[alfa] GTV6 DeDion Bushing / poly vs. Heim

[RonHorowitz <RonHorowitz@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

> the factory
>DeDion SZ bearing one must remove the dedion triangle.  I believe that if
the
>poly style bushing is used that is not necessary.  Is this a correct

I've never fit a poly bushing, so I can't say for sure, but if you're
talking about the deDion bushing as opposed to the Watts link bushings,  I
don't see how that could be true.

>I am thinking that I can remove the old bearing w/o removiving
>the triangle and press the new poly bearing in.

Call me a pessimist, but unless the poly bush makers have been very clever,
I doubt it.

Before you can press out the old deDion bushing, first you have to displace
the pressed-over steel "fingers" retaining the old bushing assembly. Next,
you have to joggle the whole damn mess into a hydraulic press and align the
SOB in x&y. Once the old bushing is pressed out, you get to press in the
new one, and if it's the factory SZ Heim-jointed deDion bushing, it can be
a real SOB.

The SZ Heim joint presses into a machined aluminum sleeve, and on both of
mine, they were a _serious_ interference fit, several thou. Anyway, it took
some doing to _very_ carefully press the mess together using all the usual
tricks and techniques. Whether this was poor quality control or "the way
it's supposed to be" I couldn't say, but all parts were straight from the
Alfa parts bags and boxes.

Regardless, next you get to wrestle the mess back into the press, align in
x&y, and press the Heim/sleeve assembly into the deDion axle. After that,
you can form fingers back over the assembly to function as a retainer like
before you started, (not that I think it's going anywhere) and you're done.

While you might avoid some of these headaches with a poly bushing, I don't
know how you'd avoid them all. Also, while I've done this job by myself,
I'd recommend a helper (if you can get one.) It's not a super difficult
job, but it takes some work, a little more care and attention than you
might imagine, and someone to help wrestle things around would probably be
a help.

RON
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