Hello everyone,
On Sunday I visited the Moss stand and treated myself to a set of their delrin door bushings for my NB. Moss had sold out but I paid for some and they arrived promptly today. Great service
Much has been debated over the worth of these components. Some say they can feel a difference, others say they canāt tell.
My car is 22years young and 1.5 times round the clock so any help is welcome.
I naively thought that fitting would be easy. Two 10mm bolts on each bush and Bobās your Mumās brother. Consequently I set aside ten minutes this evening to install them.
However, although unbolting the OE bush and bolting in the new bush took only moments, it turns out thereās more to it than that.
I followed the instructions, got the new bush positioned with the bolts in finger tight, gently pushed the door closed but, it wouldnāt shut.
The instructions mention that some sanding may be necessary but my door stands off alot. Not a fraction of a millimetre, not a whole millimetre but actually quite alot of millimetres.
For now Iāve put the OE bush back until I can devote more time to the task but what am I doing wrong?
The bushings only fit in the cup one way as far as I can tell.
Has anyone else experienced a similar situation when fitting these?
Am I going to have to sand these down by 3mm or more (as that looks to be about the amount they protrude from the cup)?
Could Moss have sent me bushings for a different model or are they all the same?
Hi Don. Thanks for your suggestion. Forgive me but Iām not quite sure what you mean. Sorry for being a bit dim but is it possible to explain what you mean by not tight?
The delrin bush must fit the door cup snugly to stiffen the area up. If there is play it becomes no better than the OE version.
The issue I have found is that the delrin bushing is too deep to allow the door to latch properly. When I sit the bushing into the metal cup on the door it protrudes by a couple of millimetres at least. The OE bushing lies flush.
Without further investigation it appears that I shall be forced to sand these down quite alot to fit.
Have you tried switching the original bushings left to right and right to left, and a little squeeze of the cups? That cured a horrible āsqueak/rattleā in my ā95 Mk1ā¦ doors much more snug
Doesnāt cure the issue you have with Moss bushes of course!
Thanks ast, I appreciate your suggestion. Itās a good idea.
One reason for choosing delrin is that it is a harder material. The OE bushing is rubber and relatively soft. Itās possible to squeeze the ones on my car with my fingers and thumb.
This means that even when it fits tightly into the door cup there can still be some movement over rough surfaces. The delrin bushings should alleviate any movement creating something much stiffer.
Hi and thanks for that suggestion. I havenāt tried that tbh.
In truth the idea behind replacing the OE bushings was more to do with stiffening the car.
The OE bushings are quite soft so allow a certain amount of flex. Other members have found that fitting delrin bushings help the way their cars feel. Of course, some have not noticed any difference
My Delrin bushes fit and work a treat.
Theyre not the Moss ines though. Iirc theyre made made by a guy callwd Richard Bate.
I sus pect also that finger tight is not quite tight enough to pull them in sufficiently.
Fitted replacement bushings to my NC a couple of months ago. It took 10 mins and there was a noticeable difference. The car felt stiffer, opening and closing is firmer and possibly reduced some rattles. I bought mine off eBay see pic.
Dave MacPherson
Before sanding, maybe you could try loosening the cup part on the door pillar below the catch, leave it finger tight, while the bush is fixed to the door finger tight and then close the door and see if the gap when closed is reduced. If successful, then tighten both up in that position, this could prevent sanding down
Hello gang. Hereās a quick follow up on the bushings situation.
I fitted them this morning after sanding down the one on the driverās side.
Bizarrely I didnāt have to do anything to the passenger side and it fitted perfectly.
I know the way things feel can be subjective and there may be somewhat of a placebo effect in action but TOG does feel different.
I nipped into town to Halfords to pick up some blue thread lock required for the bolts and the car felt smoother.
I will report back when Iāve been for a longer drive but so far things feel quite positive.
Cheers,
Guy
Subjectively of course, I found the car felt stiffer with sharper turn in, smoother ride and fewer rattles.
It slso felt more planted and less squirrely.
Well, I couldnāt wait until tomorrow as my curiosity had been piqued.
Iāve just come back from a drive on roads I use regularly and can report that on my car at least, these bushings certainly appear to have a positive effect.
Like your car, mine feels smoother and taughter.
For not alot of money I feel itās a worthwhile mod for older cars. More modern machinery may not see quite the benefit but for cars like mine I would recommend these door bushings.
