The Lotus Grand Tourers

About a year ago i came across a firm called DURAFLEX and one fine day I pedaled over to Prestwich for a chat.
The owner Mark, said he had nothing for excel or esprit, but did say he could make any bush i wanted if i knew the size.
I didn`t, but told him that i would return with suspension parts when it was removed, and when my tub of rust came back from the shiny makers, i did.



A small 3 man outfit. Bush Mould made on a 3d printer and all bushes hand made, expect to pay £70-£85 for 12 depending on stainless or plated crush tubes. diff bushes were £10 each with the stainless tube





they do carry all the marks from the 3d printer and other small imperfections .The ends of the crush tubes could have been better finished, but i give him leeway as he lost a staff member to paternity and the his son broke his ankle.
Easy enough to fit with a vice and a mallet, and i was told to use copper grease to help.

Looks good, but what stops the polyurethane bush from sliding out of the diff carrier?

Pete

My thoughts on aftermarket polybushes, are generally avoid, unless they've actually adjusted the design to achieve the correct level of compliance as the original rubber ones had (not the current ones have, the original formula rubber which is no longer allowed to have all of the chemical components).

Hi Pete,
the bush bolts to the chassis in the usual way and the lip on the bracket stopped lateral movement, on the original bush, until they became unbonded.
I guess it will work or it wont, worth a punt.

I'd forgotten about that lip on the carrier! That will do it.

Pete

I have used poly bushes on the M100
you can get them in whatever shore rating you want to match the original rubber ones.....
(which as mentioned are not available anymore due to their chemical composition)
the ones Ive fitted are oversized and 'glued'
over sized in the fact that the steel centre tube has to be pressed in to the bush as it then creates a compression fitting.....
and glued as the 'lube' I was given with them, is basically a very liquid lube which when it goes off provides 'medium' grip.......so they can be removed without damaging the seat
just my experience with em......