Anti Roll Bar agony

[bloodknock]

Hello again chaps
Any one tried fitting new anti roll bar bushes on the bar itself and into the chassis links????? What a Bast***d.
What techniques did you guys use?
I'm and old man now and the youthful strength has depleted, i've used Vaseline, waxoil, Ive had my entire weight on the bloody thing, no success.
Help
Bob

[c42]

When I replaced mine with the Polybush type I used silicone lubricant, my anti roll bar is also painted which I think helps but it was still a fair push to get them on.

Good luck!
John

[pamitchell]

Hang in there!

When I did mine, it took 3 of us and 2 cans of silicon spray...

[JJDraper]

I had to do this for the last MOT. Oil leak caused the old one to swell & disintegrate. Yes it is a pig of a job, but has to be done! First, buy two more bushes than you need, they are cheap and you can tear them in the process of fitting. It pays to have a couple spare. Next clean the roll bar & give it a rub down with emery cloth or wire wool to get the bar nice & smooth. The really difficult bit is the first, after that its plain sailing. NB!!! make sure you are fitting the drop link the right way round - if you have fitted it the wrong way round, start again (use spare bush if appropriate). It helps to slightly round the sharp edge of the flat bit with a fine file - don't take too much metal away. I have tried both fitting the bush first and trying to fit the drop link and fitting he drop link with bush fitted. The first method has never worked for me, so I use the latter (bush & drop link assembled) with copious amounts of your favourite lubricant (oo-er..). It also helps to dip the whole bush/drop link end in some hot water before hand to make it all squidgy. Washing up liquid works a treat when its all wet from the hot water. Also use some stout gardening gloves to get a good grip without tearing your hands.

Alternatively, consider fitting a spyder unit which has easy to change drop links..

Jeremy

[crannyr]

Some years ago I got gave up and modified my drop links by cutting them and welding in drilled tabs so that they can be split and then bolted back together. Very inexpensive, easy, has never failed.

Good luck

[AHM]

It takes forever... until you get the technique.

Put the ARB in a vice with the end pointing up.
Wrap insulating tape over the flattened end so that it is smooth and there are no sharp edges.
Put a tape mark where you want the link to stop
Put the bush in the link.
Spray WD40 over the ARB and inside the bush
Put the bush on the end of the ARB push down as hard as you can and rotate the link - the harder it is the more you need to rotate - go round and round rather than backward and forward.

Don't worry about damaging the bush
use plenty of WD40
once you start don't stop - the bush will stick

You can do it - it doesn't take anything special or any super human strength.

I tried all of the other ways first... none of them worked!

[Mazzini]

Plus one to AHM's post.

[robertverhey]

Plus two to AHM with minor variation, used silicon spray instead of WD40.....very slippery

And I used a couple of suitably sized sockets and a hammer to pursuade the link and the rubber to clear the flange

A timely thread, I set aside a couple of hours to do this today but in the end there would have been about 30 minutes' worth.

Robert

[GrUmPyBoDgEr]

As with most things, good preparation is the answer.

1. Make sure that the ARB is free of rust, crud etc & has a smooth surface up to at least where the rubber bushes will eventually sit.

2. It helps a terrific amount if the flattened ends of the ARB have nice large radii filed & then emeried onto them this provides a good start for the bushes to be pushed over.

3. Have a container of hot water available.

4. Using a sufficient quantity of washing up liquid lubricate the ARB & the ARB hangers.

5. Soak the rubber bushes in the very hot water & after removing them from the water (make up your own mind how you will do that bit) use more washing up liquid to fit them to the ARB hangers.

6. Immerse again into very hot water & then using more washing up liquid push the assembled hanger & rubber bush over the ARB flattened end & along the bar to the desired position.
As previously mentioned, ensure that the correct (handed) hanger is fitted to its proper side.

7.The excess washing up liquid can now be washed off.

8. Apply fresh paint wherever needed.

I have found this method to be very successful & only minimum manual effort is needed & most importantly there is nothing to worry about with the possible lasting chemical effect of washing up liquid on those rubber bushes.

[69S4]

Now I'm worried that I've done something wrong because when I changed mine two years ago I didn't find it that hard. Yes it took a bit of muscle but with a combination of derusting and repainting the bar first followed by AHM's technique of WD40 and winding rather than pushing the link I doubt it took more than five minutes per side. I've read here before that it's a pig of a job so I seem to be in the minority. Maybe the bar's rusted itself evenly to a smaller diameter or something but the bushes seem to be a tight enough fit.

[AussieJohn]

Put the bush in the link, put the link in a heavy vice, spray bush with lubricant, hold the bar and force it in.

[AHM]

69S4,

Five minutes is slow!

You must have missed the first step, which involves work softening the bushes with all the force you can muster. You also need to prepare psychologically and to build-up a good temper.

If you prepare like this the previous day you can get sub 2 minutes.

Spending a day or so trying the other lubricants and methods is good training and will endear you to others.

[69S4]

You must have missed the first step, which involves work softening the bushes with all the force you can muster. You also need to prepare psychologically and to build-up a good temper.

I usually warm up with a bit of percussive maintenance I normally find it makes all the other parts I want to work on later a lot more cooperative.

[bloodknock]

It was the boiling water, fairy liquid, polished ends wot dun it!
Bushes in drop linkss...easy.!...file round \off and polish edges of shock absorber end, heat the bush / drop link end in boiling water, smother bar end and drop link bush in fairy liquid, then use loads of grunt and obscenities! and Bobs your uncle
Thanks you guys
Be on standby for my next debacle
Bob Skerritt

[Peter +2]

A very timely article for me as I had been putting off this job for a while, remembering how difficult it can be, if you do it the wrong way as I now know I had done so in the past.

Using washing up liquid and holding the drop links in a vice it took just a couple of minuets aside. Previously I would have held the ARB in a vice, how silly was that!