fearofweapons Posted October 22, 2019 Share Posted October 22, 2019 Hello, earlier this year I replaced the bushes, dampers and u-bolts on the suspension of the SIII SWB. A couple of weeks ago we noticed we were getting a slight 'clunk' going around corners. This weekend that clunk had matured to give an almighty bang when going around a tight roundabout at speed. Investigation found that the near side front chassis bush was lose in the chassis. If I take the bolt out and move the shackle plates out of the way I can push the bush out with my finger - this is not normal behaviour. I have ordered up a new, Bearmach, bush in the hope the old one is slightly off in manufacture somewhere - not sure who made the failing one. However if I get the same behaviour with the new bush what options would you suggest to remedy this issue? Various options have been put forward in the pub; ranging from knocking a shim in around the bush to running a thin bead of weld down the inside of the hole in the chassis to tack welding the bush into the chassis. cheers, Rich T Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rtbarton Posted October 22, 2019 Share Posted October 22, 2019 I'd keep heat well away from a rubber bush. Knurling or staking the outer sleeve to the chassis tube may help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lo-fi Posted October 22, 2019 Share Posted October 22, 2019 Check that the tube in the chassis hasn't been eaten away by tinworm. Also check for cracks around the tube as it's not unheard of in that area. The only good option for a satisfactory repair (assuming the tube is at fault and it's not a badly made bush) is to have a new tube welded in, or if it's sound but simply worn slightly over-size, you may get away with fitting poly bushes as they don't rely on a tight tolerance interference fit. You won't get a shim in that'll last and won't do more harm, and welding the outer can of the bush in is a bodge of heroic proportions! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gazzar Posted October 23, 2019 Share Posted October 23, 2019 I believe that you can get new tubes to weld into the chassis, I dimly recall seeing them when I was looking for bits to repair my chassis. When I did do the repair I was able to keep the old tubes, but I welded gussets from the chassis rail to the tubes and repaired a lot of cracks where the tube was originally welded to the chassis. I did have the "advantage" that the bottom part of the chassis rail had been removed, so I could access the inside of the chassis. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
secondjeremy Posted October 23, 2019 Share Posted October 23, 2019 I measured some as I was having problems - and there's quite a difference between makes - I recall Britpart were the largest and Bearmach the smallest but they may vary. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fearofweapons Posted October 23, 2019 Author Share Posted October 23, 2019 Hi secondjeremy that is very interesting re the diameters. The ones in at the moment are, I believe, bearmach and I have just ordered up another. If I get the same issue with the new one I'll try a Britpart. This may be the one time when their sometimes less than exact reproductions of the originals is a boon! I'll update this thread with results. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fearofweapons Posted December 2, 2019 Author Share Posted December 2, 2019 so new bush, Bearmach, bought and fitted. I'll have to wait 'till we have done a few miles I expect before I will know if it's fixed or not. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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