Alfa Romeo Forum banner

Power Flex Bushes

Tags
bushes flex
4K views 44 replies 19 participants last post by  Cluffstarr 
#1 ·
Well i have had the gtv 3.0 for 2 weeks now and had 600 faultless miles and loved everyone off them :). But now the work starts was planning to fit a full set of power flex buxhes over the xmas period . Need an excuse to get out the house on the big day :cheese: . Now how hard are they to fit. I have a good workshop just no lift so will have to work on floor level.
 
#2 ·
i have not dont this myself however i know you either need a 10 tonne press and then its a doddle or you need to do combination of cutting and burning them out, While the rubber may have perished they are still well seated and proove anoying to come out when i attempted one

many memebers here gain great satisfaction of being able to tell that they did it all myself i left it to my local specialist becuase i just knew i would have it all in bits and would get stuck somewhere lol

maybee an idea to drop the rear subframe entirely and do it away from the car

remember to get it 4 wheel tracked aswell afterwards
 
#3 ·
Removing the bushes is the hardest part and that's easy if you have access to a press.

No need for a lift although as with most jobs, a lift would be great!

There are loads of helpful threads on here if you search, here's a few.

http://www.alfaowner.com/Forum/alfa-gtv-and-916-spider/275189-springarm-reconditioning.html

http://www.alfaowner.com/Forum/alfa-gtv-and-916-spider/275189-springarm-reconditioning.html

http://www.alfaowner.com/Forum/alfa...o-guide-front-and-rear-suspension-change.html

I am going down the route of buying second hand pans, arms and wishbones, refirbing them with powerflex bushes and then swapping them over in one hit. Best of luck :thumbs:
 
#4 · (Edited)
Well i have had the gtv 3.0 for 2 weeks now and had 600 faultless miles and loved everyone off them :). But now the work starts was planning to fit a full set of power flex buhes over the xmas period . Need an excuse to get out the house on the big day :cheese: . Now how hard are they to fit. I have a good workshop just no lift so will have to work on floor level.
There are lots of "how to" threads on this forum (not necessarily in the sticky thread at the top of the forum) that describe exactly how to replace the bushes, with some recommendations on whether to change the "rose" joint type bushes for powerflex busheson the rear arms. ;)

Rich
 
#5 ·
and don't expect to get ot done on one day. Its takes time cracking/grinding/removing all the old rusted bolts/nuts, prepping and reassembling in the right order, torquing up, then retorquing after alls settled. But a relatively easy job to do. Don't forget the upper wishbone ball joints.
 
#8 ·
Even with a 10 ton press some of the old joints are tough little bugbears to remove, often require heat/chill and perserverance. You need a good selction of drifts/sockets to fit the various sizes of bush hole. And be very careful not to bend any arms especially to top wishbone fork
 
#11 ·
I did mine a month or two ago. Loads of good advice already however heres mine: do not even attempt this without a 10 ton press!! Also I personally would not bother to order the upper wishbone joints from the powerflex kit and I disagree with the advice of changing the upper wishbone joints. I would only powerflex the trailing arms and spring pans - I wish I'd left the upper wishbone joints alone - the powerflex bushes are an absolute nightmare to fit - I suppose if you have access to a proper ramp it may work out. I was on axle stands and it took me from 10 am to midnight to get all 14 (IIRC) bushes replaced and back in. I reckon I would have completed this job by 4pm if I had left the upper wishbone joints alone. Apart from that it is very straight forward.
 
#14 · (Edited)
I find the upper wishbones the easiest part of the whole job.. had to do them because the originals were shot.. there used to be an issue with powerflex supplying large washers for the upper wishbone that weren't required and wouldn't fit anyway.. after a phone call to powerflex they were consigned to the bin and from then on it was a doddle.. note.. the outer washers on the lower arms are very important and must be fitted.

you can get all the bushes out without a press. takes about 20 mins per bush.. the original upper bushes are a top hat design so will only knock out one way.. you will see when you have brushed all the crap off.. and to be honest by the time you have taken them to someone with a press.. and it's a weekend.. garages shut etc.. you may as well have just knocked them out yourself..

