Nearside front suspension rear bush advisory

[Jocko]

My son-in-law replaced both wishbones for me today and let me reassure you. The job, as shown on YouTube, is accurate in procedure but a pile of BS in reality. First off, the bottom ball joints. They are so positioned you have to use an open spanner, which is a pig when they have been on so long. John cut them off with the grinder.
The major problem, however, was bolt 16  through the bush. First, he had to use heat to get it turning. It was seized in the inner of the bush, and instead of coming out, it started to bend the bracket with the fixed nut. He had to grind through the wishbone itself then grind through the bolt, either side of the bush. Not an easy job. Reassembly was straight forward with a new bolt 12 mm in position 16.



The other side was so much easier as it had been replaced four years ago (the offside could have been on the car from new). He still had to grind the nut from the ball joint though.
The whole job took an hour and a half of which 45 minutes was getting the one side off.
The two wishbones were £120 from Dingbro, but with John's discount, they cost me £80.
I then took the car up to Farmer Autocare, and they checked and adjusted the tracking which cost £29 (check free, you only pay for the adjustment).

[sparky Paul]

The major problem, however, was bolt 16  through the bush. First, he had to use heat to get it turning. It was seized in the inner of the bush, and instead of coming out, it started to bend the bracket with the fixed nut. He had to grind through the wishbone itself then grind through the bolt, either side of the bush.

Necessity is the mother of invention 

The joys of working on crusty old cars. Especially in cases where you can't get heat to the blind nut, what often works for me is to weld a bigger nut on to the bolt head, with plenty of amps. The heat from the welding works like magic - cracks the corrosion off the bolt and the threads, even on longer bolts. Those bushes smell a bit when they're on fire though...

That balljoint nut really is awkward, so tight up to the driveshaft you can't get the nut off without splitting the taper. I've seen the demo of the job on youtube before, makes it look a doddle... everything must have been stripped off and reassembled before they started.

He did alright doing both sides in under two hours, good job 

[Jocko]

He did heat the blind nut. He had to to get the bolt turning. However, it was the length of the bolt seized in the inner of the bush that was the problem. As he turned the bolt, the bush was turning, and the screw bent the bracket, the blind nut was welded to. He had to stop in case it sheared that off.

[sparky Paul]

He did heat the blind nut. He had to to get the bolt turning. However, it was the length of the bolt seized in the inner of the bush that was the problem. As he turned the bolt, the bush was turning, and the screw bent the bracket, the blind nut was welded to. He had to stop in case it sheared that off.

I know what you mean, all the steel bits knit together.

I've burnt the rubber out of the bushes too. The rubber turns to snot and that gets the bolt mobile, but the smoke's a bit toxic 

[Jocko]

I've burnt the rubber out of the bushes too. The rubber turns to snot, and that gets the bolt mobile

The trouble there is that the bush has a metal inner as well as an outer. Even if you burn out all the rubber, the inner metal sleeve is still too large a diameter to pass through the bolt hole. The only answer is to cut the bolt either side of the bush and get it out that way. Chopping through the wishbone makes that easier.
John served his time straight from school and has worked as a mechanic ever since. He has just turned 60. He currently works for Bear, out in the field, and spends his winters repairing snowploughs and gritters, broken down at the side of the road. If anyone can drive in snow, he can. Won't be the first time he has had a phone call at 1 am to say a snowblower has broken down on the Lecht, and he has to go out and fix it. His ingenuity is second to none.

[sparky Paul]

The trouble there is that the bush has a metal inner as well as an outer. Even if you burn out all the rubber, the inner metal sleeve is still too large a diameter to pass through the bolt hole. The only answer is to cut the bolt either side of the bush and get it out that way.

I find the bolt will usually split from the long bush with plenty of heat, but if it's stubborn, resort to the grinder as you say. I'm always a bit fearful of being unable to remove the remaining bit of stud, but they always seem to come out easy once they've had some heat up them.

Whoever invented angle grinders, and those thin slitting discs, needs a medal as big as a dustbin lid 

His ingenuity is second to none.

He'll have been taught well, sadly those skills are rapidly disappearing.

[UKjim]

The two wishbones were £120 from Dingbro, but with John's discount, they cost me £80.
I then took the car up to Farmer Autocare, and they checked and adjusted the tracking which cost £29 (check free, you only pay for the adjustment).

Excellent job, a handy lad to have around.

I note that Dingbro sell Febi, QH & Blue Print, which ones did you fit?

[Westy36]

Out if interest as I've got now way of heating things up here, could I not use a nut splitter?

Thanks.

[sparky Paul]

Out if interest as I've got now way of heating things up here, could I not use a nut splitter?

Not with the wishone to subframe bolts, as they are captive nuts in the subframe. The other problem at the other end is the balljoint nut - you won't get a nut splitter between the thread and the driveshaft.

I don't think I would fancy starting a wishbone swap without some way of hotting things up.

[Jocko]

Regards Dingbro parts I think John will have got whatever was the cheapest. The last one lasted four years, and at 14 years old, the car will be lucky to last a further four years, as will I. As Paul says, you cannot get a nut splitter near the balljoint nut. You cannot even get in with a ring spanner. As for the captive nut, it was just a hex nut with a couple of spot welds, so John just cracked it away from the bracket and replaced it and the bolt using a bolt and locking nut.

[Westy36]

Thanks for the additional explanation, much appreciated.