Zero Rear Suspension

[keith kelly]

Looked at the rear suspension today as I had suspicions that it was not right. Coulple of questions

 

1, just to confirm the crush tubes should be flush with the bushes with nothing pertruding?

2, I notice on the blogs that spacers/washers are added to each side of the bushes, does any one

Know how many and where they should be?

3, does anyone have a full set of pictures of how the whole thing should go together as I am not convinced the hub carrier part is correct either.

 

Will post some pics shortly

Thanks keith

[philshelton]

I might be wrong but I thought the crush tubes/ Inserts should be slightly longer than the bushes, other wise the bushes would be clamped up tight. This would put stress on the wishbone brackets as the suspension moved.

[keith kelly]

 

[Guest alfaGTA]

Do the wishbones move up and down fairly freely without any tight spots? And without play in the mounts?

 

If so i'd be tempted to leave alone, I used a light smear of red rubber grease on the Indy's bushes to cure a few little squeaks.

 

Phil's advise is correct.

[keith kelly]

Compared to other zeros I have looked at and the photos on blogs I does not look right. Also when I had it lokked over by gbs they mentioned the rear mounts being slighty squeezed as ther were no washers in.

 

Point taken on the crush tubes. Plan is to straiten the mounts and add in the spacers that should be there.

 

Photo 2 shows the point the wishbone joins the hub carrier, there is a big space between the bush and the carrier is this correct, there is no play on this but otherside is not the same?

 

I would like to know how it should be and put it right for next year.

[Guest HS88]

I'm just building mine up at the moment.

So far I have started with the upper rear wishbone and this fitted in nicely with two washers to the front face of the rear mount and two washers to the rear face of the front mount.

 

Then I fitted the upright/carrier. Then the bottom wishbone.

 

[knights_templar]

Looked at the rear suspension today as I had suspicions that it was not right. Coulple of questions

 

1, just to confirm the crush tubes should be flush with the bushes with nothing pertruding?

2, I notice on the blogs that spacers/washers are added to each side of the bushes, does any one

Know how many and where they should be?

3, does anyone have a full set of pictures of how the whole thing should go together as I am not convinced the hub carrier part is correct either.

 

Will post some pics shortly

Thanks keith

 

1, yes, if they are flush there is no pre load on the bushes, to long and the bushes will ride along the tube, to short is when it binds and you risk overloading chassis and/or wishbones.

 

2, yes, spacer washers (must be the same diameter as bushes) are used to space bushes in brackets, number required is specific to car,the aim is to stop the bracket being distorted when the bolt is tightened, so add as many as psychically possible each side the bracket will stay approx parallel when tightened.

 

3, yes, PM me if you still need them.

[Guest mcramsay]

The definitive answer is that the wishbone crush tube has to be a little longer than the bushes to allow the suspension to pivot. But the wishbones must be centralised in the mounts with large flat penny washers, if you don't use them then you will pull the wishbone mounts inwards when tightening the mounting bolt. The same goes for the long bolt that holds on the hub carrier, you need to centralise the hub carrier with washers either side, pretty much any gaps have to be filled with some form of spacer, so that everything is central and doesn't move or twist when bolts are done up. I know this because I made the exact same mistakes my self and had to go back at the end of my build and sort it all out.

[keith kelly]

Thanks didnt build the car myself, the mounts have been pulled in slightly as no washers were used which is why I decided to look at it. Sounds like I should leave the crush tubes as they are but open up the mounts and add spacers. Also add some to the hub carrier as the gap on pic 2 does not look correct.

[Guest mcramsay]

The crush tubes are a set length as they come from Gbs. So they should be correct. As long as they have been pressed into the bush correctly, ie you have not got loads of tube at one side of the bush and none at the other.

[knights_templar]

The crush tubes are a set length as they come from Gbs. So they should be correct.

 

sorry to contradict, but this is NOT the case.

 

there are manufacturing tolerance in the wishbone eye, if early type the bushes themselves (later ones are done in house), and the wishbones and chassis can be metal, painted or powder coated, all have an effect on the length of the eye tube (crush tube).

 

So every one is different.

 

I would take RichardL's advice