Marles varamatic steering box

[Robbo911]

Managed to get underneath the car - I have a portable lift but not much height in the garage and it's a bit cold to be outside today. Looks like - but difficult to tell without removing the steering box - my subframe either doesn't have any indent or, if it does, it is not sufficient to allow fitment of the Marles box.

Therefore on to plan B - take out the subframe and replace with the Varamatic one assuming the current subframe won't work in its current form. I will take the opportunity to rebuild the front suspension (as well as the steering) as many of the bushes look well past their sell by date.

Thanks, Glyn, for the heads up on these pins(?)/joints. The ones currently fitted are completely shot and I have some teflon replacements.

All in all, it will take me a number of weekends' work...

I think I saw a thread suggesting polybushing is the way to go for the suspension because of the poor quality of the rubber bushes we get now? In a way I'd like to keep it standard but I do want to get some use out of the car without having to rebush it again. Ken Jenkins suggested the black polybushes but interested in other people's experience.

Much appreciate the help.

[Glyn Ruck]

I don't think you need poly bushes. How much mileage is this car really going to do. Polybushes have a bad habit of sqeaking & do affect comfort to a degree. They are hell to shut up. Potassium Borate greases stop the squeak but are hell to find in small packs.

[cass3958]

I agree with Glyn to a point that it depends on the mileage you are going to put in but also on the cost of the Poly bushes. They are three or four times the cost of a standard "rubber" bush but will last a lot longer so they say. For the added cost it might save you loads of time and effort if they ever need replacing again.
My experience is not with Poly bushes but with the Cr*p they sell now a days as RUBBER bushes. I read a report somewhere that today "Rubber" is no longer what we used to have as rubber when our cars were built. Now it has to have a certain amount of biodegradability built in so the bushes don't last as long. I rebuilt my rear suspension 8 years ago and I have had to replace the radius arm bushes once four years ago and looking at them now they are cracked and will have to be done again this summer. I have done less than a 500 miles a year since the rebuild. I have a spare set of radius arms and I have a set of rubber bushes to fit in to them but I am seriously thinking of buying a set of poly bushes instead. Yes the ride might be a bit harsher but the poly bushes should out live me.

[Robbo911]

Thanks Glyn and Rob.

I am tempted to go for "rubber" for now, given the apparent cost differential. I probably should do some research to check prices before finally deciding. When I finally get around to repainting, I'll need to take the subframe off again so I can see how the bushes have fared and replace them at that point if necessary. I'll let you know how I get on.

[Glyn Ruck]

I think it also depends on where the bushes are. If they are sway bar/anti roll bar bushes they are dead easy to replace as an example. So maybe polybushes where they are difficult to get to. I have also seen polybushes split. How do you tell the good from the bad? Price is not necessarily a good indicator.

Talk to your local Jag Club maybe???

[Robbo911]

Good points. From a very quick look, Barratt's suspension rebuild kit is out of stock right now. Need to do some more investigation to see what is available. One of the challenges, as you say, is that it is difficult to know what the quality of any of these parts is (even if available). I'm a JEC member so could ask around (maybe use their forum although the Mk2 one which covers S types is not very well used).

[NigelW]

I can recommend fitting polyurethane bushes in the wishbones etc. The rubbish rubber ones just don't last, I fitted them on my some years ago when I rebuilt the front end, they are silent with no squeaks, well on my car anyway. Have a look at the different types of bushes available as there are several grades with various levels of hardness and pick what you think you require for ride comfort and control. On our cars that cover limited mileage it's a fit and forget option.

If the usual Jag parts people don't have them go direct to Polybush or Powerflex as they are the main suppliers.

[Glyn Ruck]

Good advice Nigel from someone that has done it. We have had plenty of trouble with Polybushes in SA from splits to endless noise that's difficult to kill. This on many Jags to a friend's Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredo Black Pearl Edition built in Austria with Benz 5 cylinder diesel engine. It might have something to do with our conditions & dust. UK climate & conditions vary vastly from SA. You can watch British door rubbers perish here. They perish faster than well watered Kikuyu grass grows.

How do you tell a good Polybush from a bad one? Brand? If so what is your recommendation?

[NigelW]

Polybush and Powerflex are the brand names and these companies are trusted in the UK by most car enthusiasts be classic, modern race and rally. If you buy from them you can expect to get a quality product, if they fail then go back and complain, from personal experience using their products on various cars over the years they have performed well. This includes bushes for the Gaz shocks mountings fitted to the IRS in my car. It could be the bushes sold in SA are fake or generic copies but I've never heard of the problems arising that you quote in the UK using the brands I mentioned.

[Robbo911]

Thanks, this is really helpful. Polybush are showing a bush kit for the front suspension - the black ones which are "comfort", I don't want the stiffer ones. Powerflex seem to have bushes for later Jags but not for anything as old as the S type, from what I can see online. Barratts also have Polybushes but they look like they are more expensive than going direct. I'll keep you posted.