Aaarrgh..ARB bushes - how do you refit the clamp??

[Niges16V 0]

Spending the weekend changing the front bushes on my VR, all going not to bad but I can't for the life of me get the blasted brackets back over the new poly ARB bushes.

 

I'm using a crobar to lever it down with one hand and the other to try to get the bolt back in, but it's just not happening. I know it's meant to be hard but this is getting silly now. Any tips greatly appreciated.

 

I've managed to change the ones in the wishbones ok, the big rear one was shagged, had splits that almost went to the other side and it had seperated from the metal outer ring so much that I could almost remove it by hand!!

[flusted 0]

think you can put the roll bar in with the bush,then angle the bracket in and then flip over

 

If that makes sense?

[Niges16V 0]

The bush is in but I can't pull the bracket down far enough for the bolt to bite. They make contact, just, but not at the right angle so the thread doesn't marry up. The problem is that the VR ARB is 20mm whereas the bushes Polyflex supply are for the 18mm. Stupid!

[Mike Edwards 0]

You'll probably need to lubricate the subframe around where the bushes sit (but don't lube the ARB)

 

Put the bushes on the bar and get everything lined up with the bushes inserted into the recess on the subframe.

 

Get the tongue of the bracket into position in the subframe, then push down hard while rotating the bar upwards. This has the effect of pulling the bush into the recess in the subframe and allows you to get the bracket and its retaing bolt to line up.

[Niges16V 0]

But I've only goy 1 pair of hands!! Looks like I'll need a volunteer to help, not easy in this weather!!

 

Thanks, I'll try moving the bar and see if that helps

[Mike Edwards 0]

BTW - you have got the subframe off the car haven't you?

[corradophil 3]

When I changed mine, with the subframe on the car, I had the subframe bolts partialy undone to get the bushes in. I'm pretty sure a used a pry bar or screw driver to lever the the bracket into position to get the thread started.

 

Make sure the tongue is in the groove :-P and lever the bracket where the whole is down so it compresses the bush and is on the subframe. Hope you understand what I mean... I know the hardest part of the job for me was getting the original bushes out.

[Niges16V 0]

Done it :cheers:

 

Had to trim a little bit off the bush and bend the bracket so it lined up with the bolt, as it tightened it pulled the bracket back into shape.

 

Now need to sort the front wishbone pivot bolt which sheared off and then change the fron brake lines as they have corroded onto the flexi pipe. Should keep me busy for a few days!

[Crasher 3]

The reason you had trouble is that the bushes are for a Golf 2 bar. No one seems to make them for a Corrado VR6. VW don't even list it correctly on ETKA, you have to use Polo 6N mounts but I can't find any in Poly.