Re: Rear Sway bar bushings

["Bain, Bill" <Bill.Bain@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Assuming that the rear sway bar set-up on Series 4 Spiders is the same
as the Series 3 Spiders, it's pretty easy to remove the old bushings if
you have access to a press (the best way) or a shop vise.  If you use a
shop vise, take a piece of wood and use a spade bit to make a hole in it
deep enough and just wide enough to accept the old bushing when it's
pressed out.  Put that into the vise and use a socket that's just wide
enough to bear on the outside tube of the bushing, but small enough to
slide through the end link as the drift to drive the old bushing out  by
using the vise as a press.  Installation is the reverse, but use a piece
of wood with a hole in it that's  smaller than the OD of the bushing so
that you're not pressing on the inside tube of the bushing to press it
in -- you want to press on the outside tube of the bushing.  Lube the
new one with anti-seize to help insertion (and to keep the new one from
being corroded into place) and go slow so that the new one doesn't cock
at an angle going in.

FWIW, my experience is that the new bushings have a slightly larger
interior diameter than the old ones and tend to slide around on the end
of the sway bar.  I had one end link pop off at Roebling a couple of
years ago --- very impressive "sprooing!" noise when it happened.  I
finally drilled holes in the end of the swaybar and used thin washers
and cotter pins to hold everything in place.

If you're going to replace the end link bushings, don't forget the body
mounts as well.  It's pretty easy to take the sway bar/end links out of
the car without having to disconnect anything else so if this sounds too
much like work, then you can always do it later.

Bill Bain 
AROC Atlanta 
'83 Spider (waiting for the plating shop to finish the parts so I can
get it back together) 
'87 Milano Silver (today's daily driver!) 
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