Safety Fast October 2016

Front Suspension Bush replacement By Graham Dix

I have recently replaced my front suspension bushes, having been horrified at the deterioration of the ones fitted just six years ago. I have always tried to maintain originality but the poor quality of available rubber these days seems to make it sensible to look for better options. I settled for replacement polybushes from Autobush.com that are dark blue in colour and
thus hard to notice when fitted. These are reasonably priced and, once fitted, have drastically improved the rigidity of the front end. Very impressed.

Peter Cresswell added: “Part of the problem relating to the front bushes deteriorating is down to the grip modern tyres can generate, this being much greater than the cross-plys the bushes were designed to cope with, or even the radials of the 1960s/70s. The other part of the problem is down to poor quality, as Graham suggests. Although polybushes are good (I use the dark blue ones as well!) they do induce a degree of harshness that is not present with the rubber bushes, and RV8 ones
might be a good alternative. I also believe V8 ones are rubber with a steel sleeve.

Incidentally, if you look at the angle of the front wheels from the front of the car they are at different angle on each side (the
camber angle) either positive (they lean out at the top) or negative (they lean in at the top). You can correct this using  bushes with an offset hole. They are available from B&G but were out of stock when I enquired recently and I haven’t seen them listed elsewhere. Part number is 8G6210/S and they come as a set of four.”

George Wilder added: “I have been using V8 bushes in my MGB front suspension for years and years, it being a standard mod years ago.”

Door Rattle
I finally managed to locate the source of a frustrating rattle in my driver’s door, having removed the door panel several times and finding nothing. The striker plate on the B Post of the body has a bullet-shaped locator for the door latch. This had become loose. The remedy was to remove the striker plate and, using a ball pein hammer and a vice, to gently tap the rear of the locator to spread it, thus tightly securing it. Rattle cured.
Happy days.

DAVID BROADHURST
newsletter-editor@mgb-register.org