C-Bushing Pre-lube Grease and Bronco Lean

[jckkys]

I just noticed the vendors are offering pre-lube grease for installing the C-bushings. Has anyone used it? Does it help to avoid or mitigate the infamous Bronco lean? I'm also curious if rubber or poly are less likely to result in the EB lean?

 

[c0astie31]

I used red tacky Lucas grease

 

[Timmy390]

The bushings I used were slick...no grease needed. I used a solution of 50/50 water and dish soap. Worked like a charm.

Tim

 

[garberz]

I’ve always used dish soap. It doesn’t attract dirt the way grease and other lube spays do.

Mark

 

[Pa PITT]

I'd not want Grease on mine . Dawn & Water mixture would be fine .
But I don't believe that's where the lean comes from.

 

[Glass Pony]

I always used a little Dow 111 silicone.

 

[rguest3]

I lightly coat the C-Bushings with the grease that comes with the bushing kit. Then tighten Caps to Radius Arms in a X pattern.

Bronco lean is due to the install of the Radius Arms and they are not installed parallel to each other. Install them Parallel, tighten down, then install Radius Arm ends into frame mounts.

 

[1strodeo]

I used Vaseline, it was recommended by one of the builders on here, worked great! Can't answer the other questions though

 

[TDubya]

I also used Vaseline. Worked good, no lean.

 

[jckkys]

My other question concerned the choice of rubber or poly. In general, my experience is that rubber has done a better job in most applications. The exception is sway bar bushings. The large area and minimal thickness of the C-bushings may mean vibration isolation isn't a factor in my choice. Flexibility favors rubber, and anti sway favors poly. The recommended grease makes me think the poly moves along the metal surfaces. Rubber bonds to the surfaces and flexes internally because, when removing my rubber bushing it became clear the rubber was stuck to the steel. Poly has a tendency to squeak does this happen on C-bushings? Will the grease kill the squeak?

 

[TDubya]

I've had poly for 20+ years, no squeaks. Used Vaseline on installation.

 

[DirtDonk]

I've never heard a poly C-bushing squeak.
I would have to assume rubber is better for not only isolation, but also for not having a binding issue during installation that causes Bronco Lean.

No personal experience though, since after my originals I used poly exclusively.

Paul

 

[Timmy390]

I used the ones WH sells......Graphite impregnated self lubricating urethane for quiet operation.

Never heard a peep out of them

Tim

 

[rguest3]

jckkys - Not sure if your Bronco has a lift or not? The Rubber C-Bushings are only available for stock height. I would assume they are a 2 Degree.

The Poly Bushings are available in Different Degrees for various Lift Heights.

I also have the Bushings from Wild Horses. They don't squeak at all.

 

[jckkys]

I mentioned the tendency of poly to squeak in a general sense. I've used them for sway bars almost exclusively since the early '80s and in that application they did squeak. Some even came with zerks, so the manufacturers were clearly aware of the squeaking. I have no interest in lifts of any kind. My '77 got it's lean when I hit a hole that was full of soft mud. When the wheel hit the far side I hit the steering wheel. From then on, it leaned. So improper installation isn't the only cause. I believe one or both C-bushing shifted. That was in 1980. Nobody knew about a fix then. I just swapped the springs side to side with no improvement. I was hoping poly with grease may self correct in a similar scenario.

 

[DirtDonk]

I would assume they are a 2 Degree.

Rubber is zero offset. All four bushings are the same and can go in any position.

I was hoping poly with grease may self correct in a similar scenario.

Pretty sure it won't. At least not enough to help, except perhaps under the most extreme conditions. With our luck the self-correction movement would only work in one direction and you'd end up with a lean the other way!
The modern iterations of the poly C-bushings are so tight that they even distort and squeeze out some during installation. So much so, that just leaving some excess scale, rust or even leftover bushing material from the previous install will cause new bushings to squeeze out even further.

I think this tightness is reducing their tendency to squeak as well. Even though they can theoretically twist a bit when the suspension flexes, it's minimal, slow and restricted. Probably even distorts the poly some, rather than the two surfaces actually sliding on one another.
No hard, fast scientific data to support this. Just some SWAG from observing.

Paul

 

[jckkys]

The WH poly bushings are going in or may be in. I'm doing the parts procurement and small assembly rebuilding. The restoration shop is doing the rest. Thankfully, they don't mindlessly use poly for everything either.

 

[half cab]

I mentioned the tendency of poly to squeak in a general sense. I've used them for sway bars almost exclusively since the early '80s and in that application they did squeak. Some even came with zerks, so the manufacturers were clearly aware of the squeaking. I have no interest in lifts of any kind. My '77 got it's lean when I hit a hole that was full of soft mud. When the wheel hit the far side I hit the steering wheel. From then on, it leaned. So improper installation isn't the only cause. I believe one or both C-bushing shifted. That was in 1980. Nobody knew about a fix then. I just swapped the springs side to side with no improvement. I was hoping poly with grease may self correct in a similar scenario.

Probably not your problem but I hit a hole like that once really fast and caused the drives side body mount (the one under the dr feet) to mushroom down. Leaned bad til I put a 2x4 long ways under the rocker and slowly jacked it back out.

 

[nvrstuk]

The "Infamous Bronco Lean" write up was written to address the lean caused when installing new bushings (or re-installing the used ones) when installing NEW soft spring long travel suspension. (which was new suspension technology back in the '90's.

The "Fix" was to align the radius arms and have them parallel so the arms wouldn't be "loaded" thereby compressing the new soft spring, causing the lean.

How do I know this? I wrote the "Infamous Bronco Lean" Tech article somewhere around 1997 when I figured out why a perfectly level Bronco BEFORE new spring installation, commonly leaned to one side or the other only after changng and upgrading to new soft long travel springs. NO other change...just new upgraded front coil springs (or new bushings installed on previous soft, long travel springs) were causing our Broncos to lean...

Lot's of theories as to the cause but this was it...