R32 And Suspension Bushings... Need Help

[AzzurrA]

Hi All

Have a bit of a question... i went in to get a wheel alignment today at a reputable and highly recommended shop here in Brisbane, and before they did the wheel alignment, they gave the car a free suspension inspection etc... Now, they've came back to me with a quote for nearly $2000 in parts needed! Below is a copy of the quote that they gave me, what are your thoughts on the prices etc? (Note: The bushes that have been quoted are 'Super Pro' urethane bushings, which apparently have a stiffness rating of 80/90 compared to standard rubber which is apparently 30/40)

Bit of background information:

I'm looking at possibly doing some road-rally type events next year (Dutton Rally, Coastal Challenge, etc) and am going to be performing a brake upgrade, and want to do something with the suspension (Stiffen up the chassis further, and new spring/shock combo or coilovers, stuff like that) (I am open to suggestions, but bear in mind that i'm not made of money, so i can't afford a 1 million dollar unobtanium rollcage etc...)

Anyway, i was wondering if its beneficial to switch ALL of the bushes on the underside to polyurethane, to help with reduced movement etc, or are there some bushes that make no difference as to whether they are standard rubber or urethane?

Does anyone know any companies that make Bushing kits for R32 GTS-t's?

Front:

Front Lower Control Arm Bushes x 1 Kit - $171.03

Strut Bar Bushes x 1 Kit - $83.25

Steering Rack Mount Bush Kit x 1 Kit - $43.54

Reconditioned Power Steering Rack x 1 Ea - $514.55

B/S Genuine Tie Rod Ends x 2 Ea - $305.14

Labour x 3.5 Ea - $346.50

Front Wheel Alignment x 1 Ea - $49.50

Power Steering Fluid x 2 Ea - $22.00

Wheel Balance x 4 Ea - $30.80

Rear:

Rear Lower Control Arm Bushes x 1 Kit - $103.64

Labour x 2 Ea - $198.00

Rear Wheel Alignment x 1 Ea - $49.50

Consumables x 1 Ea - $5.50

Total - $1922.95

Now before i agree to the above, i want to research my options a bit, as to if there is a product more suited to what i'm intending to use the car for, for possibly only a little bit more or something? there's no point in buying something that is only going to be replaced down the track a little with something better!

[silver gts-t]

i advise you to do a search on alot of those individual items as alot are very easy to install,

there are hundreds of dollars you can save there if you bought and installed stuff yourself

but then again if you not one for the job i guess you got to fit the bill.

talk to whiteline for bushing kits

[gts4diehard]

hi, if you're unsure try getting a 2nd opinion.

renewing your suspension components, including tierods and bushes ect could easily cost in vicinity of $4k.

p.s. is your power steering rack leaking? I presume it must be for it too require a rebuild.

if you can do some of the stuff yourself or with a friend you can save yourself a fair bit. There are labour costs that are hard to avoid for bush pressings etc. that can still add upto a fair bit.

e.g. fit castor rod bushes $40, fit rear hub bushes $200-$300, fit new bushes to all 6 rear links $300, 4 wheel align $100, and it goes on...

[Sydneykid]

Hi All

 

Have a bit of a question... i went in to get a wheel alignment today at a reputable and highly recommended shop here in Brisbane, and before they did the wheel alignment, they gave the car a free suspension inspection etc... Now, they've came back to me with a quote for nearly $2000 in parts needed! Below is a copy of the quote that they gave me, what are your thoughts on the prices etc? (Note: The bushes that have been quoted are 'Super Pro' urethane bushings, which apparently have a stiffness rating of 80/90 compared to standard rubber which is apparently 30/40)

Bit of background information:

I'm looking at possibly doing some road-rally type events next year (Dutton Rally, Coastal Challenge, etc) and am going to be performing a brake upgrade, and want to do something with the suspension (Stiffen up the chassis further, and new spring/shock combo or coilovers, stuff like that) (I am open to suggestions, but bear in mind that i'm not made of money, so i can't afford a 1 million dollar unobtanium rollcage etc...)

