Re: 164 Bushing installation

[JALFAjr@domain.elided]

I am glad Vlad posted his experience on replacing his bushings, as they mirrored mine from two weeks ago for one side, and this weekend on the remaining side.

I simply set the rubber on fire over a metal pan, outside, and they pretty much burned themselves out.  Took a couple of relights, but worked fairly well.

As to inserting the new rears, I was lamenting a 600 pound (275 KG) friend to stand on them, like the 164 pages said.  My trick was to use a hose clamp on the middle of the bushing, tighten the heck out of it, and then put the whole thing in a vise.  I was then able to use a screwdriver to pop the edges in and then the vise to continue moving the bushing into the sleeve.  Worked well after I got the idea more than two hours into trying to get it in the hole.

I used a hacksaw blade in one of the blade holders that allows the blade to stick out.  Cut most of the way through the whole thing, then gingerly cut completely through at the edge I was going to start chiselling from.  That and a hammer and a cold chisel got the sleeve out in about an hour.  (Don't have the big vise working at the new house, so with a good support, it probably would have gone out much sooner.)

On another note.  It appears that you could change the camber of the front wheels a little, by putting the ball joint plate on the underside of the a-arm attachment point as opposed to on the top side.  Anybody have any experience with this?  Also, trying to figure out if that would increase or decrease the camber?

John Justus
1995 164Q (Superpro bushings on one side)
1971 1750 GT Veloce (needs bushings in rear)

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