Technical 63-64 Galaxie: Where to find Poly Control Arm Bushings?

I'm having trouble finding anyone that sells polyurethane lower control arm bushings for 63-64 Galaxie's. Anybody know of a place. I've used them before on other cars and really liked them. I've already found a kit for the rear shackles.

 

I think Energy Suspension makes poly bushings for Galaxie's. Summit and Jegs should carry them.

Edit: Looks like I was wrong, later model Galaxies only. Can't seem to find poly front bushings anywhere for a 60-64.

 

I've already checked the big name places, was hoping someone would know a smaller shop that made the oddball stuff.

 

A friend of mine runs a high end restoration shop specializing in early Galaxies. contact him @ [email protected]

 

Why do you want poly control arm bushings?

I could get into my diatribe about what rubber Silenbloc bushings do and why urethane can't do it, but the reality is that that urethane squeaks unless continually lubricated and most of the time they egg-out and don't last.

The critical change to make on a 63-64 front suspension is to get the Rare Parts kit to get rid of the front offset crankshafts. There are others that use a bolt straight through the front crossmember hole but that changes the geometry and costs you anti-dive - the Rare Parts kit keeps the pivot offset to the bottom of the hole.

If you then want less rubber in the front end get some '61-62 lower arms and the smaller bushings that go with them. You'll need to make some sleeves for the front bolts and maybe swap the rear bolts to do that.

 

My son just did his '65 Galaxie, all the bushings. I asked where, and can I get the right ones for my '63-1/2?
PEP BOYS! They have them in boxes, he took his old ones, a caliper, and matched them up.
I'll do the same with my '63-1/2 AND my '54 Ford Coupe. (I took the tube axle back out of the '54, going back with control arms.)
Try Pep Boys.
...and let us know.

 

I used to use urethane, too, once upon a time.

Now it's mucho more important to have a kooshy, quiet ride.

 

You can get control out of rubber, too.

The problem is that while rubber bushings allow the arm to pivot by flexing the rubber, urethane won't do that - it has to pivot on the shaft, and this causes it to wear. It also cold-flows.

Urethane's fine for body mounts and other sorts of isolators where it doesn't slide or pivot on something, maybe even for leaf-spring eye bushings where the rotation around the shaft is minimal, but IMO not for control-arm bushings.

 

I got the kit from Rare Parts you're talking about, cost me $270!!! and haven't put it in yet. I used poly bushings in the past and had good luck with them, plus the big advantage is not needing a press to install them, just burn out the rubber and use the original cup. I might just go back with rubber though after everyones comments.

 

I have removed more poly bushings than I have ever installed. I no longer install them on street vehicles.

If you must run poly, in the original shells, run a almost as big hole saw through your rubber first. That will make it easier to extract the last of the rubber, without much smoke.

 

Thanks, I appreciate this kind of feed back.