I've also been thinking of replacing the 30 year old, LCA bushings on my 380sl , mainly because some the rubber on the front-most one on the driver's side in the attached photo is obviously shredded.

However, after looking more closely at it, I'm wondering if the job is even worth the effort, because it seems that the shredded piece of rubber isn't really functional. It just sits between the metal ring on the front of the bushing that's an integral part of the bushing's metal core, and the metal ring in the photo that's also an integral part of that core, but usually can't be seen because it's covered by rubber. So, it seems that the shredded piece of rubber wasn't preventing the control arm from moving when the car moves back or forth.

As I recognize that these bushings are dry and hard, relative to new bushings, I was wondering if anybody that has replaced them has noticed any improvement in the way the car rode of handled.

Thank very much for the info.

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