Bushes Replacement

Whilst replacing my air-conditioning condenser and getting the front-nose re-sprayed, I decided to strip down the front suspension and replace the bushes on the shock-absorber and lower wishbone.

Original Parts

The wishbone is only 3 years old, and look at the state of it!

The shock-absorber is in slightly better condition:

The bush in the shock-absorber has failed and has been removed. The wishbone bushes are in much better condition but the front mounted one is horrible in construction. This has, in fact, been modified in later V8 Esprits (circa: April 1998) to a split-bush arrangement because there was too much movement of the wishbone under braking due to the larger tyres fitted to the V8.

Anyhow, these are my targets to be replaced.

Polyurethane Bushes

The polyurethane bushes I used are of a universal variety. To be used on an Esprit, they need to be drilled out with a 0.5" drill bit.

This is best done using a lathe.

Fitting the Bushes

The bushes are easily fitted. I prefer to use no lubricant when fitting them. Fitting is aided by inserting the polyurethane piece first, then pressing the stainless-steel inner last. Once assembled, the wishbone front bush looks like this:

The shock-absorber looks like this:

Anti-Roll Bar Bush

The Anti-Roll Bar bush was upgraded in later Esprits (as far as I'm aware). It's a metal bush from a Ford Fiesta!

This gives much greater control of the wishbones.

Final Appearance

Enjoy!