> Our LBC's use a lot of those hard rubber bushings with the steel sleeve
> inside. (mostly for front and rear suspension.) What is the best method
> for installing these bushings? Should any sort of lubrication be used when
> attempting to insert them?
>
> Bill King, mah16@cornell.edu
Installation can be performed by constructing a simple do-it-yourself tool.
You will need a piece of PVC pipe a little bigger than the bushing and a
bolt whose head is large enough that it will not pass through the bushing
center(re?). Thread the bolt through the bushing, through the suspension part,
through the pipe, and through a piece of flat iron(in that order). Secure
the end of the bolt with a nut of the proper size and tighten the nut until
the bushing is correctly seated. This tool can also be used to remove
bushings if the pipe is as long as the bushing is wide.
Orignal DaVince ASCII art follows:
|SSSSSS| |
|SSSSSS| |-----| | <--- Flat iron strap across pipe
__ |SSSSSS| | | |
/ \ |SSSSSS| | P | |
| B | |SSSSSS| | I | |
||_| B |_|SSSSSS|__| P |__|_||_
Bolt -->||_| B |_|SSSSSS|__| E |__|_||_
|| | B | |SSSSSS| | | | ||
| B | |SSSSSS| | | | ^
\__/ |SSSSSS| | | | |
|SSSSSS| | | | +------- Nut
|SSSSSS| |-----| |
|SSSSSS| |
B = Bushing
S = Suspension member
I've heard that a water-based lubricant (i.e. K-Y Jelly) is a good choice
to lubricate the bushing during installation. It shouldn't attack the
rubber since it's advertised to be safe for use with latex.
-Jim.
'76 TR7
|