Thread: Replaced under axle bushes today

OK after my last thread on the subject where I asked about Superpro bushes, I bought the bushes and replaced the under axle bushes today.
***** of a job.
Luckily I have a Ryobi electric rattle gun as I doubt I would have been able to remove the bolts without it.
It is relatively straightforward to do.( if you have a rattle gun)

Remove the bolts from all 3 positions.(trick -to use a rattle gun on the front bolt under the axle you have to remove the shock absorber). The front bolt looks too long to clear the anti roll bar axle mount but it just clears with a bit of a wiggle.
To remove the bushes I used a hole saw on the first two and it was a PITA. Kept jamming and getting very hot. I saw the light and on the second two I drilled about 8 x 12MM holes around where the saw would go and this worked wonders. The first arm took about an hour and the second about 10 minutes.
Then used my electric hacksaw to cut straight down to the outer sleeve, in two places about 5MM apart. SURPRISE. the outer sleeves are plastic so I was able to just jamb a screwdriver down with a hammer and this let the plastic just curl in enabling the bush remains to be hammered out.

Pretty easy to insert the bushes. As suggested , I got a bit of 12MM allthread and two nuts and washers, put a 30MM socket against the bush with a bit of steel at the other end and wound . Took a few goes as they like to jack sideways. The last one was a PITA as it didn't want to go in until I cleaned and tapered the hole some more. I then whacked them home with a rubber mallet.
Similarly fitting the tubes was easy. Grease as with outer, then whack in with the mallet.
Fitting is pretty easy, and for the second one I fitted the rear bolt first , then the front loosely, then manouvred the front axle bolt in, which was the worst part.
Seeing that I had an axle stand under the axle supporting the car on only one side , I tightened up the nuts while on the stand which raised the car only about 13MM , so the axle position is just about as if on wheels. I don't see how I could get to 170NM without the rattle gun . Those bushes AFAIK do not rotate anyway , they just sit there and absorb shock from the axle on their top half.
After all that the old bushes were pretty good. The cracks I saw did not go all the way through. It looks like the main stress they get is on articulation when the axle tries to go on an angle in the bush and they crack on the bottom side progressively inwards from each side. I think it is important to have good under axle bushes as they keep the axle aligned with the driveshaft and give the donut an easy time.

I believe that if you want to use stock bushes you have to have a special tool like for a 38A. Now I see the reason, as there must be a sleeve that fits over the plastic to stop it from collapsing when being pressed in.
Regards Philip A

Eating lots of maccas is maybe why your suspension feels softer,
Or is it because your a poor d2 owner and all the money goes on parts

No my wife is away playing golf, and after gerniing the driveway in 36C I couldn't be stuffed to make dinner. Besides I like Maccas every now and then, and she hates it.( except for the coffee)
And I was gerniing the driveway because when I used the hole saw on the OEM bushes it covered the floor of the garage with black gooey **** that stuck to your shoes . While I had the Gerni out, I thought why not?
Regards Philip A