I need to replace the vacuum cylinder on my 41 coupe. I think the guts are worn out. It jumps out of gear, etc and I have worked on it before. I have a NOS one that I can put in so that's no problem. The rubber bushings where it attaches to the bracket are toast. What I need to know is how thick each of them need to be and whether I cam make some out of something like maybe struct or ßhock bushings.

Seems they need to be about 5/16 inch or so thick. Maybe less. Don't know.

If any of you have made up replacement rubber bushings please let me know how your method worked.

The reason I posted this here is because the issue is the same through more than one forum.

Thanks a heap,

Charlie

Check parts book in group 4.046, part number cushion, 2 used , part # 3650270, demensions are 3/8" id, 1 1/4" od, 7/16 " thick.

Thanks, Gene. Thats the information I needed.

I wonder if either if Steele makes them.

Thanks again,
Charlie

If they don't make them,get some machined up out of semi-hard,but machineable polyurethane solid rod.

CJP'S,

Sorry, we don't have any of that sort of thing up here. At 83 I'm quite familiar with the term semi-hard rod but that machinable polyurethane stuff is a mystery to me. Maybe I'll just go to the store and measure the thickness of some auto floor mats and sacrifice one of them if I can find a suitable one and can find a circular punch cutter thingee. Maybe I can use some garden hose gaskets. Hmmm.

Thanks for the suggestion anyway.

Best,
Charlie

Heavy truck mud flaps might work well for donor material. I have a couple I've cut chunks out of and whittled parts from over the years. Some farm supply stores sell a conveyor belt type material by the foot as well.

Maybe a piece from a junk car/truck tire would be thick enough to work

dick

All good suggestions.

Thanks a heap.

Charlie

Interesting that this thread would include suggestions about machining parts from a polyurethane rod. I am getting ready to buy some to make bushings for the lever arm shocks on my'37. The rubber parts I have are very deformed after just a couple of years.

There are numerous sources on eBay for the material "DELRIN" which is a brand name for acetal plastic. Many suppliers are selling the drop-off or leftover material from longer rods (black or white). It is not very expensive.

"DELRIN" is a very hard non-deforming type of plastic,more suitable for making fixed & rotating bushes.I used to machine it all the time at work making electrical motor cable bushes the steelworks motor repair shop I worked at for 34 years.
Polyurethane is available in quite a few colours,and different hardnesses(I think its hardness is measured in "Duros"?).You may also be able to buy a polyurethane mixing kit in the U.S.(we can here in Australia),make a mold and make your shock absorber bushes any colour(obviously black)or any hardness you want.One trick I picked up,that to machine any polyurethane that was extremely soft was to freeze it in either ice & salt water or dry ice,put it in the lathe and machine it before it defrosted.But you had to be fairly quick if using ordinary ice & salt water.

Thanks to everyone who responded to my initial post on this subject.

I have discovered that Lowe's carries rubber washers. The only problem is that the size needed is mostly out of stock. I found one out of two stores in the local area. There were other washers but not the outside diameter that Chevrolet used. Close enouth though, I think. I's going to use the smaller ones for the 41 coupe and save the larger one for the project car. I hope to find another one before I need it.

Best to all,

Charlie