Club 80-90 Forums

Right started to go through this vans problems and looking for advice on how best to fit new bushes into arm I've sourced , is there a tool? Tried threaded bar etc but bush lip is so much bigger than hole when it starts compressing it just gets bigger! any help appreciated.

Got 99 problems but a bush ain't one. I read about someone doing a wrap over with a tin can and then tightening with some radiator hose clips to get to the right size to enter the hole. Sounded a good idea!

The bushes should recesses so that the first bit folds over into the recess. Then when you finally pull it through the lip pops back out. I did it by packing a piece of wood on the opposite end, threaded bar through a hole in the wood then, using a large enough socket over the bush, reacted against the wood. It took some force - the M8 bar was bending! I think I'd use M10 next time.

Look at boatbuilders thread on my 84 rusty project he has just done his

VW do a tapered tube which fits over the end of the trailing arm and squeezes the diameter of the bush as you pull it through the tool into the trailing arm - the tool number is 3053. We used a threaded rod and big washers to force the bush through.

Yep did mine a few days ago so its fresh in my mind... I have one arm done and waiting for more bushes to arrive so I can do the other arm.

Drill out the old bushes by drilling around the rubber a few times with a 7 or 8mm drill.
Then hammer the old bushes out - mine came out fairly easily with a few whacks of a hammer.
Careful not to damage the metal tube on the trailing arm itself when you're whacking the bush out.

To put the new ones in, I used:
- A length of 10mm threaded rod and a few nuts and washers (12mm would probably be better as its stronger)
- A large socket or the outer case from a big bearing (I started mine with a 46mm socket but found it was too small - then I switched to an old bearing casing that was a bit bigger)
- Vaseline
- A special tool to gradually squeeze the bush so it can be pulled into the arm - there is a proper VW tool but probably very hard to get your hands on locally. I made one as described below...

Making a special tool -

Cut a rectangle of sheet metal (I happened to have a bit of 1mm stainless lying around).
Bend it around by hand into a cylinder shape with an overlap, roughly the diameter of the bush.
Then make one end a smaller diameter that just fits over the tube on the arm and no more. (effectively you're making a cone shape).
The big end should be big enough to accept the uncompressed bush.
When you have it the right size, carefully put a line of weld up the outside of your cone to hold the shape.
Trim off both ends of the cone so its flat (especially the end that sits on the arm).

To pull the bushes in, lube the new bush with vaseline along with the inside of your tool and the inside of the tube in the arm. You should have removed all rust and smoothed the bore of the tube in the arm beforehand.
When you're winding it in, don't be tempted to remove the tool until the lip actually pops out on the other side of the arm. When that happens, remove the threaded rod etc and pull it the other direction until the bush is centred in the arm. Job done.

Great reply ,will give it a go thanks, ash

Has anyone got any dimensions of the proper VW tool? I might be able to knock a few up at work on the CNC

Dazco wrote:Has anyone got any dimensions of the proper VW tool? I might be able to knock a few up at work on the CNC

You'll be very popular with a lot of new 'friends' if you do!

Just need the dimensions , got some free capacity on one of the machines.
If it helps us all out im all for it

Brickwerks have the proper tool...ask Simon Baxter

Oops, I didn't realise they were available. I'll be giving it a miss in that case.

Yep. Still available:
http://www.dieselkontor.de/product_info ... ts_id=1064" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Dazco wrote:Oops, I didn't realise they were available. I'll be giving it a miss in that case.

Still a market for one that is somewhat cheaper than the above listing. Don't think you'll be stepping on anybody's toes - just my opinion obviously.

I am sure that a lot of engineers with the facilities will make their own tools which will mimic the official VW one. A few extras for club mates will not affect VWs rights/sales of their version surely. I don't think that I stepped on anyone's toes by making my own clutch alignment tool.