Grab a Pillow... Ol Skool TANABE Suspension toys. - Honda Prelude Forum

JDMugenBB1 · 10-08-2009, 08:55 AM

Sup everyone, I asked my good buddy in Japan to bid on these for me & instead of placing a bid, he went with the Buy It Now option. The final price was 1500 Yen which turns out to be $16.84 haha!

I think these would also fit a 5thgen Base model but I'm not sure.

I'm guessing shipping will be about $20-$30 & he'll probably use USPS. I told him not to worry about any delicate packing... just thrown them hoes in a box. They are Metal/Alum. so I'm not to worried about them being damaged.

I'm pairing these up with some used Tanabe Sustec Pro SS II coilovers that will be replacing my current tokico/GC setup... until I can get something new.

I'm hoping he also sends me the Mugen Equipped Badge he bought me a couple of months ago haha. I think that cost about $15 usd.

Aight homies, tell me what you think... cheers!

C.

JDMugenBB1 · 10-08-2009, 08:59 AM

Oh... forgot to mention that I'll probably tear these down, bead blast them, & give them a nice coo funky coat so they stand out in the Bay.

petern101 · 10-08-2009, 05:26 PM

Props for finding some old school pillowball mounts.

Too bad our suspension design doesn't take advantage of pillowball mounts

Artifex · 10-08-2009, 06:02 PM

I wouldn't trust those bearings. Most pillowballs use crappy bearings to start with, and those look like hell. You probably want to replace them.

JDMugenBB1 · 10-09-2009, 07:29 AM

yea I was thinking that as well. They look a bit aged haha. I'll see when I get them in.

JDMugenBB1 · 01-06-2010, 10:01 AM

Aight fellas, here are the pics. He sent these out to me about two weeks ago & I got them in last week.

I only had time to tear down one front pillowball upper mount.

So far I've only tried to sand down the surface rust with some "0000" steel wool, which is used for Fine finishes. Might need to try something alil more abrasive, like "00" or "000" steel wool. After I did some light sanding to some of the rusty areas, I cleaned them with some All Purpose cleaner. I applied the cleaner to all the parts except the spherical bearing. All I did to the spherical bearing was just wipe it down.
I need to apply some oil or grease to the internal parts & screws, to keep them from rusting.

Aight... here are the pics.

The tear down.

8 screws hold this whole thing together. The 4 "flat top" screws thread into a small aluminum ring that hold the cylinder to the aluminum plate. The 4 long screws located at the top of the steel cylinder, thread into a steel ring located inside that holds the spherical bearing in place.

When you look inside of the cylinder, you can see the ring that holds the spherical bearing in place. I had to unscrew the 4 long screws to remove the ring. The outter diameter of the ring is the EXACT same size as the inner diameter of the cylinder, so removing the Steel ring was fun haha.

After the steel ring is removed, you can look inside of the cylinder & see where the spherical bearing sits.

This bearing is in great shape. What you see in this pic is not rust, it's just alil JDM dirt mixed with JDM grease haha.

And after some light sanding with the steel wool & some All Purpose cleaner... this is what I got for now; Not bad huh!!

Aight sorry for all the pics but these Tanabe pillowball top mounts are REALLY Rare & impossible to find seperately for the Lude.
I also wanted yall to see all the components that make it up & how I took it apart. Every piece is very well made & fits all together to a damn T!!!! Enjoy!

C.

gotjnco · 01-06-2010, 10:10 AM

..... I HATE YOU!!!!....

Congratz man... I can't wait til you install these babies!!!!

JDMugenBB1 · 01-06-2010, 10:15 AM

Thinking about painting the cylinders (black part) to keep them from rusting again. Not sure what color to go with. What ever color I go with tho, will be visiable in the engine bay, so I gotta keep that in mind.

I'll only be able to paint the outside of them cuz the steel retaining ring that holds the bearing in place, fits SO Thight inside of the cylinder that it doesn't allow room for paint or anything else. Shoot!! I had to sand down the Light amount of rust that was inside of the cylinder in order for the steel ring to come out! I'm not lieing when I say the components fit each other to a "T"!!!

C.

JDMugenBB1 · 01-06-2010, 10:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gotjnco

..... I HATE YOU!!!!....

Congratz man... I can't wait til you install these babies!!!!

Oh Yea, he sent me this too hehe.

pIERCE · 01-06-2010, 12:26 PM

I've never heard of these.....Why are they considered old school? Are they not made anymore?

What is their supposed advantage that our cars apparently can't use?

JDMugenBB1 · 01-06-2010, 12:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pIERCE

I've never heard of these.....Why are they considered old school? Are they not made anymore?

What is their supposed advantage that our cars apparently can't use?

They were offered with the older Tanabe SS coilovers that are now discountinued. I think that was back in the mid to late 90's.

Well technical terms... the spherical bearing is used in place of the rubber bushing, which allows for improved tire grip and more accurate wheel alignment, while keeping the positioning design of the upper spring and shock absorber close to manufacture's standards and maintains the stroke center.

Artifex · 01-06-2010, 02:34 PM

I have some personal thoughts about pillowballs:

Pillowballs are indeed great for handling. However, they have 2 big problems:
1. Most aftermarket bearings are really low quality. This is because hard-duty grade spherical bearings are hella expensive. I was thinking of upgrading some average ones on my WRX, and the bearings alone are like $150 each. Low grade bearings wear out under load, and start getting very sloppy (and can sometimes fail).

Keep in mind I've seen the Tein ones personally, and the bearings they use are sh*tty.

2. Bearings (by design) have no play, and are extremely harsh on a street car. You will get no isolation at all from NVH. It helps if you have high quality dampers (by high quality I mean in the $2k range), but you will feel every bump and jolt in the road. Your struts are now directly coupled to the frame, with no compliance.

Due to #2 I think they are a poor choice for a street car. However, you younger guys have newer spines than me.

I'm not the kind that likes to have a racing suspension anymore, because the harshness kills my kidneys.

JDMugenBB1 · 01-06-2010, 02:41 PM

^ ^ ^ Good info I wasn't aware of. Yea I figured the ride would get alil harsh since you're getting rid of the bushing that is normally in place. But the lude isn't daily driven so I'm not to worried about it. But for the price I couldn't pass up these rare parts.

Thanks for the info & input Artifex !!! Good to hear from the seasoned folks.

C.