium choice for replacement bushings... But in recent times they have redesigned the inner sleeve and it no longer fits the shaft... It is a loose fit on the shaft & it should be a press fit....

My experience with PST in the past was they are low quality off-shore sourced parts... They work, they fit, but they don't live very long....

So far I've been able to find old stock of Moog that still works but the last time it took six bushings to find two that were useable...
Click to expand...
Same here...ordered 6 moog brand and found 2 that were marked made in the USA. They worked and fit good. The others are junk. Even the outer shell was not round and had raised ribs running the length of the shell. I had initially tried one of them and failed. Would not press in. Once the good ones are gone we will be forced to chucking these junk ones up in a lathe to get the outer shell to work and jb welding the inside :lol:
 
BLK 68 R/T said:
Same here...ordered 6 moog brand and found 2 that were marked made in the USA. They worked and fit good. The others are junk. Even the outer shell was not round and had raised ribs running the length of the shell. I had initially tried one of them and failed. Would not press in. Once the good ones are gone we will be forced to chucking these junk ones up in a lathe to get the outer shell to work and jb welding the inside :lol:
Click to expand...

For the inside I considered putting a couple tack welds on the shaft, throw it in the lathe & smooth them out ... once the bushing is pressed on it won't move.... Ideal? No... But ya gotta do something...
 
1 Wild R/T said:
For the inside I considered putting a couple tack welds on the shaft, throw it in the lathe & smooth them out ... once the bushing is pressed on it won't move.... Ideal? No... But ya gotta do something...
Click to expand...
Yep, crazy that we have to resort to thinking outside the box on how to make new **** work. Especially on critical components like suspension parts.
 
The best bushing I found are proforged brand and they fit excellent and look like a quality bushing. I went through 4 sets of Moog bushings before I found the proforged brand.
 
I found some of PST's stuff to be good quality (polygraphite bushes) but the tie rods were pretty crappy. Their customer service was excellent though. I've kept all my old suspension parts and often use some of the original bolts/washers as they are much better quality than the new ones.
 
There has been a lot of bad reviews about the newer Moog stuff. I had issues with some upper ball joints from them a couple of years ago myself. I have been using whatever Proforged stuff I can buy since then. Been really happy so far with the quality of Proforged in the 2 cars I have it in. They don't make everything, for instance the offset upper control arm bushings. And be forewarned that it is made overseas, Taiwan, I believe.
 
1 Wild R/T said:
For the inside I considered putting a couple tack welds on the shaft, throw it in the lathe & smooth them out ... once the bushing is pressed on it won't move.... Ideal? No... But ya gotta do something...
Click to expand...
Good idea. There’s actually no forces to pull the shaft out so it doesn’t make much of a difference. I put the “slip fit” bushing on, did an analysis of the forces and decided I didn’t care. 10000 miles later I still don’t!
 
Over a year ago, I bought pst kit with the rubber bushings and stiffeners and the bushings were definitely not loose. Unfortunately someone sold me a body lca's and I wound up putting my old lca's back in with (in the interest of time) a couple more new shafts. I bought the new moog bushings that were marked made in USA from local parts store. I have no complaints now. This morning, I went on the pst site, put in 1971 Satellite and found all the parts.
 
Hi all, I just read this thread as I'm having similar issues after installing new Moog lower control arm bushings. I had notice a clunking noise coming from my driver's side suspension. My buddy and I decided to overhaul the entire front suspension. After the overhaul, the clunking noise is still there and one of my friends suggested it's from the ill fitting new Moog lower control arm bushings. Is there a way to determine with certainty that the clunk is coming from the new bushings? I can't reproduce the noise by pushing on the suspension, only when driving over even the smallest of bumps. Hate to take it all apart again without knowing for sure. Your help is appreciated!
 
71GTXdragpack said:
Hi all, I just read this thread as I'm having similar issues after installing new Moog lower control arm bushings. I had notice a clunking noise coming from my driver's side suspension. My buddy and I decided to overhaul the entire front suspension. After the overhaul, the clunking noise is still there and one of my friends suggested it's from the ill fitting new Moog lower control arm bushings. Is there a way to determine with certainty that the clunk is coming from the new bushings? I can't reproduce the noise by pushing on the suspension, only when driving over even the smallest of bumps. Hate to take it all apart again without knowing for sure. Your help is appreciated!
Click to expand...
Make sure it's not the shock bushings, or the shock itself. Have someone gently bounce the car while carefully observing those areas
 
Check the idler arm for slop, also check steering box bolts.
 
Beekeeper said:
The best bushing I found are proforged brand and they fit excellent and look like a quality bushing. I went through 4 sets of Moog bushings before I found the proforged brand.
Click to expand...

I bought LCA bushings from Hotchkis, they are Proforged. Really nice parts IMHO and you get everything so you don’t have to reuse old and potentially damaged parts. Despite being considerably more expensive than factory type replacement bushings, it’s ultimately worth it.
 
guys I feel pretty dumb. After chasing the clunking noise for months, my buddy and I finally found the source. The two caliper mounting bolts had come loose. Tightened the bolts and test drove the car and no clunking!!
 
Forget about rubber and urethane. Neither of these materials are good for an lca bushing. We make these in delrin, which is harder than urethane and doesn’t make noise. Our pins are a precise fit into the bushing. The bushing fits directly into the arm after you remove the outer shell. This is a one and done way to solve the problem for good.
 
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