Ball Joints & Bushings

The Maintenance Files Ball Joints & Elephant Front PolyBronze Bushings (Spring 2008)

Last fall when I did the Turbo Tierod upgrade, I realized that the front suspension bushings had reached their useable lifespan. The rear passenger bushing was shot, with the torsion bar tube way off-center (see below). This was contributing to ride height imbalance & I suspected it was also effecting alignment issues with the subsequent tire wear that I have been experiencing. I had also noticed a slight settling of the car after a slow stop.

Add it all up & it pointed to the bushings. As a 'while you're in there', I decided that the 21 year old ball joints should be replaced at the same time. An order slowly (their problem) made it's way to me from Pelican, but by the time it arrived my early spring work window had evaporated. I finally dived into the project when time allowed at the end of May.

The first step is dropping the front suspension. Since I had done this last summer, I knew the routine. Remove the pan, unbolt the front cowcatcher & the front bushing housings, remove the ride height screw & torsion bar lock & then extract the torsion bars. My foam thingies were in good shape so I decided to reuse them.

(above) The A arms with ball joints & stock bushings attached.

These bastards - the lower ball joint locknut - will give you grief unless you listen to me. Well, not really me but gunlovero5's Pelican post: Easy ball joint removal method . His method is: Spray liberally with PB Blaster or similar, heat with a propane torch until it bubbles & repeat 2 or 3 times. Then smack it with a hammer & chisel & it will give. A pipe wrench might work too but you'll need a 20 or 24" to fit them & strong arms to turn them. The smacking worked for me & they loosened without huge difficulty or special tools.

Bad news. This is what a declining torsion bar looks like. It is in excellent shape except for the scraped area. This is were it has been chafing due to the sagging rubber bushing. This is where & why torsion bars break. I picked up a very good used right bar for the time being until I decide where I am going with the suspension. I know, I know you are supposed to install pairs etc etc. I will probably stay stock but I'll have to think on it before I bite for a new pair.

The unassembled A-arm (above). To get to this state, follow the directions from Chuck @ Elephant. Heat the ends with a propane torch until they start smoking. Then twist the end off with a large screwdriver. You may have to heat it up twice before it comes off. Then you can easily push the hot rubber bushing off the A-arm.

I attacked the A-arm with my Dremel. There was some surface rust here & there as well as some blobs inside the sway bar bushing bracket. Check those brackets guys, cause water gets trapped in there & never dries. All nasties were ground down to bare metal with the Dremel wire brushes working wonders on the baked on crud. After a thorough cleaning, I carefully masked the bushing sleeve contact area & undercoated them followed by 2 coats of rattle can black satin. They looked great & I staved off the rust demons for another decade or two. Theses things get rusty so go out & inspect yours. They are $500 each btw.

I have to say that the Elephant bushings are truly Porsche jewelry. They feel good. Installation is a breeze. You JB weld (or equivalent) the sleeves to the arm. A test fit with the outer bearing reveals true precision.

With a little bit of work, I persuaded the Poly part of the bushing into the suspension sleeves. I have a vise, but it wouldn't open far enough for the bushing after the initial soap & water insert. I resorted to a C clamp that I kept rotating around the outside. Press & rotate. They eventually worked into position. After & quick test fit & a light lube on the inner bearing races, it was time to put it all together again. I assembled the two A-arms under the car with the bushings in place. I also installed the sway bar because it is impossible to install when the A-arms are in place. Well, impossible for me anyway, and yes, I have heard of it being done. Then, it was just a matter of lifting a side into place & fastening it down. There is a bit a give at each bracket so I snugged them so there is no play but not tight enough for binding. Tightening the bolts on the aft end - at the cross member - firmed up the 'swing' of the arms, so position it before you torque it. Then, swing the other arm up & into place & fasten it. My next chore was to install the ball joints. This was easy. I thought ahead & rotated the top until the notch on the shaft lines up with the notch on the base of the ball joint. Grease the top lightly too. Then I placed them in the A arm & hand tightened the castellated nut. I swung it into place & slid the shaft up into the hole & inserted the threaded pin & hammered it into place. I tightened the castellated nut & lock plated & cottered it. Btw I bought new castellated nuts, new threaded pins & washers & bolts & new cotter pins for the lock plate. I re-used the lock plates because they cleaned up real good. After that, it was just assemble the rest of the suspension components, install the greased torsion rods & the bitchy bolts on the pan & it was done. As usual the sways needed some beating to persuade it into place. And I bet you are wondering how I tightened the strut locking bolt? A local parts store rents a kit with multiple sockets for strut bolts & 4x4 hubs for free. Easy & free - can't beat that.
Addendum I thought I was coasting after the assembly but my dumbass gene kicked in & I stripped a Front Torsion Bar Ride Height Adjustment Bolt & its associated adjustment lever. I quickly & shamefully bought a perfect used replacement at a local Porsche garage. Thanks Brent!
Initial Impressions Since PolyBronze are not OEM, many have wondered about vibration & noise. No change from what I can tell. The car seems more precise when doing the 'tire warmup' routine. Cornering just feels smoother - no other way to describe it. And no, no more vibration than before.