 

Anyway, i was wondering if its beneficial to switch ALL of the bushes on the underside to polyurethane, to help with reduced movement etc, or are there some bushes that make no difference as to whether they are standard rubber or urethane?

 

Does anyone know any companies that make Bushing kits for R32 GTS-t's?

 

Front:

Front Lower Control Arm Bushes x 1 Kit - $171.03

Strut Bar Bushes x 1 Kit - $83.25

Steering Rack Mount Bush Kit x 1 Kit - $43.54

Reconditioned Power Steering Rack x 1 Ea - $514.55

B/S Genuine Tie Rod Ends x 2 Ea - $305.14

Labour x 3.5 Ea - $346.50

Front Wheel Alignment x 1 Ea - $49.50

Power Steering Fluid x 2 Ea - $22.00

Wheel Balance x 4 Ea - $30.80

Rear:

Rear Lower Control Arm Bushes x 1 Kit - $103.64

Labour x 2 Ea - $198.00

Rear Wheel Alignment x 1 Ea - $49.50

Consumables x 1 Ea - $5.50

Total - $1922.95

 

Now before i agree to the above, i want to research my options a bit, as to if there is a product more suited to what i'm intending to use the car for, for possibly only a little bit more or something? there's no point in buying something that is only going to be replaced down the track a little with something better!

From the Whiteline catalogue;

Skyline

90-93 R32 GTS GTS-4 GTR

F Strut tower brace - alloy adj KSB505 1 1 Q

F Caster adj - Radius rod bush KCA331 1 2 +/- 0.75 deg - GTS

F Caster adj - Radius rod bush KCA332 1 2 +/- 0.75 deg - GTS-4 & GTR

F Camber adj kit - uppr c/arm KCA336 1 4 +/- 0.5 deg

R Strut tower brace - alloy adj KSB513 1 1

R Camber adj kit - uppr c/arm KCA347 1 4 +/- 0.75 deg. 2 kits allows +/- 1.5 deg

R Control arm upper bush kit W0579 1 4 H/duty poly-suit inner and outer

R Radius arm bush kit W0579 1 4 H/duty poly-suit inner and outer

R Sub-frame align & lock kit KCA349 1 6 allows diff angle change & subframe lock

www.whiteline.com.au

[AzzurrA]

Thanks for that guys...

as for doing it myself, i know some of the things i could do easily enough, but others i might leave to the pros to do, as i don't have the time/tools to do them really (i really only get sundays off, and am in a townhouse complex, so no driveway/garage space to do it)

Thanks for that info sydneykid, i found it about an hour before your post and was getting prices etc as i hit refresh on this thread

Some of those items are looking as a better alternative to the super-pro ones, however, they don't have all the bushes unfortunately... are there any other suppliers out there that do these? (Been told to steer clear of Nolathane and Noltec for some reason... any idea why this would be?)

Thanks for the help so far! Muchly appreciated

Jason

[Oz]

Hey jason watch these guys fark there tryen to rip you off in a BIG WAY it should be only around 60-70 dollars for a full W/alignment not $100 god damn

give you a idea on how much there trying to get out of you on the power steer rack $ I got my rack recoed (I took it out & took it to "Drive Line Services" in archerfeild & payed $300, put it this way just out of intrest I did some checking on how much it was going to cost to have my car fixed & then just for me to get parts & do it all my self ...... bottem line $1500 saved & cars all fixed

I say do what you can & let the pros do the stuff you don't think you can handle thats my 2 cents

[Sydneykid]

Thanks for that guys...

as for doing it myself, i know some of the things i could do easily enough, but others i might leave to the pros to do, as i don't have the time/tools to do them really (i really only get sundays off, and am in a townhouse complex, so no driveway/garage space to do it)

Thanks for that info sydneykid, i found it about an hour before your post and was getting prices etc as i hit refresh on this thread

Some of those items are looking as a better alternative to the super-pro ones, however, they don't have all the bushes unfortunately... are there any other suppliers out there that do these? (Been told to steer clear of Nolathane and Noltec for some reason... any idea why this would be?)

