Heres some serious bs.... Energy Suspension bushings

[bill]

My experience with the sway bar end links leads me to believe that they dont measure stock parts before they make theirs. The bolts on the SBEL set arent long enough so you have to buy a stock replacement part just so you have the correct length bolt. FYI

 

[pontiacgp]

While this may be a good point about it being a chance to upgrade the kit is advertised as a direct replacement.

After I struck out finding sleeves I had no desire to call them up and wait for a week so I just reamed the holes and got 1/2 hardware. It was another $40 it shouldnt have cost though.

Perhaps it was a bad part number I pulled from summit. IDK.

I looked at their web site and could not find where Energy ever even implied that the bushings were a direct replacement. I have used the energy bushings on 4 or 5 cars and they all required 1/2" bolts. When taking the bushings apart to lube and install them I would think it's obvious that the sleeve takes a larger bolt than the stock. It is always a good idea to prefit everything to make sure that the parts are correctly installed. You may think that $40 is alot of money for bolts but to replace the metric bolts that ought to be replaced after so many years of use would have been at least twice as much.

 

[stomis]

While this may be a good point about it being a chance to upgrade the kit is advertised as a direct replacement.

After I struck out finding sleeves I had no desire to call them up and wait for a week so I just reamed the holes and got 1/2 hardware. It was another $40 it shouldnt have cost though.

Perhaps it was a bad part number I pulled from summit. IDK.

I looked at their web site and could not find where Energy ever even implied that the bushings were a direct replacement. I have used the energy bushings on 4 or 5 cars and they all required 1/2" bolts. When taking the bushings apart to lube and install them I would think it's obvious that the sleeve takes a larger bolt than the stock. It is always a good idea to prefit everything to make sure that the parts are correctly installed. You may think that $40 is alot of money for bolts but to replace the metric bolts that ought to be replaced after so many years of use would have been at least twice as much.

All good points but summit advertises those kits as "Fitting x model years" which in my book means they are direct replacements.

And honestly I didnt take my rear suspension apart (my buddy did while I did the front) so I didnt even think to check.

 

[pontiacgp]

stomis....summit does not offer the energy control arm bushing if you look under stock replacement. The have moog bushing advertised. Any time you buy a performance part there is a good chance they give very little instructions. It's all about liability on their part, if they don't tell you and you don't install something right they are not responsible. We get that all the time with parts for the race car. Last year we bought a new seat and there was no instructions how to put on the containment parts on the seat. As far as prechecking everything it's a nice idea but we all skip something and we find out about it the hard way... 😢

 

[stomis]

stomis....summit does not offer the energy control arm bushing if you look under stock replacement. The have moog bushing advertised. Any time you buy a performance part there is a good chance they give very little instructions. It's all about liability on their part, if they don't tell you and you don't install something right they are not responsible. We get that all the time with parts for the race car. Last year we bought a new seat and there was no instructions how to put on the containment parts on the seat. As far as prechecking everything it's a nice idea but we all skip something and we find out about it the hard way... 😢

I guess my assuming that by plugging in 1986 olds cutlass rwd 307 into summit and those bushings coming up doesnt make them direct replacements.

 

[pontiacgp]

If they have the bushings listed in a way that someone can think they are direct replacements is wrong and they should be told about it. The one thing that energy fails to do is at least put it in the instructions that 1/2" bolts are required

 

[username]

Factory bushings have 8 points inside the bushings that are raised a little now I dont know if thats from assembly or made to tighten up the use of 12mm bolts in a 1/2 bushing my calipers are at work but the best I can tell they are 1/2 ID see pic 1

Although if the OD of factory hardware was exactly 12mm and the ID of the energy suspension bushings were exactly 1/2" the difference is only .027" IMO less than 1/64 difference is nominal for the use. see pics 2 and 3 Picture 2 is the factory bolt at its location note the fit as outlined.Picture 3 is the same bolt inserted in the corresponding energy suspension bushing.

 

[stomis]

Yeah but no 12mm bolt is a true 12mm. Theyre more like 11.60 which makes the difference huge.

 

[username]

From what I can tell through comparison and as illustrated in the photos is the fit between factory and aftermarket is no difference.Now granted I dont have a set of calipers here at the moment to get a true reading but from what I can tell by using the backend of a 1/2 drill bit the factory bushing is right at 1/2".One of the reason why could be contributed to the sleeve inside the bushing is a split type couple that with hard dry rubber and 25+ years of wear and I'm sure its spread some.If your hardware was measuring 11.6 mm then you are looking at 3/64 of an inch difference.As far as I'm concerned I feel the use of the factory hardware with the aftermarket bushing is a negligible difference.If we were dealing with a chrome plated axle pin instead of a bolt and a teflon lined bushing then we would expect a tight-drive fit.

 

[stomis]

From what I can tell through comparison and as illustrated in the photos is the fit between factory and aftermarket is no difference.Now granted I dont have a set of calipers here at the moment to get a true reading but from what I can tell by using the backend of a 1/2 drill bit the factory bushing is right at 1/2".One of the reason why could be contributed to the sleeve inside the bushing is a split type couple that with hard dry rubber and 25+ years of wear and I'm sure its spread some.If your hardware was measuring 11.6 mm then you are looking at 3/64 of an inch difference.As far as I'm concerned I feel the use of the factory hardware with the aftermarket bushing is a negligible difference.If we were dealing with a chrome plated axle pin instead of a bolt and a teflon lined bushing then we would expect a tight-drive fit.

Firstly I cant justify comparing the fit of a bolt of a stock bushing vs an aftermarket bushing base on the gap in a couple pictures as good evidence.

Secondly whos to say that these comparison shots arent from a 78-81 g body that came factory with 1/2in hardware.

Thirdly I have done alot of suspension work and I can openly tell you the slop between the stock hardware and the aftermarket bushings was unacceptable in anyones book. All you had to do was put a bolt in and you could c*ck the thing on a 15-20* angle in the bushing sleeve.

My factory hardware measured between .46 an .47 inches if I remember correctly. The aftermarket bushing sleeves were probably a little over .50 so say .51 or .52 and youve got .08 in of play. Thats nearly 1/10th an inch....