cradle bushes

[cefiro]

Just wanted to get some advise, I am going to get some alloy cradle bushes, but my question is that looking at the cradle it doesnt really sit up against the frame when the car is sitting there. I have attatched a pic of the car jacked up, but even when the car is lowered off the jacks there is still a gap at the top. This cannot be normal and if I put the alloy cradle bushes in then the top ones will fall out (Will get the easy c shaped ones so I dont have to remove the whole cradle). Anyone got any advise, I will need to tighten them up but need car jacks and hydrolic jack as well.

Cheers for any input.

[cefiro]

Anyone, someones got to have some info????

[lwells]

Try the suspension forum, since you're asking about.. .errr.. suspension

LW.

[BHDave]

That looks rather odd.

If it only happened when the car was jacked up i'd say it's probably shagged bushes but as it maintains a gap when it's down i think you could have a twisted car/subframe.

Is it only the one corner that has the gap?

[Trust33]

Does that gap on the top rubber bush mean there is somthing wrong with the whole senario.

[cefiro]

Its actually both sides, having a closer look at it, and even the front ones are a little off the top, but they are not really linked to the rear ones arethey?? (by front I mean the ones just before the rear wheel). What are the possibilities of the bushes just being gone and sagging???

[BHDave]

It's possible.

Have you tried jacking the car up off the diff and see if the subframe pushes up against the body? That would be shagged bushes

Or tightening the nuts (if it's possible)?

[cefiro]

dont have a hydrolic jack, but will give it a go with my frame jack. do I jack it off the grooved part of the diff with a peice of wood or after that???

[Lunatic Dancer]

frame jack = scissor jack?

if so don't do it...too dangerous...

get a good hydraulic jack and jackstands if you want to live..and jack the middle of the diff

like under the drain bolt with wood, not at the fins....

also the bush area...it seems normal, maybe a fraction too much of a space inbetween but

the metal spacers will fill them up...

[cefiro]

I jacked it up off the diff, which iliminated the gap on the rear bushes, but not on the front ones. So I moved the jack and placed it on the subframe on the front (just in front of rear wheel) and removed the gap there again the passenger side seems to be a little sagier. So from that I take it the bushes are just stuffed (not bent subframe), do you think putting the alloy pinapples in will solve it as i just want the C shape ones which means I dont have to drop the whole subframe, but if it doesnt remove the gap then chances are they will fall out from the top???

[cefiro]

ok well I put the alloy cradle bushes in, bought hydro jack and stands, but its making alot of clunking noises, obviously its more solid in the rear, but when I accelerate on and off I get a click/clunk noise, and especially when doing a three point turn, Have a JIC coilovers (Verry stiff) ATS LSD in there which you could feel load up, but now its just way too noisy.

I dont know if something is wrong or normal???

What I was thinking is getting a thiner nolathene pinapples or something to sit between the top of the subframe and the underside of the car to at dampen it. Or possibly remove the top alloy pinapple and replace with whiteline small nolathene bush.

hope someone can offer some help.

[lwells]

Yeah, I hear those pineapples are good stuff, especially the URAS Super Pineapples. *wink wink.*

On a serious note, you say "alloy cradle bushes". Are these designed to replace the standard bushes or are they 'metal pineapples' (i.e. spacers)?

Lucien.

[BHDave]

Sounds pretty normal. The bushes are just transfering all the mechanical diff noise into the chassis now rather than damping it as they were previously.

[Bl4cK32]

If you fit all metal pinapples NVH will increase greatly. For best effect fit urethane pinapple uppers and alloy lowers. This will keep the vibrations down, and still give you the desired results i have been told

[cefiro]

yeah definitley comming from the diff, well first option is to change diff oil to redline, and hopefully that will eliviate some of the noise then depending on how that goes, maybe Bl4cK32 suggestion on fitting the urethane uppers in maybe the next go. The two options of oil and pinapples is prob going to be the best.

Thanks for everyones input, will let you know how i go, hopefuuly the oil will go in tomorrow night, or over the weekend. Some people seem to have mixed results with it removing the clunking.

Cheers