Lower control arm inner bush 216903

[Magenta Auto Sprint]

I am due to start rebuilding my front subframe.

I see that the part 216903 is only available as a polybush unit now as the original part is no longer available.

I don't really want to spend £45 on two poly bushes, is there an alternative such as a self aligning bearing etc?

Malcolm

[cleverusername]

Winns are selling the poly bushes for £15 each if that is any better. However it looks like your options are buy a whole new wishbone or get the poly.

[Carledo]

If there is nothing wrong with your original arms/bushes, better to keep them than go to Poly. In more than 50 years of Dolomites, i've never once replaced a lower arm (much easier than changing the factory bush, it's a mare!) for a worn bush, though I have replaced a couple that were bent from impacts.

Toledos are a different story, they don't have the "rose joint" design of the Dolomite part and wear out frequently, I change quite a few of them, fortunately Chris Witor does a Toledo dedicated poly kit, not cheap, as you say, but seem to be "fit and forget".

Steve

[marshman]

Robsport have them for £13.80 each - I think they are SuperPro ones. I fitted them to my Sprint and they seem OK - though never been in another Sprint to compare! Don't remember them being particularly difficult to change, but it was about 18 months ago and my memory is not what it was!!

EDIT: Just looked in the garage and yes my memory is failing !! I still have the polybushes in a box ! I bought a complete kit from Robsport but didn't use those ones because the originals still looked like new, they are protected by some washers / covers. I suspect as Steve says you won't need to change them.

[sprint95m]

In more than 50 years of Dolomites, i've never once replaced a lower arm (much easier than changing the factory bush, it's a mare!) for a worn bush, though I have replaced a couple that were bent from impact

My experience is quite the opposite, Steve
and I think I have only totally stripped the suspension on three cars.

The water shields are a poor idea, they corrode and let water by……
I have had bolts rusted into the joints
had a bolt almost worn away to half it’s proper diameter and
on one joint there was play.
On my last two cars I have had to replace the suspension brackets because of wear to the TCA bolt holes



Ian

[Carledo]

In more than 50 years of Dolomites, i've never once replaced a lower arm (much easier than changing the factory bush, it's a mare!) for a worn bush, though I have replaced a couple that were bent from impact

My experience is quite the opposite, Steve
and I think I have only totally stripped the suspension on three cars.

The water shields are a poor idea, they corrode and let water by……
I have had bolts rusted into the joints
had a bolt almost worn away to half it’s proper diameter and
on one joint there was play.
On my last two cars I have had to replace the suspension brackets because of wear to the TCA bolt holes
Ian

Must be those Scots roads mate! I've had a couple of tin plates dissolve, the ones from Herald trunnion kits are near perfect fit, never had a bolt wear away or rust in place, even on the several "field find" scrappers i've had. And certainly never had wear in the bolt holes. That all sounds like bad prior maintainence to me. But none of these is directly related to wear in the inner TCA bush which was the point I was trying to make.

Last year, I found the bolt snapped in half and half missing from the N/S/F lower shock mount on the Carledo during a routine inspection, which had me scratching my head a bit. But the broken end remaining showed classic metal fatigue symptoms so I guess it just had enough and gave up. Probably an original bolt form 1973 that I subjected to a tad too much load on local tarmac pothole fields. I would have renewed the nyloc nut as a matter of habit, when changing the shox to Gaz, but the bolts only get changed if they look iffy.

Steve

[sprint95m]

Must be those Scots roads mate!

Only if it was the thought of they roads…..

The first car came from Northern Ireland and the second from the West Midlands,
the second one also had very worn tie bars/subframe mounting holes, but this was of no
consequence for me because I am using the ST set-up.



Ian

[new to this]

I replaced the bushes on my car to ploy,maybe a mistake but done now,also modified the end strengthen the arm,the bushes were real pain to get out,the new poly bushes i fitted i used stainless steel sleeve hoping the bolt wont rust to the sleeve

Dave