Bushings v. Joints?

[alkaline747trio]

Getting together a parts list to go 3 link on the front of my 80. Thinking about going with bushings to keep things tight. I'm thinking there will be fewer rattles, and still having a little bind in the suspension is fine by me cause I know the 3 link is going to make a night and day difference.

What do you guys think. Am I crazy? What are the negatives to bushings over heims, JJ, or whatever else is out there? What do you guys suggest for long service life with little noise and not going to fail...range of motion and things like that I don't care too much about.

 

[Mace]

all bushings will bind rapidly..

 

[Dusty]

finally 3 linking eh? get on it. im loving the balistic joints i used on my upper 3rd link. i took them all of recently (front and back) to check the preload and they were all still tight. just add grease and go.

that said the rubicon express bushings i am using out back in the radius arms are still tight also. they are the best bushings out there hands down next only to the toyota 80 bushings which are absolutely bombproof but a little stiff.

i note also that the evolution joints im using out back had to have their preload tightened after the first run. i keep on them.

 

[97kurt]

Maybe do a forged ballistic poly joint on the frame side of the links and then one of their flex joints on the axle end. At least with their flex joints you can adjust the preload to tighten things up.

 

[wngrog]

High quality heim joints are the easiest to package. They are the most cost effective and won't go sloppy for a long time if you get good ones.

I use QA1 and have been very pleased.

 

[Mace]

Running all heims on a linked, hwy capable 80 would be noisy and jarring.

Trail rig they work great.

Streetish rig, I would do bushings or cartridge joints on one end and heims on the other.

 

[Dusty]

Running all heims on a linked, hwy capable 80 would be noisy and jarring.

Trail rig they work great.

Streetish rig, I would do bushings or cartridge joints on one end and heims on the other.

i have a bushing at one end of every link (including trackbars). ride isn't too bad. if i did it again i would go heims instead of cartridge joints as the latter are such a servicing nightmare and the first assembly took forever. But the evo joints are so hot..