R50/53 I dont know whether to laugh or cry - LCA bushing install gone crazy
I dont know whether to laugh or cry - LCA bushing install gone crazy
So after hours of wrestling with the housing bolts and then the the housing... sweating, bleeding and cursing away. I finally get to the point of installing the new bushings! If you think Im in the home stretch, think again! I take the pre pressed bushings out of the box from Way and go to install the driver's side and something is wrong. It's frigging pressed in backwards! Now I have to figure out some way to get these things out and swapped. I'm never getting this thing off jackstands.
do you have a vise or a press? use a socket the size of the hole in the housing. back side facing the bushing, then either two small blocks off wood or if you have it a even larger socket to place on the other side, put it in your vise and start cranking down. thats how i get almost every bushing out.
Nope no press (which is why I got the pre pressed in the first place). The few machine shops that are open on a sat wont touch it. Only option is to drive 2+ hours round trip to prestige mini and get oem. Mistakes happen but I didn't expect this from a mini specialist shop.
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Tried 9 places in the past hour. Only one guy said he would give it a shot but didn't have the fitting to press it out with any hopes of not damaging it. No matter how much I begged and said I wouldn't hold them responsible for damage, nobody else would touch them. I've exhausted every local shop that I could find local today.
Are you sure it's wrong? The first set I installed I thought we're wrong too, but I kept fiddling with it and figured how it went, then it turned out it was right after all.
Take another look at it.....
Those bushings just push in, if you can get a big hammer and a couple blocks of wood you can knock it out and back in again
Take another look at it.....
Those bushings just push in, if you can get a big hammer and a couple blocks of wood you can knock it out and back in again
Finally got this done! Turns out that I should have just paid more attention to how I took them off at 3am as it was user error and nothing on the part of Way. Thanks to Way Motorsports and his explanation to me, I was able to finish the install last night.
It's amazing how smoothly things go with a little rest and a clearer head. Was able to get out of work a little early yesterday and tackled this install as well as installed new camber plates, R56 front brakes, and an Alta Diverter/water spray system. Did that and got the car back together in about 3 1/2 hours. I'm very happy, the car no longer wanders under hard braking and the front end feels very tight.
It's amazing how smoothly things go with a little rest and a clearer head. Was able to get out of work a little early yesterday and tackled this install as well as installed new camber plates, R56 front brakes, and an Alta Diverter/water spray system. Did that and got the car back together in about 3 1/2 hours. I'm very happy, the car no longer wanders under hard braking and the front end feels very tight.
Glad Way was able to help you get it sorted out. I'm floored that none of the local shops would touch it. It's just a poly bushing. It's not particularly hard to get in/out of there. It's the stock one that's a pain to press out and you need a shop press for. I've done enough bushings/wheel bearings on my and friend's cars I just bought a shop press. $200 for a press and drivers and I've not come across anything yet I couldn't press out.
Yep, when you progress to the cursing and tool tossing mode it's time to take a step back get some rest, have a beer or two to clear the head. Then come back to the task at hand with new vigor, it always surprises me how much easier the job really was.!!!!
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