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MG Midget and Sprite Technical - Which eurethane bush>

I know it's been discussed on here before, but this winter I'm thinking about fitting eurethane bushes all round to my '65 Sprite. So which are the best? I want them for road use only.
I've alrady got Peter May 400lb front springs, 11/16th ARB and 30% uprated shocks on the front, rear end is bog standard. 5.1/2" wires with 175/70x13 tyres. So I'm looking to further improve the handling by firming up the car all round.
There are so many makes and I've heard pro and con stories about many of them. Polybush and Superflex seem to be the main names that spring to mind, but people may have better experience of other makes. I'm going to the NEC show this weekend and you can usually get a deal if you buy at the show.

Bernie.
b higginson

Bernie,
As posted on the current rear suspension thread, I got a great deal from Autobush when I bought them at the Stoneleigh show about 18 months ago. I think I paid about £50 for a complete car set.
I've only fitted the rear spring pad and shackle bushes thus far but they seem good quality and have certainly sharpened up the handling and improved the ride. They came complete with loads of grease and the front bushes have what appear to be nicely engineered stainless steel crush tubes.
I can't comment on longevity as I only fitted them earlier this year but so far so good.
They're supplied by a subsidiary of David Gerald the TVR specialists.
http://home.btconnect.com/davidgeraldtvr/pages/shop.html#mgmidget
Matt1275Bucks

Thanks for that Matt. A freind of mine said that his Polybushes were OK except for the top link ones between the king pin and the shock absorber. He said that as you tighten the nut and bolt, they started to extrude themselves out of the housing.
One of the reason for me wanting to change is that the modern rubber ones don't seem to last due to the poor quality of the rubber and I've had mine in for three years.
I wonder if the company you mention will be at NEC this weekend.

Bernie.
b higginson

I'm trying the non sleeved front wishbone pan bushes at the moment, mainly because the stainless sleeved ones seized solid around the bolts. Even if they don't last as long I'll be happy if I can get everything apart to replace them, the sleeved version were a nightmare.
Paul MkIMkIV

David Gerald TVR are certainly better than they used to be in the past

with my present Midget in 3 years I went from standard rubber to yellow fast road MGOC ones to SuperFlex

SuperFlex I like

obviously this doesn't compare them with Autobush or Poly Bush

I'm at the NEC with my car doing the Sporting Bears Dream Rides if you bring your insurance I'll drive out and you can drive back

I've got uprated front springs, dampers and ARB with tele dampers to rear, 155/70/13, 5 inch minilite copies so should give a reasonable apporoximation
N Atkins

Bernie,
I can't comment on the upper trunnion bushes cos I haven't got round to fitting them yet. The backs have however made a noticeable difference. When I took the rubber bushes out, those from the shackles were OK but my spring pads were well and truly sh*gged so that may have been why the difference is so noticeable. Give Autobush a call and see if they'll be there and if they have any deals on. At least you can ensure they take some Spridget bushes with them!
Where did you get your 51/2" wires from?
Matt
Matt1275Bucks

Matt. I had the wheels converted from the standard ones on the car by The Motor Wheel Company many years ago, using the original hubs and fitting new spokes and 5.1/2" rims. They used to be in Jeddo Road London, but have moved, but I don't know where to. I'll call Autobush today.

Bernie.
b higginson

Hi Bernie,

I'm the one who started the other thread on this.. and I took matts advice and got a set of rears from autobush. Delivered next day... haven't fitted them yet... was going to do it this weekend but can't anymore.

Doug is the name of the chap who runs the company with his daughter. Nice chap. I paid £34 with delivery for the rears. They are dark purple and seem fine. Obviously can't comment on the performance of them yet but I'm very happy with the company thus far.

Let us know how yours turn out!

Christian
C L Carter

Bernie
Its the Polybush blue ones that I fitted to the top trunnion. These were far too soft and were absolutely hopeless - they extruded out to the point that the link was loose. I tried fitting large dia washers behind them but it was no better.
Tried to contact Poybush at the time but got no reply.
Also fitted Polybush to the wishbones, these were harder and seem absolutely fine.
I have the standard rubber ones back in now but when they need replacing then might try Superflex bushes.
Les
Les Robinson

Oh no! I'm worried now!

C L Carter

I called David Gerald TVR and they are at the NEC in hall 5, so I'll go and see them. I'll also try to get round to see other manufacturers.
Christian. Don't worry, I won't hold you responsible if they turn out to be c**p LOL.
Les. It was you I mentioned earlier, I just didn't name you for fear of being sued by Polybush.LOL. It would appear that the word "customer service" has become an oxymoron these days.
I don't know how long it will be before I can give any feedback on how good they are as the bushes are just one of quite a few winter jobs to be done.
Thanks again to all for the input.

Bernie.
b higginson

I'm more worried that my rear end is going to fall apart! (sounds painful)
C L Carter

I have used polyurethane bushes from Autobush in the front suspension on my MGB from 2008, and in the rear spring shackles from 2009. They have made a very pleasant difference. More precise handling, yet no rattles and squeaks. Guess it will be about the same on a Midget.

I was very tired of changing the front inner rubber bushes every second year. The Autobush inner bushes look like new after 3 years and 7.000 miles.

Tore
Tore

As Les noted - I had the same problem with the Polybush ones in the top trunnions - binned them.
No help from phone calls.

