Anti roll bar drop link bushes

[aec]

Changing split drop link bushes, the lower ones that go into the radius rod.  Getting the old ones out was a doddle, took about 30 seconds, and all was going well with putting the new ones in until it came to attaching the nut.  I just can't get any thread past the bush to screw the nut on to, because the new rubber isn't squashed like the knackered old ones.

I've been messing around with various clamps/levers trying to squeeze the ARB to squash the bushes enough, but no luck.

Am I missing something here?  Can't find any mention anywhere that this is a pig of a job, in Haynes it's just one of those "refitting is the reverse process of removal" jobs. 

The bushes are run of the mill cheap black rubber ones, not the fancy purple ones.  The drop links are the cranked types.

Any tips?

[RogerT]

This post refers to a good video, might be worth a try

viewtopic.php?p=8247845&hilit=Arb+bush+ ... i#p8247845

[aec]

Yes, already seen that.  He used the powerflex bushes which look like they have a smaller diameter and drop nicely into the casting.  The plain black rubber bushes aren't shaped to easily go into the casting, and looking at the old ones (which are the same diameter as the new ones) they seem to just deform themselves into the casting when tightened up.


 

[RogerT]

Jack under the arm you’re trying to do, to squash the drop link into the arm? With the wheel on the ground on the other side…

[aec]

Ahhh, it's because I've bought the wrong bushes - got the ones for the later straight links, pre 85 cranked link bushes are a different part number!:oops:

The old ones that were fitted were also the wrong type.  Worse still is that I replaced them myself years ago and had forgotten all about it!!