Superflex Bush Fitting
Discussion
Warning, Long Post!!!
Having spent the afternoon doing battle with a set of SPF 2010 shock absorber bushes I thought to share the experience! First thing to note is that around 98/99 the top shock bush changed and the later Bilstiens have a much larger bush at the top so check before ordering 8 as you may only need 4. These are bobbin style bushes unlike the top hat style for the wishbones and are a b****r to fit. I found the easy way to remove the old ones involved one socket with an outside diameter slightly smaller than the bush, one with an inside diameter slightly larger than the bush and a LARGE hammer. Stack them up big socket at the bottom, shock middle, small socket on top. Hit with hammer. HARD. Eventually the bush ends up in the lower socket. This may not work if rusted, my 98 ones weren't. For the new ones (red) the first inclination was to grease them up and press straight in. No chance, even when boiled! I eventually found if you squash them in at an angle of 45 degrees, apply pressure with a G clamp while squishing the last bit in with pipe grips they go quite happily. However don't push them right in until you have inserted the steel core about a centimetre into the bush. Put a socket over the core and push the bush right in with the G clamp followed by pushing the core right in. A little adjustment back and forth with the G clamp and various sizes of socket will get everything lined up.
Hope this at least helps determine if you DIY or get your garage to! If you want to DIY and want more detail probably best to e-mail direct rather than clutter this forum up.
Cheers
T
Having spent the afternoon doing battle with a set of SPF 2010 shock absorber bushes I thought to share the experience! First thing to note is that around 98/99 the top shock bush changed and the later Bilstiens have a much larger bush at the top so check before ordering 8 as you may only need 4. These are bobbin style bushes unlike the top hat style for the wishbones and are a b****r to fit. I found the easy way to remove the old ones involved one socket with an outside diameter slightly smaller than the bush, one with an inside diameter slightly larger than the bush and a LARGE hammer. Stack them up big socket at the bottom, shock middle, small socket on top. Hit with hammer. HARD. Eventually the bush ends up in the lower socket. This may not work if rusted, my 98 ones weren't. For the new ones (red) the first inclination was to grease them up and press straight in. No chance, even when boiled! I eventually found if you squash them in at an angle of 45 degrees, apply pressure with a G clamp while squishing the last bit in with pipe grips they go quite happily. However don't push them right in until you have inserted the steel core about a centimetre into the bush. Put a socket over the core and push the bush right in with the G clamp followed by pushing the core right in. A little adjustment back and forth with the G clamp and various sizes of socket will get everything lined up.
Hope this at least helps determine if you DIY or get your garage to! If you want to DIY and want more detail probably best to e-mail direct rather than clutter this forum up.
Cheers
T
Good tip mate.
Please don't think I'm being a smartarse but having done battle with polybushes on a number of cars, I've found that once you've got the suspension components off the car, the easiest way to remove or replace the bushes is to take them down to a local general engineering shop where the have hydraulic presses and allsorts of dies.
One of the old sweats will usually remove and replace the bushes effortlessly without causing any damage to your components and are often happy to do it for the price of a couple of pints.
If your still keen to do it yourself with handtools on the bench, you'll find that when trying to insert an oversized stiff rubbery object into a small tight hole, a little lubrication usually helps.
As suspension components don't generally respond to foreplay, I suggest the use of a little Vaseline may be advantageous.
>> Edited by sparkythecat on Monday 11th April 21:23
Please don't think I'm being a smartarse but having done battle with polybushes on a number of cars, I've found that once you've got the suspension components off the car, the easiest way to remove or replace the bushes is to take them down to a local general engineering shop where the have hydraulic presses and allsorts of dies.
One of the old sweats will usually remove and replace the bushes effortlessly without causing any damage to your components and are often happy to do it for the price of a couple of pints.
If your still keen to do it yourself with handtools on the bench, you'll find that when trying to insert an oversized stiff rubbery object into a small tight hole, a little lubrication usually helps.
As suspension components don't generally respond to foreplay, I suggest the use of a little Vaseline may be advantageous.
>> Edited by sparkythecat on Monday 11th April 21:23
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