Front suspension refrurb

[loki_the_glt]

It's finally time to bite the bullet(wallet?) and sort out the Valdez's front end.

After 220k miles it needs new bushes - the KYB damper inserts are barely 2000miles old - so I'd like some advice on the best solution.

I do NOT want to stiffen up the handling or lose ride comfort/height as the local roads could swallow a Mini; rather I want to get rid of the various clunks and return the car to something like its original state.

Do I go for polybushes on everything or OEM-spec rubber bushes or a mix of the two?

What, if any, special tools will be required?

I've looked at a number of threads and come out ever less certain about the way forward.

Thanks in advance.

[griston64]

I'm currently in the process of doing all front end stuff. I got spare control arms,strut rods and arb. Had them all blasted and coated. I am also replacing the struts,springs ,shocks and hubs. New track rod ends and ball joints as well. I've also got a new subframe and engine mounts so pretty extensive and expensive

I'm going for Superflex spaceship bushes but all the rest will be genuine Volvo rubber as I've heard cheep rubber is rubbish and I'm not looking for sports car handling

I'm not quite there parts wise yet but will hopefully do a write up with pictures when it's all complete

[aardvarkash10]

Moomin got a near-full front end rebushing last year. ARB done with urethane, new drop links (urethane bushed), spaceships in rubber, control arm bushes in rubber.

You need a big fcuk off press for the control arm bushes (I have a tame mechanic in the family who did it at his workshop in a bout 3 minutes), and get a good front end alignment done when its all finished.

[360beast]

Originally Posted by aardvarkash10

Moomin got a near-full front end rebushing last year. ARB done with urethane, new drop links (urethane bushed), spaceships in rubber, control arm bushes in rubber.

You need a big fcuk off press for the control arm bushes (I have a tame mechanic in the family who did it at his workshop in a bout 3 minutes), and get a good front end alignment done when its all finished.

I removed and fitted the control arm bushes in my vice as the press mushroomed the end over.

I burnt the rubber out then I cut the ends flush with the arm, cut a line up the middle if sleeve then put a socket over the one end and big bit of pipe the other and it pressed out instantly.

I'm sure plenty of people on here know my views by now, polybush the lot! Absolutely no negative effect to the comfort and a lot better handling. I only needed to change the spaceship bushes on mine really but thought I might as well do the lot while I'm there.

[TonyS9]

Polybush are expensive (for some items) and do cause some minor issues, such as car parking skipping (reversing on full lock cold the wheels kind of jump). The originals are more compliant and give perfectly good handling. For you I'd definately recommend originals.

Make sure you tighten the fixed ones only on the ground.

Some of them are very hard to change, but can be done with various tools, hammering etc.

[360beast]

I had car park skip on my 940 before polybushes very bad, now it has them it has done it once.

[loki_the_glt]

I took the Valdez into my friendly neighbourhood garage this morning: the O/S ARB link is in two parts with a 3/8" gap between them. This almost certainly accounts for the banging and crashing.

I've bitten the bullet and ordered a pair of ARB links but need to identify the rack before replacing the track rod which was an advisory at January's MoT test.