Take all the arms off both sides.. set up a production line.. removing all the old bushes first .. and then fit the new bushes.. maybe splodge some paint on them.. any colour you like.. re-assemble the suspension.. then you are not going from one job to another all the time..
allow a couple of days.. take your time..

Do it.. it's worth it..
 
#15 ·
It's certainly worth it:thumbs:

As discussed many times the transverse arms are vital. The springpans are contentious but if fitted correctly powerflex works well. The upper wishbones are worth it as the OE rubbers do perish (mine were in a terrible state) and, as a whole, if all done correctly, the rear poweflex upgrade is a quantum leap in improved handling and ride.

Forget the front. Keep everything oe fresh, and fit a brace and Quaiffe diff.

Quite frankly NineOneSix without suitable suspension improvments in your set-up I would avoid any trip in your beast like Friday 13th:D
 
#16 ·
Tbh it handles like a dream, hence me not really bothered about it. The rear feels tight as a drum apart from the crap shocks back there. When I ran it without pas for almost a year it was twitchy as hell but still very drivable.

A quaife? My car doesn't use a TS GB and it has viscodrive which is more grabby then a Q2. But it still
Lights up the tyres both of them even worse in the wet. Throttle control is a must.

I've got a front strutbrace but I haven't noticed a difference from it tbh.

My front wishes I think are on there way out, with the torque I've got I'm not surprised.
 
#17 ·
Replacing all four shocks is vital. The rears always wear first but do the lot. Koni Sports are good, but I think the TS/JTS version of the Bilsteins are still available. Ride with the Konis on mine absolutely superb - planted, not hard but with the right degree of compliance to give confidence. Eibach prokit also crucial - this combo gives such a good ride, less body roll through the corners.

Honestly, with your setup (which does sound addictive), go for the upgrades and you will get extremely excited.

What I wouldn't give to have your set-up in my Spider..........
 
#20 ·
That what I was told.. so took them off to check them and they were perished.. I could push the inners out with my thumb.. that was at about 80k on a 96 gtv.. I'd say check them while you have the suspension apart.. it's only four bolts per side..
 
#24 ·
Quick and possibly daft question. Those of you that have refurb'd your rear suspension, what do you do if your ball joints are shagged? Im a bit unfamiliar with the whole setup at present as im yet to jack it up and strip it down. If the ball joints are shot can you replace/refurb them with a kit or do you need a whole new part incl whatever it is attached to?
 
#25 · (Edited)
Not a daft question.. And seeing as you're Welsh and like rugby..
You can replace the ball joints if you can get hold of them.. and they are a bit expensive..like about 45 quid each.. or good secondhand from autolusso etc..
You can buy a complete new arm but that is very expensive..
All a bit of a saga really..

If I were a commercial mechanic I don't think I would want to powerflex a customer's upper links.. as there's a chance they will be back in a week complaining about their shagged ball joints.. much easier to change the whole arm and give them the bill.. also the labour charge would be a lot less

I powerflexed mine and fitted good secondhand ball joints.. re greased .. in fact I fitted grease nipples just like old fashioned track rod ends.. I even played with the idea of re-engineering the upper arm to take a powerflex bush instead of the ball joint.. made one.. but to much buggering about..

you'll see when you get the wheel off.. yours may be ok
there's loads on here on all of this.. do a good search..
 
#26 ·
Thats alright if i can get new joints i can live with that. Cash is a bit tight right now so i would rather spend £90 on new joints and replace them while i have it all stripped down rather than the £300 odd it costs for each new arm. I just hope that the major parts are not too rotten and i can tidy them up and re-use!
 
#29 ·
Yes the ball joint is bolted on half way along the arm - so no need to replace the whole arm.

Fully agree with seadart on the bushes. Mine were completely perished, that's why I powerflexed them. With the balljoint itself replacable, it makes sense to do it.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top