Replaced with the Australian ones Superpro ? from Moss - excellent in comparison.

R.

richard boobier

I went to the Polybush stand at NEC on Saturday, spoke to a young lady and we sorted out a kit for my car, just changing the 9/16ths ARB bushes in the kit for 11/16ths ones. I was ready to pay with my card, but was told that they don't take orders at the show. You have to ring them on Monday, give them your spec and only then do they take your card details and send them off to you. If you then mention that you'd been to the show, they will waive the carriage charges. It seems like a cock eyed way of doing business, because as anyone who has been in sales knows, if you let a prospect walk away without closing the deal, you stand a 50% chance of losing the sale, which in my case is true. I'm now thinking about the Superpro ones that richard mentions, but if she had collared me at the show they would have had a definite sale.(I wonder how many sales they lost this weekend).
I also mentioned to her about the problem that Les and Richard had and she denied all knowledge of any contact because the emails and phone calls go direct to her desk and she didn't recall having any.
David Gerald seemed to be very busy with TVR related things and didn't have any reference to any kind of bushes on their stand, so I didn't speak to them.

Bernie.
b higginson

I've reactivated this thread because I have now fitted the Superpro bushes all round the car. They were cheaper than Polybush and I had no extruding problems that others had experienced with the Polybushes. I just fitted them one corner at a time, using the lube supplied and it was an easy job.
I have been on a long test run over some of Derbyshire's twisty roads and I'm more than pleased with the result. Combined with the mods mentioned in the first post, the car corners really flat and feels much more "planted" on the road than with the three year old standard bushes. They also got rid of an annoying creak as I came to a halt as the car settled back off the brakes with the old bushes.
Obviously I can't comment on their longevity as they have only been on for three weeks, but if anyone is looking at changing their bushes, I can thoroughly recommend Superpro.

Bernie.
b higginson

Just out of interest how do the superpro bushes fit onto the upper trunnion without extruding, I assume that they came with inserts however when I phoned poly-bush about extrusion they said that inserts would defeat the point of poly bushes?
They recommended using washers, which isn't perfect but seems to work.


BH Harvey

Three weeks - that is quite a long test run in the Derbyshire's twisty roads - did you get lost?
Guy

Some years ago - must have been around 2002 -I bought and fitted blue Polybushes. I had problems with the top trunnion ones distorting and in fact breaking up. After a fair bit of to-ing and fro-ing with the supplier in a certain Welsh borders town, I discovered that what I had been supplied with was a mixed set. Some were genuine Polybushes (note capital P)whilst others were polybushes (small p). The top trunnions were the alternative supplier ones and noticeably of inferior quality. apparently the supplier was short of the proper ones so had made up the sets from other sources! They eventually owned up and supplied replacements of the proper version when new stocks came in and they fitted perfectly!
Guy

Bernie,
I've not read all the post and as you say it's been covered before so I'll keep mine short

early in ownership of my Midget I changed to the full sets of yellow ones that MGOC sell

2 years later I changed to Super-Flex

personally for my car and my type of driving on the roads I like to drive I found the yellow 'harder' and Super-Flex in my opinion better
Nigel Atkins



greetings all. Interesting reading. I have fitte
superpro blue from magic midget . these have the
stainless insert what is the general opinion?
would it be worth drilling insert to get oil in?
any comments
P C Knightley

whoops

I've now read the post I'm a bit out of date that's what happens when I try a shortcut other can get away with, I can't

sorry
Nigel Atkins

Coincidence this.
I have an unopened set of Superflex polybushes for the top trunnions. I bought them years ago when I converted to the frontline telescopics.

There are 2 reasons that I didn't fit them.
1) I already had 2 sets of the rubber version, with the steel insert/washer arrangement, and 2), I didn't like the idea of guessing how tight to do the bolt with the polybush. Even though it has a large flat washer, it seemed to me, that just as others have described, the polybush would simply be squeezed out.

Now I have to strip and rebuild my front suspension again. My rubbers have lasted pretty well, I don't seem to have the premature wear others talk of, and I still have set of the original rubber bushes. (NOS).

So do I waste the Superfelx poly's or do I sell them, and use my rubbers?

Sussex Classic parts sell polybushes. What make are these? Does anyone know?

Another related question. Inner wishbone bushes. Originally these were shoulderless tapers, with a steel insert. However all I can see for sale is bushes with a "shoulder", which I think is incorrect. Does anyone know where the original pattern can be obtained, either polybush or rubber?
Lawrence Slater

The bushes I fitted are "Superpro", made in Australia. I don't know if they are the same, or made by the same company as the "Superflex" ones people have mentioned.
The top trunnions came with washers which fit either side of the bushes. They also have inserts, so I don't know why the "Polybush" people would say that an insert defeats the object of a polyurethane bush. The washers are larger than the ones pictured in BH Harveys post.
I was less than impressed with the way that Polybush prefer to do business when I aproached them at the NEC last November, so I chose Superpro which I bought from Moss. Mine are blue by the way.
Guy. In reply to your mischievous remark. No I didn't get lost, I'd put them on and if you remember, the weather went a bit cold and the Council went mad with salt on the road, so I had to wait until Thursday just gone, when I went to see Peter Burgess to do those carb spacer experiments. (see HIF44 spacer thickness thread).

Bernie.
b higginson

This thread was discussed between 10/11/2011 and 10/03/2012

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