Wishbone bushes

PostPost by: Uboat » Wed Feb 09, 2011 9:16 pm

Hi,

I finally succeded to remove the last front wishbone after drilling in the rubbber. So now I will mount new superflex bushes. However, these seem to be of a different size compared to the old ones. Diameter of superflexes is to the yellow arrow in the photo. Do I need to get rid of the inner metal tube (red arrow) or have I got the wrong bushes?. I really need your expertise on this...(The wishbone to the left still has the old bushes mounted)
Thanks
/Ulf

Sorry for the bad quality of the photo
Attachments
wishbone bushes.jpg and
1974 Lotus Elan +2 130/5
Uboat
Second Gear
Second Gear
 
Posts: 175
Joined: 21 Sep 2007

PostPost by: robertverhey » Wed Feb 09, 2011 9:30 pm

Sounds to me like you still have the outer shell of the old bush in place....perhaps try some careful hacksaw work followed up by a hammer / chisel (again being careful not to damage the arm itself).....or press it out if you can find a suitable drift
robertverhey
Fourth Gear
Fourth Gear
 
Posts: 766
Joined: 20 Feb 2007

PostPost by: Higs » Wed Feb 09, 2011 9:44 pm

Yes - you need to remove the outer casing of the old bush. I would be careful about trying to use a hacksaw or screw driver - these are critical components that you do no want to fail later. Sawing mat well put a notch in the wishbone that will then be a great site for a crack to start.

Try if possible to drift it out - evenn better use two suitable sized sockets and a vice.

Richard
Higs
Second Gear
Second Gear
 
Posts: 160
Joined: 02 Dec 2009

PostPost by: bob_rich » Thu Feb 10, 2011 8:55 am

Hi Ulf

I had exactly this problem on mine. I did use first a hack saw VERY CAREFULLY! to cut the old bush part way through. Then a small drift ground to a sharp flat screwdriver type end was tapped in by the grove I had cut between the bush casing and the edge of the suspension member. The bush casing then yielded along the cut line and was quite easy to pull out then. Just be very carefull with the hacksaw!!

best of luck

Bob
bob_rich
Fourth Gear
Fourth Gear
 
Posts: 564
Joined: 06 Aug 2009

PostPost by: ceejay » Thu Feb 10, 2011 8:50 pm

The old bushes are not difficult to remove with a ten ton press and two mandrells.
The lower (outer) mandrel is machined to a slightly larger Dia than the OD of the bush,
the top mandrell is simply a spigot that goes through the bush hole, it also has a shoulder
dia a little less than the OD of the old bush, assemble and align parts in the press,
and after a few pumps the outer part of the bush should begin to move out of the wishbone.
Often these bushes are rusted in... so, using some gentle heat with the Oxy
should fix that (No you wont hurt the MS metal)... along with some WD40 or similar.
It's not rocket science, just good old practical workshop nouse.
Live your dream-wear your passion.
http://elantrikbits.com/lotus-elan-blog/
ceejay
Fourth Gear
Fourth Gear
 
Posts: 623
Joined: 27 Mar 2007

PostPost by: tcsoar » Thu Feb 10, 2011 9:06 pm

Hi,

Used a similar method to ceejay, but in the abscence of a ten ton press I used a large engineering vice, I did need to extend the handle on some of them and in place of the mandrels old sockets of a suitable size.

Chris.
User avatar
tcsoar
Third Gear
Third Gear
 
Posts: 360
Joined: 01 May 2007

PostPost by: ceejay » Thu Feb 10, 2011 9:22 pm

Yes, I forgot to say a good bench vice will work OK if bushes are not
rusted in, but the press is easier for one person to do because
you are working on a horizontal bed, but the old bench vice press
is still a good standby.
ceejay
Fourth Gear
Fourth Gear
 
Posts: 623
Joined: 27 Mar 2007

PostPost by: RobinElan » Thu Feb 10, 2011 11:11 pm

I made a suitable sized drift (turned on a lathe) for the bushes and then put them into a large vice and pushed them out.
That is really the only safe way of removing the old bushes and installing the new ones :|
Rob
RobinElan
New-tral
 
Posts: 7
Joined: 06 Feb 2011

PostPost by: billwill » Fri Feb 11, 2011 12:15 am

Back when my lathe was accessible and operational I made a puller/pusher for the bushes.

