Nolathane Vs SuperPro

[muzza2]

i've installed new bushes on my car & helped install bushes on 3 other cars.
its easy enough to do. but you definatelly gotta have the right tools
without them. you farked. simple =)

[ampz]

there may have been other tools

Oh well...
I've been called worse

[scb]

Well after a bit of effort I have managed to change over all the bushes on my NA. I used the energy suspension ones from the US and the results are very good. It has certainly tightened up the suspension and has reduced its jumpiness when cornering. The ride actually feels better than with the (softer) OEM bushes.

I managed to do this with the basic tools tbro mentions above - socket set, vice, Stanley knife, gas burner. A couple of tricks I worked out during the process that I think are worth sharing.

1. Using a Stanley knife to cut away the top of the bush on the side you are going to push through - careful not to cut your fingers and best done holding the suspension part in a vice.
2. Use the burner to break the seal with the bush and the suspension part - then let it cool down first before pressing the bush out. If you do not cool it down it is much harder as the metal in the bush is expanded by the heat
3. The bushes on the diff were hardest and needed some extra tools. I ended up heating them to pull out the metal insert; drilling the remaining rubber out with my electric drill; then I used a hacksaw to cut through the metal ring allowing it to be pushed out.

I took the car to be aligned down at Fulcrum at Stafford and they were very helpful and knew what they were doing – I used the alignment recommended by Charlie Brown elsewhere on this forum.

Also thanks to Al and others at MX5 plus service (the guys currently doing the group buy on roll bars). They helped to push out the rear bearings for me as I replaced them at the same time as replacing the bushes. It was not straight forward as one of the drive shafts was seized in the hub but they managed to sort it for me.

Now waiting for the motorkhana out at Willowbank on Sunday 3rd of May to try it all out. Hopefully I will also pop out to Lakeside on the Monday afternoon to say hello - I can not make it to do some track time as I have something else on in the morning.

Cheers Stewart