- Joined
- May 13, 2000
- Messages
- 4,651
- Reaction score
- 104
- City, State
- Cape Girardeau, MO
- Year, Model & Trim Level
- 94 Sport 4x4
Good to know that we have options to buy these bushings.
An update for 1st gen guys installing OME36 Springs: The 1st Gen OEM front eye metal shells are *too small* for the 3.2125 kit front eye bushings. Or I destroyed my OEM shells to the point where they're unusable. That means you have two options. 1) buy the pre-made rubber-metal bushings as gavin and Sonic_Mikey have done above, or 2) fab your own metal shells.
I'm (attempting) to do #2, since I'm going to try to use these Energy Suspension poly bushings for the front eyes. I went to my local exhaust guy, and had him cut me two 2.5" long approx 1.75" diameter galvanized tailpipe sections. They are as thin as, or thinner than, the OEM shells. These were still too big to press in, cold and lubed.
I then cut a slit down the length of the shell. I was then able to press in the shell. However, due to the slit, one side of the shell overlapped a bit on the other, once it was pressed in. That may not bode well for the bushing, as you want a smooth inner surface there. I may end up making a wider slit, or grinding down the overlap in some way.
In hindsight buying the pre-made rubbers may be the best solution for the front leaf eyes.
An update for 1st gen guys installing OME36 Springs: The 1st Gen OEM front eye metal shells are *too small* for the 3.2125 kit front eye bushings. Or I destroyed my OEM shells to the point where they're unusable. That means you have two options. 1) buy the pre-made rubber-metal bushings as gavin and Sonic_Mikey have done above, or 2) fab your own metal shells.
I'm (attempting) to do #2, since I'm going to try to use these Energy Suspension poly bushings for the front eyes. I went to my local exhaust guy, and had him cut me two 2.5" long approx 1.75" diameter galvanized tailpipe sections. They are as thin as, or thinner than, the OEM shells. These were still too big to press in, cold and lubed.
I then cut a slit down the length of the shell. I was then able to press in the shell. However, due to the slit, one side of the shell overlapped a bit on the other, once it was pressed in. That may not bode well for the bushing, as you want a smooth inner surface there. I may end up making a wider slit, or grinding down the overlap in some way.
In hindsight buying the pre-made rubbers may be the best solution for the front leaf eyes.