Silverbullets' resto: Engine, gearbox, suspension

[El_Freddo]

Sounds like an awesome trip! I’ll check out your video.

I didn’t realise you were yet to do some rocky climbs. I’ll get Ruby Scoo back to offroad (and onroad) fit and then we should meet up for some touring of some choice areas in vic. The Pyrenees are probably the closest to you with the best steep and long climbs.

Everything look ok post trip under the vehicle?

[Silverbullet]

Pyrenees looks nice! Looks like Wooded native forest, not enough of that here in SA to explore.

Todays drama; broke the clutch cable! Was just creeping into the driveway at work this morning when it let go, bunny-hopped into my parking spot and stalled it Very lucky it was just the very end that came off, under the dash. The cable actually broke just inside the crimped ferrule giving me enough to silver solder a new end on. Lucky it happened at work where I had the facilities to silver solder and not out bush in a couple weeks time I'm heading north out to Marree to pick up a pleasure flight over Lake Eyre which is over 8 hours drive. Haven't decided yet but I will probably wind my way back through the Flinders ranges over the week. Don't plan on doing any serious 4WD'ing by myself in a strange surround but will still try to see as much as I can. Pics to follow!

[El_Freddo]

Well done on the repair! Looks neat.

The scenic flight should be good. Best get cracking, I hear Lake Eyre is evaporating quickly! Probably why southern NSW and northern Vic seem to be getting good rain while southern vic isn’t getting its usual amount.

Either way, the whole trip will be an awesome experience! Have a safe trip there and back when the time comes.

[Bumpty]

This weekends project had some urgency, going on a 4WD club trip next weekend. Only noticed 2 weeks ago when I stuck my head under there that the moustache bar was bent like a wet noodle Yesterday I started before 9AM, got the car back together after 6PM so it was a big day and I am very sore today Went to Subareck Pauls place last week (2 hour drive one way) to get a couple of moustache bars to weld together, and some Brumby torsion bars.

As to how/when the old bar bent I don't know for sure. I suspect it is due to the rear locker binding up sometimes on sealed roads. Every so often navigating a low(ish) speed, RH turn of ~90 degrees the rear end emits an enormous "BANG" followed by another bad noise that keeps going until I stop, then move off again. Has done it from day one, completely random, getting less frequent as time has passed.

Apologies for the vertical photos!

Holy banana!

[Silverbullet]

This has been on my to-do list for a while, although my desperate bodge job fix from months ago had held up surprisingly well. There's a rod for the L series 5 spd shifter linkange that has bushings in each end. My bushings were in multiple pieces and earlier this year I managed to buy 4 new genuine Subaru rubber pieces, ordered in from Japan Only for them to completely dissolve in my hands turning into rubbery muck when I went to install them

I took dimensions and drew up some new bushings back then in hopes of sending them off to be custom made. That never happened but recently a mate with a new 3D printer said he could print them out of flexible urethane. I got him to print the rubber piece from urethane and also the thin plastic casing that goes inside the rubber piece. They came out bloody good and fit together perfectly first try. Just installed them in the car today and they fit perfectly in the steel housing, the crush tube fits perfectly down the middle of the bushings, very happy with the results for a first attempt

The car is all back together so now we begin the durability/drivability test. Let's see if they hold up and if they introduce any new noises into the cabin. Although I think the urethane can't be any stiffer than the fossilized original rubber bushings.

The black plastic parts were printed separately and pushed into the urethane parts very easily by hand.


Installed into the shifter rod, couldn't be happer with the fit up


The stuff it was replacing, and rubber rings I made during the last bodge-job fix


All back together, let's see if it holds!

[El_Freddo]

That’s neat mate! I didn’t know the 3D printers could print urethane - I’ll have to look into this!

Bantum made some on thingiverse ages ago. I printed some in my early days (about 9 months ago ) but never fitted them. The piece of Subarino’s garden hose I fitted back in 2016 is still doing the job - there’s a trick to selecting second though…

I’m looking forward to how these work out for you