In a 4 inch cube of steel I turned a cylindrical recess just bigger than a whole bush. Then a clearance bolt hole in the blind end of the recess.

Then I turned a cylinder with a clearance diameter for the holes in the wishbones i.e about the size of a bush but big enough to press on the bush, but not big enough to jam in the wishbone. This inner part of the cyinderl then had a hole drilled down the centre and threaded for a long bolt.

I fit the long bolt through the cube, then through the bush and into the central cylinder. Using a socket spanner on the bolt head then PULLS the inner and the bush out of the wishbone into the recess.

To fit a new bush it is used inside-out with the flat surface of the cube against the wishbone and the head of the puller bolt inside the recess.


I think I made the long bolt as well, but I feel sure a suitable one could be bought or stock 10mm threaded rod could be used.

The really hard part was using a hand hacksaw to cut a 4 inch cube off a one-foot length of 4x4 steel stock.
Bill Williams

36/6725 S3 Coupe OGU108E Yellow over Black.
billwill
Coveted Fifth Gear
Coveted Fifth Gear
 
Posts: 5060
Joined: 19 Apr 2008

PostPost by: elansprint » Fri Feb 11, 2011 11:08 am

Ulf when the superflex are fitted you may want to use the shallow height nylok on the spindle that holds the wishbone on a zealous MOT tester here picked up on the point that there was no thread sticking out of the std nylok due to the flanges on the superflex bush & to be fair it would be safer to have a couple of turns through the nylok.
Ian
elansprint
Fourth Gear
Fourth Gear
 
Posts: 525
Joined: 12 Sep 2003

PostPost by: Uboat » Sat Feb 12, 2011 8:20 am

Thanks for all your advice,
My vice is apparently not big/strong enough, I guess the bush and wishbone have rusted together... I have also tryed to use a hacksaw with no effect yet. I'm seriously thinking of new wishbones, as the bolt holes have also turned oval. Any thoughts on alternative wishbones (are these identical to wishbones from Triumph Spitfire?)
1974 Lotus Elan +2 130/5
Uboat
Second Gear
Second Gear
 
Posts: 175
Joined: 21 Sep 2007

PostPost by: bob_rich » Sat Feb 12, 2011 9:11 am

Hi Ulf

I am surprised the hacksaw idea would not work. It is necessary to assemble the hacksaw blade through the hole in the wishbone then hold in a vice and cut VERY CAREFULLY and parallel to get a grove across the whole length of bush outer liner. I had a similar problem 2 U in that my vice was not strong enough to use as a press which is why I used a saw. It took a long time ( 2 days 2 do all 8 wishbone members) but did not make any score marks on any of them.

surely worth a try if U R resigned to new wishbones any way.

Best of Luck

Bob
bob_rich
Fourth Gear
Fourth Gear
 
Posts: 564
Joined: 06 Aug 2009

PostPost by: kstrutt11 » Sat Feb 12, 2011 11:24 pm

If you have to use the hacksaw method make the cut along the centre line of the arm where there is the most metal, this is the lowest stress area and unlikely to crack if you mark it.

Kevin
kstrutt11
Third Gear
Third Gear
 
Posts: 427
Joined: 27 Jun 2007

PostPost by: billwill » Sun Feb 13, 2011 12:01 am

If you can find some steel pipes of the right diameters, one with an inside dia just bigger than a bush and one with an outside dia just smaller than the edge of the bush, you could saw off two lengths of about 4 inches and then with two BIG STRONG Disks (drilled to make really fat washers) to cover the ends and some threaded rod and nuts, you could fairly easily make up something which would work the same way as the puller that I made (described above)
Bill Williams

36/6725 S3 Coupe OGU108E Yellow over Black.
billwill
Coveted Fifth Gear
Coveted Fifth Gear
 
Posts: 5060
Joined: 19 Apr 2008

PostPost by: rdssdi » Tue Feb 15, 2011 8:39 pm

As I understand it, the bushes are to be a firm press fit into the suspension arm. The arm movement is achieved by the "flex" of the rubber. On my +2 the inside arm final torquing was done when the suspension was weighted down. Apparently the internal shear of the rubber will "hold" the car at the proper ride height. At least a small amount.

If this is incorrect please respond.

Bob
rdssdi
Coveted Fifth Gear
Coveted Fifth Gear
 
Posts: 1426
Joined: 30 Sep 2003
Next

Total Online:

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 37 guests