Stock or Polyurethane ?

[68shorty]

Finished the frame and in the process of putting things back together. Most guys I've talked to say go with the poly, which I've never used. The 42 year old bushings & body mounts were in good shape when took apart, which leads me to believe the OEM is the way to go. Is there any advantage or drawbacks to using the poly stuff? If so, I've noticed there's a ton of vendors that offer these kits and which would be the best.

[mrsnicks]

If you go with poly grease them up before installing or they will squeak forever. Grease inside and outside.

Patrick

[Alvin in AZ]

My black Energy Suspension leaf spring bushings, that I greased the heck out of
with the sillycone grease that comes with them, went to squeaking really bad a
couple years after putting them in. :/

So I oiled them with straight STP and it took over two weeks for it to get down
around one of them far enough before it quieted it down. That particular bushing
was the loudest one to start with too BTW.

Be kinda cool to see if they go to squeaking again or if the STP fixed 'em for good. ;)

Either way I suppose they can be quieted back down again with STP? :)

Other than that, so far, they've been better than the original rubber stuff. :)
YMMV

Alvin in AZ
ps- I'm usin' 'em in the most demanding places...
tie rod dust boots ;)
leaf springs and shackles
radius arms
eye-beam pivots

[68shorty]

Thanks for the input. I've had a few squeakie old Fords with the OEM bushings through the years. I'll give the poly a shot and grease'em up before i install them.

[robroy]

Good evening 68Shorty,

Over the past one and a half years I replaced many of the rubber parts (including the suspension bushings) on my '72 F250 with OEM replacements from Dennis Carpenter. After sitting in the yard and garage (not even being driven) for six months, a lot of them are already starting to crack. And crack significantly!

I was very surprised by this because when they were brand new, out of the bag, they looked beautiful.

Here's an example: this radius arm bushing is only about six months old, and was never driven after being installed.



Here's a thread I started about that bushing: http://www.fordification.com/forum/view ... =5&t=44072

My gas tank grommet bushing is also starting to crack already!

If I had this to do over I would definitely go with the polyurethane bushings. The replacement OEM bushings don't seem to be on par with what the factory used--not even close.

Robroy

[Tycho]

http://www.summitracing.com/parts/PTP-6-2020/



Just got this in the mail from Summit. Nice kit. Comes with grease and everything.

If you park your truck outside or live in extremely cold climates don't skimp on bushings.

[fordman]

on my 93 i used the poly bushings for the radius arm because they were only 10.00 when the rubber ones were 20.00. they are holding up very well. i was told they werent as good as the rubber ones. but i've never seen or heard a problem with them.