Don't you just hate some vendor organisations?

[Lotz-A-Landies]

I want to have a rant here, but am unable to name and shame.

In the process or returning a torsion bar to the front of Gog removed by a dealer/wrecker in Victoria, parts have to be acquired. Unfortunately because of the nature of the relative rarity of the SIIB some bits are difficult to acquire.

You can imagine my surprise when I found the rubber bush to support the torsion bar to the chassis listed in one of the usual UK suspects catalogue. (No not Blanchard or Dunsfold) There it was 552418 with a superseded to 552418P a urothane replacement - even better I thought. So I paid my money and waited and waited, they had told me they had to have it manufactured. Several months later I contact them again "what's happening?" I ask. "Didn't you get our reply" came their answer. So a couple of weeks later the item arrived.

I sit the urethane bush on my desk, looks the right shape, so pick up the retaining strap to fit it in. Oops the OEM strap is 38mm wide yet the groove in the bush is only 29mm (38 into 29 doesn't go).

Then I look at the bore. They have a 17mm bore to support the torsion bar, yet the torsion bar is 22.5mm. While rubber may compress 5.5mm doing the same with a urethane bush is a different matter.

So I contact Penny and tell her of my problem with their product and the reply comes back: "Thank you for your e-mail, Mark from our Export department has said. 552418P are as supplied 17mm, NTC6828P bushes are 25mm, But are all 29mm’s wide."

I don't want any NTC parts I want a good old Rover part 552418 and I want it to fit - doesn't anyone care about proper customer service any more?

Does anyone know someone who makes poly-urethane bits?

[Tombie]

Can you post a pic of what it should look like...

I'd guess I can get it pretty cheap for you

[Lotz-A-Landies]

I'll post up an image when I get home from work tonight.

It was reasonably cheap from the UK too but when they aren't correct, they are too expensive.

It is basically the same as the rubber/polyurethane bushes for most of the other torsion bars. a round top, flat bottom, a hole with a split to insert the bar and a groove going over the round top into which the retaining saddle fits. The main difference is the saddle is 38mm wide instead of 28mm of the RRc/Disco 1/Defender types and the bore is to fit a 22.5mm torsion bar instead of an 18mm or whatever the others are.

BTW: what do the NTC6828 bushes fit and how thick are their torsion bars?

[Scouse]

BTW: what do the NTC6828 bushes fit and how thick are their torsion bars?They're front sway bar bushes off a D1/Classic. No idea how thick they are though.

[isuzurover]

I would expect SuperPro would make something of an appropriate (or very close) size.

[101RRS]

As you would know - just about every thing on the 101 is different to the other landies yet parts dealers are always telling me I am wrong so I always double check.

With my rubber bits I have never had much luck sourcing the correct bits locally at a reasonable price - where I have found considerable success is hitting the local truck parts suppliers - the non dealer ones. I got all my shockie bushes in nylon as well as my roll bar bushes - all generic small truck parts. Matched to a sample.

So give them a try.

Garry

[Lotz-A-Landies]

Good idea Garry.

It was just when JC's had the Rover part number in their catalogue, you would expect it to be the same as the Rover part.

The bushes I used for the ends of the torsion bar on Capt. Pneumo came from a generic pack of polyurethane suspension bushes I found at SupaCheep, I was going to do the same on Gog!

[Lotz-A-Landies]

BTW: what do the NTC6828 bushes fit and how thick are their torsion bars?They're front sway bar bushes off a D1/Classic. No idea how thick they are though.Thanks Scouse

Have been considering fitting a torsion bar to the rear of gog and knowing that is worthwhile taking a look. I own a '91 classic with torsion bars hanging around Sydney somewhere - will have to take a look. ;)

Diana :)

[Lotz-A-Landies]

I'll post up an image when I get home from work tonight.
<snip>https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2010/11/252.jpg

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2010/11/253.jpg

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2010/11/254.jpg

[chazza]

Yes; Penny seems to have dropped her bundle recently. I sent her an email asking for more information about a part with explicit questions and she sent me the same blurb to be found on the website :mad:

Mind you at least she responds to email, unlike the mob that remind me of pasture. :(

It may not help, but the bushes you have could be made to fit by boring or drilling the hole to the right size and hacksawing them into halves and adding a urethane spacer. Mind you this would only be worth doing if you can't get proper ones from somewhere else,

Cheers Charlie

[Lotz-A-Landies]

I was thinking of widening the groove, but the remaining lip may not be sufficient to maintain the bush in position. Do you think a cup beneath the bush that picks up the mounting bolts and cradles the sides of the bush would work?

Boring the shaft size shouldn't be a problem.

[bee utey]

I was thinking of widening the groove, but the remaining lip may not be sufficient to maintain the bush in position. Do you think a cup beneath the bush that picks up the mounting bolts and cradles the sides of the bush would work?

Boring the shaft size shouldn't be a problem.

I have done the bush retainer trick myself. Cut a 1.6mm galv plate with turned up edges to hold the bush in place,it just bolts on with the hoop retainer, no probs. Drilling urethane usually requires you to get the right size drill bit, bolt down the bush and charge in with the drill. It tends to deflect on small depth cuts.

[chazza]

Diana, your's and Bee Utey's ideas sound good - much better than mine.

I like Gary's best of all - I bet there is one for some Jap truck that will fit; they love copying Pommy cars,

Cheers Charlie

[JohnE]

Charlie well said, I am waiting for that mob to reply to a query i sent 12 months ago.

Bad luck Diana, what about all the local sellers, try truck parts etc there should be something that would fit.
I was chasing a copper washer to replace the leaking one on the ser3 fuel tank drain, went to the local bearing supplies yesterday, no go, they sent me to the local truck parts place, 5 mins before closing they could not have been more helpful, the bloke rang around and found one for me at one of the engineering places it was on the counter when i got there so i bought two. Thats local Lismore help for you.

john

btw the tank no longer leaks.

[Lotz-A-Landies]

It's often the way John

I know that when down on the farm in Nowra I can go to the local motor engineers store or tractor spare parts dealer and get nearly anything off the shelf. Try doing that in Sydney without driving all over the metro area.

[isuzurover]

I got all my shockie bushes in nylon as well as my roll bar bushes - all generic small truck parts.

Surely not nylon??? Nylon bushes are a lot stiffer than polyurethane or rubber.