I NEED HELP!! As most of you know, Tuners Nation has gone out of business, and now no-one is making the 1g subframe bushings. I plan to make them myself, but have been held up because my lathe is down, and the cost of repairs are more than the machine is worth, so I need to get my turning done elsewehere now.

In any case, I made the HUGE mistake of selling my LAST set of 1g subframe bushings, and now have no sample to take measurements from. Does ANYONE have a set of these that they have not installed yet that they would be willing to lend me for R&D?

I have a set brand new in the box Ziggy. I can lend them to you for some measurements since I won't be installing them till the winter. I can send them to you in a few days when I am back in T.O.

THANKS.....you are a LIFE SAVER......

When you get back, please send me a size and weight and I will send you a shipping label....

This thread just made my heart rate jump
I need every bushing from the frame down replaced !

Bushings received from Reza, mold design is in process now

Just an update...this is becoming a bit of a nightmare. I had several pieces cast, but the bore did not shrink as expected!

It looks like these first pieces might all be scrap, unless I provided a different metal sleeve to press in instead of using the original.....

Does anyone have an old "crossmember bracket" kicking around? It is the sort of oval shaped piece with the protrusion that fits into the bottom of the subframe bushing. Also, if you had the nut, it would confirm for me the bolt size, in case I DO decide to source different metal sleeves. Even better would be if you had the old bushing complete with the metal sleeve that I could borrow.

Reza, please let me know if you need these back soon, this is taking a log longer than expected...

Ziggy, you can hang on to them for now. I was planning on installing them right after Christmas.

Thanks Reza, I appreciate that.

I have spoken with my urethane guy, and so far he doesn't even believe what I am telling him, LOL. I will meet with him in the next few days, and should know a lot more then.

In the meantime, I have two options here, and I am looking for some feedback:

1. If my urethane guy can assure me that they will ALWAYS react the same way as this first batch, I can just have new cores made the correct size, and have a fresh batch poured.

2. The other option would be for me to source some metal busings, and have them installed in the mould and the urethane cast around them. This would eliminate the need for re-using the metal sleeve from the old bushings, but it would add to the cost.

Would love some feedback, and still looking for those samples as mentioned above...

Thanks

Number 2. It would be your differentiation in design and people would choose you based on that and not solely on price. I hate competing solely on price. i destroyed my sleeves taking my bushings out. Got over zealous with the acetylene torch! People will like having a new sleeve and you will get sales from that.

I design with cast urethane at work. Shrinkage rate can be accounted for and can be made consistent. The variable that needs to be controlled is the stoichometry of the mixture. change how much reactant is added and you will have different shrinkage rates. Temperature also plays a critical role.

I would be much more inclined to buy bushings that came with new sleeves. But I drive a 2g so who cares what I think?

Jeremy, I might eventually look at doing 2g bushings, so your input counts also.

Mike, I am pretty familiar with mould work and shrinkage, but in this case the ID has hardly shrunk while the OD and length shrunk as expected. I wonder if maybe he let them cool on the cores too long before removing the cores?

Either way, it shouldn't matter.....as long as he can give me consistency...and if I DO end up going the route of having the new sleeves cast right into the bushing, it won't matter one bit.

I would buy them with new sleeves. I hate rusty sleeves or having to source things from many places.

I Vote new sleeves. Usually the old sleeves are scrap anyways rusted out don't really fit the new bushing as designed. I had that problem with ES bushings back in the day.

Ok, that is the opinion I wanted to hear...and that brings to mind the next question. I understand that the bushing must be tight in the subframe, and the sleeve must be tight in the bushing. Here's the thing: With the bushing being urethane, not metal, it "gives" some. When the sleeve is pushed in, it actually "expands" some...so that has me wondering...the current "Tuners Nation" bushings....is the bushing installed in the subframe first, and then the installation of the sleeve in the centre tightens it into place? Or is the sleeve installed first, then the entire assembly pushed into place? I guess I am wondering, if I make them with the sleeve already installed, do I need to make the outside slightly larger, to make up for what it would have expanded when pushing the old sleeve in?

I really wish I had an old bushing, an old sleeve, and ideally even a subframe (or part of it at least) to play with. Anyone scrapping a 1g AWD?

I put the bushings in then sleeves, way easier.

My 1g is being hauled away either tomorrow or next week but I had polys in it, anything other then bushings that you need?

You say way easier in that order....can I ask why? Are you saying that if you put the sleeves in first, the bushings are too tight? Or are you just saying it was easier to put the sleeves in while the bushings are nicely held in the subframe?

I assume that if you have poly bushings in there you want to keep them? I would still love to have that subframe....or at least part of it. Don't imagine you have an easy way to get that out for me? Cutting torch?

Can lend you my old polys?

Thanks, but no, I have Reza's here. I am questioning how much they "grow" when the sleeve is pushed in. We are planning to make these WITH new sleeves, and have a couple of options: We can just make the outside same as now, and provide the sleeves to be pressed in after installing the bushing, or we can cast the sleeve right into the bushing, but then we would probably need to make the outside of the bushing slightly larger to account for the lack of growth when installing a sleeve

I definitely want a set of these

After consulting with a few people, we seem to have reached a decision. We are going to SUPPLY new sleeves with them, but not have them cast in. The process of installing the sleeve AFTER the bushing is installed actally TIGHTENS the fit of the bushing. We have ordered material to make the sleeves from, and are now just waiting to get an actual measurment of the new sleeve, then we will calculate size and turn new cores for the existing molds. So, we are still several weeks away,but getting closer......

I am having a hard time getting the dimension (length) on the old sleeve. Anyone have one apart they can measure??

No-one? Material is due in any day now, and this measurment will be delaying the entire project

Are sleeves available new OEM or just a whole bushing? Or neither?

Sleeves are considered part of the bushing and the bushing is considered part of the subframe and the subframe is considered a single assembly.

This is for the front correct? I have a full kit BNIB siting in my room

id love a set of these lol then again id love to change all the bushings in my car

No the rear. Also, we're not looking for aftermarket sleeves, we need OEMers and they wouldn't be new, they'd have to be hacked out of someone's rear subframe.

Gotcha. Can't help with that one.