QUESTION
Today I started to fit new bushes to the end of the ARB and the bottom of the front shock absorbers and I notice the supporting pivot bushes had failed.
Do I need to have the pivot bushes pressed on, or do they just slide on ?
D.S. - Henley Beach, Adelaide
ANSWER
This is not going to be an easy 5 minute job
I would suggest it would be wise to change the upper and lower drop link bushes for longer lasting urethane type
The easy way to do this is first undo the upper drop link fasteners to remove the Anti Roll Bar (ARB) and both drop links
To replace the lower drop link bushes its best to clamp the Anti Roll Bar in a vice and slide off both drop links (complete with broken bushes)
Next install the new urethane bushes in the drop links
Assembly tip here - use rubber grease or washing-up liquid as a lubricant during the bush installation
The once the lower link bushes are installed, the relevant drop links (note carefully they are handed) should be pushed/wriggled onto the ARB
The ARB and drop link assembly should then be fastened to the chassis
At this point the Elan front wheels should lowered onto car-ramps so each end of the Anti Roll Bar can be fastened to the bottom of the shock absorber
From experience, it is just about impossible to secure each end of the Anti Roll Bar to the bottom of the shock absorber when the suspension is at full-droop - hence the front suspension needs to be under compression
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Today I started to fit new bushes to the end of the ARB and the bottom of the front shock absorbers and I notice the supporting pivot bushes had failed.
Do I need to have the pivot bushes pressed on, or do they just slide on ?
D.S. - Henley Beach, Adelaide
ANSWER
This is not going to be an easy 5 minute job
I would suggest it would be wise to change the upper and lower drop link bushes for longer lasting urethane type
The easy way to do this is first undo the upper drop link fasteners to remove the Anti Roll Bar (ARB) and both drop links
To replace the lower drop link bushes its best to clamp the Anti Roll Bar in a vice and slide off both drop links (complete with broken bushes)
Next install the new urethane bushes in the drop links
Assembly tip here - use rubber grease or washing-up liquid as a lubricant during the bush installation
The once the lower link bushes are installed, the relevant drop links (note carefully they are handed) should be pushed/wriggled onto the ARB
The ARB and drop link assembly should then be fastened to the chassis
At this point the Elan front wheels should lowered onto car-ramps so each end of the Anti Roll Bar can be fastened to the bottom of the shock absorber
From experience, it is just about impossible to secure each end of the Anti Roll Bar to the bottom of the shock absorber when the suspension is at full-droop - hence the front suspension needs to be under compression