Thanks for the help so far! Muchly appreciated

Jason

Hi Jason, a bit of histrory. Greg Nolan and his brother Alan used to own Nolathane, they sold it some years ago. They did a lot of the leading work on polyurethane, not just in Australia but world wide. When they left a lot of the leading edge development stopped. Nolathane has many applications and it is heavily biased towards replacement parts for standard rubber bushes.

Greg and his son David now have a business called Noltec, they have taken the applications a little further. They are doing more performance oriented designs.

http://www.noltec.com.au/

I see no reason for not dealing with Noltec, other than they don't have all parts in stock all of the time. But they do make them to order, so I get them pretty fast.

I am not sure what bushes it is that Whiteline don't have. The listing I posted is for the alignment (adjustable) bushes, they do have others that are simply replacements. I suggest you give them a call.

[AzzurrA]

Ah, thanks for clearing that up Sydneykid... i mean, i scoured whitelines online catalogue, and the bushes that you listed are the only ones i could find... i didn't realise they had other ones that weren't listed

Thanks, i'll give them a call, along with Noltec. The place that quoted me these prices is the one that said they refused to deal with/use/install Noltec or Nolathane as it was crap and doesn't last blah blah blah... i found it a bit sus at the time, hence asking if there's any reason for it. Sounds like they just don't like competition ::headspin:

[Bazelinez]

This is a very similar scenario to a trip to Peddars a while ago. My steering wasn't self centring properly so I got it checkerd.

They said I needed new bushes on the front and a new power steering rack. Almost a grand in parts and labour.

Turns out the bearings in the column were dry - $5 bucks for grease.

Saved myself a lot of needless cash.

Be wary.

[predator]

It is hard though, especially with suspension. Nearly everthing is worn in some respect after some 10-15 years, but it's a matter of what is really important - and what you can afford. A place will usually always give you a big list. Also, whilst some bushes are doable yourself, some require the proper equipment to squeeze them in or set them up. And you can't really do the alignment or anything yourself. So even though I like to try and do as much as possible myself, I had to leave my stuff for somebody else.

I was faced with same scenario just last week.. and similar list of replacement parts for mine (not exact same). Cost was up around the same, so I don't think its too unreasonable. In the end, it hurt, but the car is handling a lot better, I can drive stupidly, and I know those parts should be good for a few years now.

Only thing I'd be wary about would be the steering rack.. unless there is obvious signs that it is rooted (e.g. leaking everywhere), I'd be leaving that one

[AzzurrA]

ok, i gave whiteline a call today, and they said that the only bushes that they sell, are listed in their online catalogue (i.e. the ones that Sydneykid listed above), and any other bushes that are required, they use the super-pro bushes that i was quoted on originally. Now, they also said that the shop who did the quote is supposed to be one of the distributors for whiteline products, yet when i asked them about whiteline, they said they don't really deal with them, just the odd swaybar etc and then went on to try and sell me more of their stuff.... whiteline was rather interested by this fact when i mentioned it to them on the phone today, so i don't know what the go is there?

The rack is leaking (though not as bad as they made it out to be... it is slightly damp around one of the boots) so it does need replacing sometime, and i was going to do the bushes at some stage anyway, but i want to do it once, and properly the first time, hence wanting to know a bit more information so i can make a more informed decision come time to buy.

Thanks for all your help so far people

[boostn32]

jas will be more than happy to help u with your suspension. if anyone needs any bushes pressed out and back in i can do these at my work for $10 a bush. i do this all day on coaches and some bushes need 20 tonne to remove them. i have plenty of experence and will help any one that needs a hand. just pm me.