I voted for polyghaphite. I don't have any experience with them yet, but I did put them in my GS. I'll let you know if I like them or not. Dan
Marco, I installed a set of polygraphite bushings on a 72 442 fastback and they NEVER stopped squeaking. I did everything I could think of, including taking the offenders back off, greasing everything again, and putting it back together. The car handled great, but......... Enjoy your poll, but no matter how it comes out I would never install them on a car. Duane PS. Before someone asks, they were polygraphite, and not straight poly.
Marco, Polygraphite bushungs do not articulate and can cause binding in situations where they have to move more then just up and down. I had a long discussion with the guys at Global West when setting up the suspension on my 66. The polygraphite bushings were fine for the front end as up and down motion is all that is necessary, but can bind in the rear four link as the rear bushings need to move side to side as well as up and down. Rubber bushings or spherical bearings will allow the rear suspension to travel without binding. Here is the scoop according to GW. I went with the tubular lower arms and am using frame side rubber and polygraphite bushing on the rear side of the upper arms. Cheryl
suspension Hi Marco - It depends....what are you trying to do? Were you happy with the way the car handled before? Are you going to go racing or autocross? (or "drifting :laugh: ) Think about your needs, apply your budget and go forth and prosper! :bglasses: Also, I'm sure you know this but there are other choices then the ones in you poll.....each supplier has their own magic compound. I went with the rubber MOOG as it is harder then the OEM, but is also more forgiving then the plastics. Good Luck! :TU: - Bill
I went with Polygraphite in my 86 Cougar,and am very happy with the results.I bought mine from Energy Suspension,and the staff was real helpful in getting my kit together,especially when they didn't even support my car yet.At the time they were still mainly muscle cars.No noises,binding or anything else.I am definitely going to use them again when I get my Buick and Firebird.
Wow - rubber it is - Thanks guys! Now, who knows the differences between the manufacturers of the rubber bushings? Is MOOG the best rubber bushing? I'm not autocrossing, I just don't want to do this again for the next sereval decades. Longevity and comfort, with safe handling, is my goal. TIA
Use rubber. Poly is one step away from aluminum and will require more maintenance, has more road noise. It does distort less for that small edge over rubber for suspension control (which you evidently aren't interested in).
MOOG MOOG - MOOG - you can go cheaper, but I don't think you can beat MOOG for quality. And we're not talking about a ton of money either. MOOG is all made in USA. All parts are available for the A body too. There are a couple of decisions/choices: new off-set upper a arm shafts? I used them, but did not really need too. Trouble is you won't know until the car is aligned! Not a big deal if you don't need them, its is if you do! oval or round lower A arm bushings - you can check by looking at the ones on your car. I'm sure you have already done the search on this site, there is a lot of information on this topic in other threads. - Bill :TU:
marco: i mixed both poly & rubber . but i do recommend that u use poly bushings for the stabilizer bars as these take the most beating .
Go with the good high quality MOOG rubber suspension parts. Put the graphite stuff on your front sway bar.
The reason I say that is because about 10 years ago I put the polygraphites in a 68GS I used to have. It got around a corner well enough, but it rode like a brick. About 2 months later I was out in the garage pulling them all out. I put the MOOG stuff in and it was a much improved ride. I did use the polygraphite stuff for the end links and frame bushings for the sway bar though, as that wont effect the ride, but it will improve the handling. I put a big sway bar on it off a 74 Trans Am I got out of a junkyard for about ten bucks. Just my expierience. MOOG from now on for me!
Hi Bill - Everything was delivered (I chose rubber based on the opinions above) from www.espo.com Now I just need to work out a date with my wife to bring the car to Rob at stage1automotive for the install. He needs a complete day.
Marco,thanks for the link:TU: My stuff is finally going to the powdercoaters this Fri. I wasnt happy with the rearend and front control arms[pitted up] Now I have some nice clean ones from a SW Skylark. So hopefully I`ll be needing all this stuff in about a week or two .
I learned the "hard" way with polygraphite. Did handling improve? yes - but only slightly. Did ride quality decrease?, in my car only slightly. Did the bushings squeak? never.... Was there any longer term problems - YES. My Polygraphite on the front stabalizer bar began to wear. Once they did this the bar RATTLED in the bushings. The wear was only minor, but enough to cause the bar to move within the bushing. (note, these bushings had grease fittings and were greased regularly, maybe the finish on the stabilizer bar wasn't smooth enough?) The unusual noise drove me nuts, went to more than one shop before they found the problem. Went back to MOOG rubber and all is great. The car was NOT a classic Buick, but I learned my lesson for future projects. There is a reason manufactures generally don't use polygraphite, and it is not just a cost issue, (my opinion). My preference? better shocks/sway bars/better tires/shorter side walls on the tires (16" or taller rims)
Poly in the front is fine, since the movement is straight rotation. In the rear poly sucks, it is too firm to allow the rear suspension to move in the arcs it is supposed to. You then get binding and a rough ride. I would use rubber in the rear upper arms for sure, since they get the most side movement. The lowers arent as bad, so poly can be ok in them.
