Lotus Elan and Lotus Elan Plus 2 Forums

Hi all,
I was thinking of fitting the Superflex bushes for the rear arms that Susan Miller sells but I notice they have a 'top hat' type of fitting, ie, the 'brim' of the top hat looks like it keeps the bush from sliding in too far.

Other types of poly bushes don't have this 'brim' material but rather are more oem like, ie, a hunk of poly of the same size as the oem bush, with a stainless sleeve in the middle.

Has anyone fitted the Susan Miller/Superflex bushes and not have a problem fitting the arm in the lugs on the chassis or at the hub?

Thanks,
Greg Z

hi Greg,

I have just fitted some A-frame bushes sourced from www.autobush.com in the UK. they have also a lip on one side where they attach to the hub. the bigger A-frame bush that attaches the A-frame to the chassis consists of two half bushes which both have a lip. I could push these bushes in by hand for 70% and then used a vice to push these in further. once in place you then fit some grease inside the bush before pressing in the stainless steel crushtube ( grease and crushtubes supplied in the kit)
I have not any driving experience yet with these bushes fitted ,because I am changing my springs at the moment but I will do in a couple of days.
Oh, the only alteration I had to make is to the lip of the little bushes that attach to the hub. the lip was too wide and would not allow the hub to fit between the A-frame so I had to turn down a few mm from both bushes.
I think I saw in previous postings that others have taken some material form the hub itself but I did not want to do this.
Turning down the bushes was easy, no problems there.
So far pleased with the result. Have fitted one A-frame so far on the car without any hassles. because the material is harder it is less forgiving and everything has to lign up properly as also discussed in previous postings.
I fitted the A-frame by aligning the A-frame under the chassis attachment and then slowly jacking the bush into place.
Just becarefull not to distort the bush. I hope this helps.
cheers
Robin

Greg, the Superflex bushes are a very tight fit - as you say they are "top hat" shaped and they do protrude from either side of the wishbones. I fitted them on my +2 last year and they are very good but you do need to file some metal from the uprights (they will squeeze in to the chassis mounting points). To me they seem much better than the original type, providing a slight improvement in chassis/suspension feel without being harsh or too firm. These plus adjustable Spider A frames giving the right amount of rear toe in have made a big difference to the handling of my car. (and no I've got no affiliation with either!)

Craig

Thanks guys. Sounds like with either bush, some material will need to be removed in order to fit the A arm to either the chassis or hub.

No.. You should not need to modify either the bush or anything else where 'A' frame mounts to the chassis. The Autobush Item for EG is a straight swop for the rubber items and they fit very well.

On the outer bushes? Yes. You will need to remove either some metal from the ali upright or the bush. Choice is yours. But..You have now an opportunity to check and set the wheelbase distance between the centers of the axles back and front. I needed a small adjustment on the off side of my car so I opted to machine a little more from the upright and used a .5mm thick s/s shim/washer to put the hub where I wanted it. I made up a tool to machine the faces of the uprights, and powered it with a hand battery powered drill. This tool was the same dia (clearance!) as the holes on the uprights and long enough to go thro' both mounting holes, therefore keeping things lined up and the face I was machining 'true'. Perfek!! ...

I'm the same though and as yet still have to test the car properly. Awaiting salt free roads!!

Have fun and dont panic. And don't just file lumps off your uprights. Measure them! know what you need to remove and go carefully. The bushes are disposable! If you screw them up..Buy another pair! Not so easy with the uprights!!


Alex B....

I also fitted the autobush items but also opted to machine some material off the hub principally to clean up the surface which had been indented by the original steel inner sleeves and then added stainless washer for the inner sleeves to clamp to and the bush flange to rotate against.
Assembling the "A" frame to the chassis mounts was made easier by using thin strips of metal to form a lead in and guide the bush flanges between the chassis brackets, a fair amount of force was needed but I did not need to machine any material from the bushes.
The bushes have been installed for 9 months now and are working fine.

Good to know! It was the hub end I was really worried about.
Thanks!

Hi,

I have fitted a complete set of bushes from Sue, done the whole car including the lower roll bar bushes, they all fit tight but just fine.

Dave

69S4SEDHC