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My77
06-12-2006, 10:36 AM
I know this is primarily an AMX site, but I'm having problems with my 77 Hornet and am hoping someone here can help me out. Long story short... the strut rod bushings were rotted (appeared to be original!) so I replaced them. However, the left side went bad again within 3 days. I am in Lincoln Tech Automotive school and my instructors have had a difference of opinion over what caused this. One says the service manual is wrong and it directed me to put the bushing on backwards, the other says that the heat from the muffler caused it to go bad because there's no heat shield between the muffler and the bushing. Does anyone out there have experience with this?
:confused:

RGBJavelin
06-30-2006, 10:26 AM
Ah, the strut arm bushing. I think it might be about the only part on an AMC that doesn't have some kind of consistency to it!

I have seen six cylinder, eight cylinder, light duty, heavy duty, Early style ,late style,fleet duty,one piece, two piece (five piece if one counts the 2 bushing halves,front washer, spacer tube, and rear washer!), Ones that have flat washers, curved washers facing in, facing out, and facing in and ouT, and out and in! All this just from working on a 1977 Hornet!
I reacently saw on some AMC Website a Guy that was probably going through the kind of thing, I wish I remembered where. He had compiled a bit of info about the Front and Rear washer orientation. I distinctly recall him using different types of parantheses to illustrate the different combinations.

(=( , )=( , (=) , )=) or something as such. I think I had found out that if the perticuler manufacturer of the replacement assembly happen to include an assembly drawing, It was best to follow that than to try to follow the previous orientation. Then again I always end up trying to overthink the situation by wanting to know each variants method in to why they did it that way, and wanting to do it the best, or trickest way. but don't we all at times?

Anyway, On to your problem, when you say the bushing went bad again in three days, I will assume that you don't mean it rotted again, like the originals, but rather it probably split or crushed, right? Were they the kind with a steel sleeve between the washers, through the bushings? I think that type uses that sleeve to prevent overtightening. In any case, could you have over tightened the Caster adjusting nuts? I don't think lack of a heat shield is your problem, if your exhaust is that close to burn the bushing out in such a short time, fix the exhaust pipes first, I have run a few different big headder/collector setups and never had an issue with the bushings failing from heat exposure. The '77 TSM talks about an additional heat shield on the left side for Fleet equipped Matadors, But thats probably more for longivety rather then actually keeping the bushing from melting. I got ahold of one of these little sheilds and copied it with some aluminum sheet stock along with a mirror image for both sides, but never ended up using them.
That fore mentioned Website, I believe, had a response about running a half urethane and half rubber Strut bushing setup, and gave a clear explaination of why. The '77 TSM mentions, For Fleet Cars again, the rear half is the same as standard but the front half is made of harder rubber for HD use. if thats of any interest to you?
I think maybe one side got a bit too much tightening done, I've done exactly that manuver! :eek: The TSM calls for 65 FtLbs, new and 55-80 FtLbs after service.
Sorry about the long winded post! :rolleyes: That AMC website might have been the other AMC forum? might even be this one?
Good luck and AMC-ya
Robert