Are rubber steering couplers available?

[Patcon]

It would be great to locate another source for a workable rubber part. If the Porsche part fits I bet there is another manufacturer who used it also that would have less premium applied to the cost

[zKars]

Three guesses who has some old stock couplers. Hockey pucks are also the exact correct width and diameter. Just need holes the right size to seat the metal tubes. I'll work on this when I get home. Dang this is a wide country....

[Zed Head]

A hockey puck might be the same material as the original coupler but I'm pretty sure it's a lot stiffer.  Probably better than the ABS piece, but might not be that different from PU.  Weird how the use of PU in certain places has tainted its use everywhere else.  But it's also funny how the use of PU in one place led to its application anywhere else it could be jammed in.

I still have my old coupler but it's starting to feel like a valuable antique.

[jeremy93ls]

The Porsche 911 coupler didn't work.

The holes in it don't line up quite right and the metal sleeves that came with it just wobble around inside. It's a little thicker, too, and I couldn't get the two batwing pieces to fit right and get the bolts through. It almost works, but I'm not going to chance it. I went with the Energy Suspension part since it would have to be better than the plastic coupler I pull out.

 

[zKars]

And for completeness, here is the authentic Canadian Tire light weight practice puck solution along side the stock rubber part. For correction pucks are the correct WIDTH but are larger diameter.

Those metal tubes are from the poly bushing .

The material stiffness is pretty much the same as poly, maybe a bit softer

[jfa.series1]

So... if you were to machine the relief cuts and center bore in the puck, is it possible you might end up with flexibility that is similar to the OE part?

[Captain Obvious]

He shoots... He scores!!!! 

I've seen early couplers that are a hard plastic material. When did they change to the softer rubbery material? I've got poly in my car from my PO, but I'm just curious when the change occurred.

[87mj]

On ‎8‎/‎28‎/‎2016 at 10:46 AM, Captain Obvious said:

He shoots... He scores!!!! 

I've seen early couplers that are a hard plastic material. When did they change to the softer rubbery material? I've got poly in my car from my PO, but I'm just curious when the change occurred.

Well Captain Obvious (I love saying that),

The soft rubber was stock.  In the olden days, when a 240z was not a classic and was just a 10 year old rusty car, one of the first things they recommended were to replace the struts and the steering coupler to return the front suspension to factory handling.  I have a low miles '71 with a factory rubber coupler on it.  There is a lot of play on it but not as bad as my '73 had in 1979 with 90,000 miles.  I was planning to replace it with poly but this thread is giving me second thoughts.

[Zed Head]

The internet says they've always been the same - http://www.carpartsmanual.com/datsun/Z-1969-1978/steering/steering-column/28

Another thought, that's always bothered me a bit.  There are/were several companies making polyurethane bushing replacements.  There is a huge range of hardnesses possible with polyurethane, from goo to wood-hard.  So one company's bushing could be hard and another's soft, but they're both polyurethane.  Seems like even the hockey pucks come in two, practice and game.  Really hard/difficult to compare.

Edited September 2, 2016 by Zed Head

[MattSaint]

I thought I was going to be able to provide you with a rubber solution, but it appears that the company I had purchased from has converted to Poly now...

[Zed Head]

But notice how they distinguished their product from common "poly".  Not all poly's are the same.  Somebody noticed and seems to be trying to meet a need.

" Whiteline Plus bushings provide the softness needed for street driven, low vibration, noise and harshness characteristics, while displaying extreme abrasion, tear and cut resistance, and near-zero compression set at a lower durometer reading of 70-80 (versus most poly bushings 100+ rating). In addition, Whiteline Plus polyurethane bushings are able to be bonded directly to the metal shell, which provide a method of flow control giving the bushing the characteristics of soft ride while on smooth roads, and when under cornering pressure cause the bushing to become firmer for improved suspension performance. "

[NVZEE]

Much better info provided by Whitehead, but Whiteline's US site saves a few bucks:

http://www.whitelinesuspensionparts.com/w11044