Rubber or steel bushings?

[KippSchaefer]

Was wondering if anyone has any experience with the two? In the process of building a street stock(81 monte carlo) and just had the lower A-arm and trailing arming done, but I have to put new bushing in them. I've heard good and bad things about both or them, rubber with flex alittle and throw off toe and camber. Afco steel bushings apparently require a lot of maintenance and can easily seize up. Just curious if anyone has anymore insight.

Also, is poly bushings an alternative 3rd option? Any advice is greatly appreciated.

[ric78]

We ran the AFCO lightweight steel bushings with nylon insert this last season. Not high maintenance or at least no more maintenance than the rest of the front suspension. You give them a squirt of grease when you do the rest of the front end. Just make sure when installing put the hole for the grease fitting down. I like those over the ones that have a steel insert and it really frees up the movement of the a arms which to me is the bigger advantage.

[dereksehi]

I have used the mono-ball style from UB Machine they seem keep things from binding up and are easy to maintenance you can also buy the replacement ball pivot from ub.

[Racer96m]

I ran the AFCO lightweight bushing if the front lower A arms, you can lube them, so maint was nothing. If you want everything as free as you can get it (and you do), with the lower A arm removed slide a 1/2" rod through the mount hole in the crossmember and see if it will slide through all mount holes, to the aft one. Not many do, so that makes things misaligned and causes binding. Round out the holes in the frame to get the rod to slide through, then slide heavy washers down the rod and weld in place on the frame to correct the misalignment. When you install the bushings in the A arms, uses the rod again to verify alignment and tach weld outer housing in place. Now everything is in perfect alignment with no binding and work like butter! The Mono-balls I like in the lower rear trailing arms front and back, I also used them in the rear upper arms on the chassis side only and used rubber on the rearend side to cushion tire shock.

Dave