Continuation - Red Urethane Decay

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As I mentioned in another post a few days ago, the same thing happened to me 10 years ago, when the EMPI camber compensator was first installed on my car. I got a replacement part from (the old) VS and it was identical to the part that had failed. It soon failed in the same way as did the pad on the other side of the car.

I think the only choice is to ditch the EMPI compensator and install the one from CB Performance.

FWIW, I never thought the EMPI piece did much anyway. It's supposed to push up against the axles, keeping them from tucking under the car in spirited cornering. But i could pull it away from an axle with just a pound or two of force applied, so I couldn't see how it was helping much.

About a year later, we put in a new transaxle with modified mounts that interfered with the EMPI compensator, so I removed it and have gone without one ever since.

I've had to learn the, uh, 'magic' point where the wheels start to tuck under in hard cornering on uneven surfaces (or in reverse camber corners) and now drive accordingly. I just think of it as one of the car's 'charming' peculiarities that could end in disaster, like the nonexistent crumple zones and airbags.

Getting there is half the fun.

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I put a red urethane front trans mount in my Cal Look bug some 40 years ago (they were the new thing and "so much superior" to stock mounts) and within 2? 3? months had replaced it with a new stock front mount.  I still have it hanging on the garage wall- it has a big rip in it.  I'll post a pic of it later.

The red urethane peddlers saw me coming a mile off.  I was backing out of my driveway when the red piece of stuff between the steering column and box disintegrated.  OEM is the way to go if you want to make it back.

These pads are approximately 2” x 3-3/8” x 5/16” thick. I wonder if I can find an equivalent, preferably in rubber. I paid $30 something for the red urethane replacement pair at CIP1 in 2020; now they’re $56 and on sale! Due to the bad experience with these replacements I am looking for options. If all else fails I’ll just spring up for a new CB Performance unit.

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@Impala , your photos recall some (not so) fond memories of my first struggles with this car.

Being a champion of inelegant solutions, I think I ended up just wiring (or taping?) the pad to the support bar.

As you've pointed out, this isn't a case of the urethane itself failing, but of whatever is supposed to attach the (unseen) bolt head to the pad. Judging by how little force it took to break it loose, I thought that must be some kind of glue.

At the time I considered fabricating a replacement pad out of wood (a short length of 2x4 might be a good place to start) and countersinking a hole on the upper side for a bolt head and lock washer.

Another option is to cut a slot in the end of the bolt for a flat-bladed screw driver so you'd have a way to keep the bolt from rotating while tightening the nylok nut. You could probably do that with a Dremel cutoff disk. Then, it would just be a matter of waiting for the urethane itself to fail in some spectacular way.

Arguably, there is much to be learned through correcting the flaws in substandard engineering, but I'm still voting for the CB Performance option.

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@Impala

It's wild speculation over here, but McMaster/Carr has vibration elimination pads of varying harness (durometer) on their site. You'd have to figure out how to attach them, but I'd be inclined to do something besides the red urethane as well.

I’ve ordered some Prothane pads that could work. I recall the black prothane was also some type of urethane; not sure if it’s the same crap but different color:

https://www.pacificcustoms.com...bl&Store_Code=PC

I was also thinking of maybe adding some loops on the ends just like the CB unit.

Prothane  is suppose to be the only type of urethane that is good, at least that's what is claimed on a couple of Aircooled FB sites...........,No urethane for me.

That’s a relief then; maybe these ones I bought can be made to work.

I’ve never used a camber compensator, but looking at the pictures, I think I would machine an aluminum block into the correct shape and then line it with a glued on piece of 3/16” rubber. Should be relatively quiet and last a long time.

I came here to say.

That or carve them out of Delrin.

@edsnova posted:

I came here to say.

That or carve them out of Delrin.

I’m not sure if Delrin would hold the stud without pulling out, but it would be easy to machine. I’d chuck up a square block in a 4 jaw chuck, bore the ID, then split it on the bandsaw. Easy peasy.

Black urethan(Prothane) is fine for this application. I have it as bushings in my custom front swaybar. They are commercially available "universal" type sway bar mounts, and are enclosed all around, which is the only way I would use urethane.

They've been on there for 5 years so far and are in great shape. The mounting bracket has a grease fitting that goes through a hole to the sway bar. I've greased it twice so far.

I will not use it for motor mounts or as a steering donut!

In another post I offered up some experience with urethane snubbers.  In this case for a rear sway bar on IRS.  Replaced with what I believe to be neoprene.