Radius Arm Bushes DIY

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Michael
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Radius Arm Bushes DIY

Post by Michael »

Manne!

Ok so I bought my Troll with a already fitted 2" OME suspension, but it still has the original Nissan bushes in which is badly worn. You sort of fight the Patrol when driving on the highway and I suspect these bushes are the culprit. So I have to replace the bushes anyway and might as well replace them with 2.5 deg offset bushes while I am at it.

So I just want to know if anyone has done this themselves before? I am planning to make a DIY thread when I replace mine and would love some input from people who have done this before.

Also, I can a get a set of Ironman bushes for R1,300. Is this a fair price?
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Re: Radius Arm Bushes DIY

Post by Russ Kellermann »

Hey mate,

The Caster Bushes will make a huge difference to the feel of your Patrol , particularly on the highway. They are not going to be as flexible / supple as the Factory Nissan Bushes, so may bind up under flex more than you used to at present.

If you going 2.5Deg Caster bushes then why not go 3Deg drop Box Rather ? How much lift have you really got in there / How much lift you plan on going to ?

If you go the Bush route, you will need a press / vice , to get the originals out and new ones in.

I did see on you-tube somewhere there was a tutorial on what angles to press in,.. but if i remember correctly it was for a LC80, not a patrol, so you'd need to check with Ironman (or whoever supplies you) , and request the fitment diagram.

Found this link for you,.... Key thing is, orientation of bush bores. As per the instruction leaflet they must supply to you.
http://www.patrol4x4.com/forum/nissan-p ... kit-14748/


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Re: Radius Arm Bushes DIY

Post by Patrol 4.5 »

Hi

This is my first time im posting I think as I have over the last 2 years used the site to inform myself on the Patrol. So my knowledge is not great but on the radial arm bushes I found it was better to change the mounting point on the bracket that meets the front diff by 2.5 or 3deg as then you can use the standard nissan bushes which have been know to last longer and provide more flexibility.

Hope my 2c helps on this one

Rob
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Re: Radius Arm Bushes DIY

Post by Michael »

Russ

Thanks for your info, my goal for changing the radius arm bushes isnt for more flex so I dont think I want to go for the drop box option at this stage. My main plan is to get my car driving as it should.

Look, I dont think one should say no to more flex but I have quite allot of flex at the moment as I do not have my front sway bars in any more. How does these drop boxes effect handeling?
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Re: Radius Arm Bushes DIY

Post by Michael »

Hi Rob and welcome to the forum.

I have not thought about what you said and it might work actually. I will remove the radius arms over the weekend and see what is what
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Re: Radius Arm Bushes DIY

Post by Russ Kellermann »

Hey bud,..

Drop Boxes:
Attach at the chassis end of the control arm. You keep your original bushes (or put in new original nissan bushes, which definitely are better than any other bushes you can buy for a patrol). The drop box basically becomes the new attachment point for the rear of the radius arm,which is lower than the chassis rail, and the point is to get the arm level again, as per factory, which re-sets the caster to within factory spec.You order them with caster set to your lift spec (ie:3Degree),.. the other cool thing is that the bushing on the chassis side is no longer compressed , which allows for better travel and less bind up, due to the radius arm sitting level
Note: Drop boxes mostly only needed for anything above 2"lift,.. 2" or under - not really going to work as you will end up with too much caster which will make steering very heavy.

Caster Bushes:
Attach at the diff end of the radius arm and take the place of the original bushings, they have off-set bores, which is what allows the arm to sit closer to factory spec tolerances. Bushings are known to be harder (firmer) often made by nolathane or similar material, NOT RUBBER,.. which is why it has a slightly different feel/flex. Yes, you wont loose heaps of flex, but there is more bind up

Caster Plates: (What rob is talking about)
Achieves similar result but not regarded as good as the above two by most out there. Plates get bolted to the existing holes on the axle portion, these plates have predetermined holes where the radius arm will bolt through, to create the 3" caster required. The one cool thing about the caster plates though is that you can actually create one that articulates to create a "superflex" , this only on one side, the other side must be fixed to the plate as stated above.

Generally speaking, after reading thousands of hours of info over years,... is that Drop Boxes are the best result when searching for a factory drive feel, whilst retaining Nissan Rubber Bushings, which are regarded as superior to all others.

Anyway, just my opinion based on lots and lots of readings, each person must make their own minds i guess. I'm getting drop boxes into mine in the next few months. I cannot keep driving this vehicle like this as it can be very frustrating.
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Re: Radius Arm Bushes DIY

Post by Tinus lotz »

Russ where can we buy these and what do they go for?
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Re: Radius Arm Bushes DIY

Post by Russ Kellermann »

Well, as we all know,.. accessories for Nissan Patrol is Pathetic in this country,.. its actually so poor alot of people chose LC purely because they can buy off-the-shelf items at reasonable prices and dont have to import stuff.... However, Gman (G-Tech) in Cape Town, makes these for patrols. I'm going to order a set through him.

As far as i know he is the only person who has made them. But, there are technical drawings/plans on the internet, just search google. So any engineer should be able to know these up.

In Australia they sell for around $300-$400,.. i think they sell for R3500 here, and its a bolt in design. Of course, thats more expensive than caster bushes, which prob sell for R1300 - R1600 a set.
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Re: Radius Arm Bushes DIY

Post by Boats »

Michael wrote:Manne!

Ok so I bought my Troll with a already fitted 2" OME suspension, but it still has the original Nissan bushes in which is badly worn. You sort of fight the Patrol when driving on the highway and I suspect these bushes are the culprit. So I have to replace the bushes anyway and might as well replace them with 2.5 deg offset bushes while I am at it.

So I just want to know if anyone has done this themselves before? I am planning to make a DIY thread when I replace mine and would love some input from people who have done this before.

Also, I can a get a set of Ironman bushes for R1,300. Is this a fair price?
Hi Michael,

I had similar issue and also ascribed it to not having the correct castor after a 2" OME lift. I didn't want to go the correction bushes route due to the fact that they are harder, limiting flex, and apparently does not last as long the OEM rubber. In my searches I found this guide to measuring the actual height of the lift:

Measuring GU lift

After two years my lift has settled around 30mm and I started thinking that the change in castor from a 30mm lift should not be that noticeable as many say that a 2" lift seldom requires correction. In my troubleshooting on the Patrol I found:
  • the front wheel bearings to be very loose and re-set that according to the manual,
  • with someone turning the steering while looking at the panhard bushes, I also noticed a fair amount of movement - although the bushes still seemed OK and took some effort to remove from the arm they were worn down to around 43mm diameter, new ones are around 48mm. Although not listed separately (GU Front Suspension) part numbers 55135 01J01 and 55135 01J10 were needed for mine and they are available. I replaced the Nylock nut (PN: 0122500131) while I was at it.
  • I checked the OEM steering damper as well and again although it was damping, once I compared to my new Koni damper I realised it was shot.
The positive effect was dramatic to say the least Image I won't be messing around with castor at this point, although I did consider these for a while: Superior Engineering Superflex :surprised:
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Re: Radius Arm Bushes DIY

Post by Michael »

Russ, the drop box option sounds really like the way to go but I dont have that much to spend and I went for the caster bushes. I bought a set of Iron man 1144 adjustable bushes.

Found a online manual as well so doesnt seem to technical to install
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