Lotus Elan and Lotus Elan Plus 2 Forums

Hi All,
This is just an observation, I recently changed the bushes in the rear wishbones of my S4, anybody who has done this will know how difficult it can be to remove the old bushes. The one thing I notice about all the old bushes the innner and outer tube are all Cold Drawn Seamless tube (CDS). When I cut the bolt through the trunnion and sleeve I noticed that was also CDS. However the replacements from Matty, including the bushes all the tube is welded tube ERW. in otherwords it has a welded seam running the length of the tube.
Its only a small thing but I know that CDS is a much better tube than ERW, which really is the cheap end of the market.
Small point but might be worth asking next time you buy Trunnion bushes or metalastic bushes.
Bob

Bob,
Yes I noticed the same thing with the trunnions about 5 years ago. Fortunately I have always been able to re-use the CDS tube. The new bushes are not much good either, you have to press them in the trunnion and this shrinks the I/D which makes the tube too tight to turn. But 10 mins with a lathe solves this.
Thats the way of the world now cheap but dross.
Cheers
John

John,
I am in the process of changing the front bushes, I have a set from Matty that all seem to be CDS. My only problem now is I have the top two seized on their pinnions I have already removed three seized inner bush tubes. O well back to the angle grinder.
Bob

Any suspension bush housing on the elan, either front, or rear should be a
machined item, or a correct ID size drawn tubing, machined is better.

I'd be pretty pissed off if I paid good money for a rear suspension A arm
or front wishbone unit only to discover they look like they were made in China.

That's why I fabricate all of my own suspension components.

Ceejay.

The inner tube on these bushings is so thick that I can't see how it would matter as long as the dimensions are correct and the bushing well made in every other respect. There seems to be two bushing varieties around for our Elans and one seems to be rather crude and the others seem even finer than the originals and look to be capable as lasting the usual 20-30 years like the originals.