Fitting flying saucer tie bar/control arm bushes

[Laird Scooby]

Originally Posted by besidetheseaside

Just couldn't quite fit my back axle into the oven......

Yeah, that does tend to put people off that approach!

[griston64]

Hi Dave

He deffo means the seat for the spaceship bush. The metal on the bush rusts into the seat making it very uneven so you need to clean it with wire brushes emery cloth,nuclear warheads and dragons fire

I'm still cleaning mine ( although I am very ocd ) and I'm back to the idea of sandblasting to get them nice and smoothie

I'm polybushing as well so you really want a clean surface

[Laird Scooby]

Originally Posted by griston64

Hi Dave

He deffo means the seat for the spaceship bush. The metal on the bush rusts into the seat making it very uneven so you need to clean it with wire brushes emery cloth,nuclear warheads and dragons fire

I'm still cleaning mine ( although I am very ocd ) and I'm back to the idea of sandblasting to get them nice and smoothie

I'm polybushing as well so you really want a clean surface

I understand that lot Mark, it's just how he's worded it leads me to believe he means the chassis lugs where the inner/rear (big single bush) bolts to the chassis. Hopefully he'll appear soon and let us know one way or t'other!

As for dragons fire, have you tried soluble aspirin? I kid you not, it works, certainly for cleaning alloy wheels - it reacts with the rust in the brake dust and it just floats off.

I have only tried one mix so far, 5 x 300mg tablets in 375ml water in an old Febreze spray bottle. Could do with being stronger though! Next mix will be stronger, just to see if there's an improvement. If it works on alloys, chances are it will work on other rusted items. Interestingly the rust turns red, quite a bright red too. Maybe where the name "Dragons Blood" came from for commercially available alloy wheel cleaner!

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Pro-Kleen-D.../dp/B07DL7CD6D

When i asked for the soluble aspirin tablets in my supermarket pharmacy, they asked why i wanted the strongest and biggest pack available. When i said why, i got two blank stares but the pharmacist immediately said it would react with rust, turn it red and make it easy to wash off.

[griston64]

The rust on mine you had to chisel off it was that hard I could've done with the Aspirin after to sort my headache

[Laird Scooby]

I know the feeling Mark!

Mine wasn't quite that bad, mainly because they had been bodged by the previous owner with extra washers (really threw the tracking out, that trick! ) so the remains (what there was of them) of the bushes actually polished the mating surfaces inside the control arm! Lucky end result for me but definitely nowhere near any sort of text book methods!

Meanwhile back on Planet Zog, i've just wire-brushed (big rotary cup brush on the angle grinder!) my rear anti-roll bar and squirted some paint on it, more of that to come in my thread on my beastie later!

[griston64]

I am in the process of same thing Dave The knotted wire things for angle grinder seem better as the wire bits don't disintegrate so much

[Laird Scooby]

Originally Posted by griston64

I am in the process of same thing Dave The knotted wire things for angle grinder seem better as the wire bits don't disintegrate so much

I haven't used the knotted wire version as yet Mark, just the normal "crinkly" wire bristle variety. Either way, please make sure you wear eye protection, preferably full cover goggles, not just safety specs. Don't ask how i know to offer this advice!

On a lighter note, i'm looking forward to improved handling as mine didn't have one before!
I've put the nuts/bolts in an old ice cream tub and doused them in WMP, should make them nice and easy to fit and get rid of the rust too. Drowned the axle "U" bolt nuts earlier so if i have time after doing the fuel filler pipe, i'll hopefully get the ARB fitted today - if the paint is dry by then of course!

[besidetheseaside]

Soluble asparin I have got to try me some of that

[Laird Scooby]

Originally Posted by besidetheseaside

Soluble asparin I have got to try me some of that

It worked well Don, i can't find the right photos at the moment but it shifted a lot of brake dust without any help.

If i can find the photos later i'll upload them.

[besidetheseaside]

So duly armed with a super duper new bush press and pull kit, new washers and tie bar rear bushes I started phase 2. First of all removed the tie bar that I had already replaced the flying saucer bushes on, easier to do if you remove the stabiliser bar which allows the tie bar to just drop down and out. The rear bush looked ok on this one but using the kit it was dispatched quickly, although plenty of lubrication and sousing with WD probably helped. So as apposed to pushing the old one out the new one is pushed in although we heated the end of the tie bar up to aid the process. One small point, a 46mm sleeve is used to push out the old bush but we used a 48mm sleeve to push the new bush in as it was a better fit. So refitted that bar and took the bar on the other side out. This side was the main reason I replaced the rear bushes as the bush had twisted inside the tie bar, once on the bench we could see it had collapsed inside so I am glad I replaced them.
So cleaned off where the flying saucer bushes seat and and fitted new ones and a new washer. All tightened up, job done and a test drive confirmed that my front end was quieter than the proverbial mouse with mohair slippers on
Took it for laser tracking today and it was way out so I am now driving quietly and with a perfectly centred steering wheel

Kit was good but I bent the 14mm threaded rod, negotiations are ongoing with the seller for recompense.

So next job....... track rod ends and lower ball joints