[Amc-list] Replacing strut-rod bushing

["John Elle" <johnelle@xxxxxxxxx>]

Snip
My experience with changing the busings has been the same as Toms --
weight
needs to be on the control arm. I've also found it best to leave the
tire on
the ground.
Snip
 
I guess I never gave this much thought as it seemed obvious to me the
first time I rebuilt a suspension 
that it goes back together easier if the front wheel is at normal ride
height. A couple of dozen later 
it still looks obvious. Not only to get the strut rod back in which if
you let the wheel dangle really weird
angles start to take place and stuff binds you really had no idea would.

However I sit my car on jack stands cuz if I don't my back hurts. I also
need to crawl underneath it. 
I use a jack under the lower control arm to lift the wheel just high
enough where the weight of the car 
is just being picked up off of the jack stand. 
Not only do you have access to everything, the strut rod goes where it
belongs with out an argument
and when you tighten down the bolts that hold the control arms in place,
you tighten down on the 
steel insert effectively trapping it so it can not turn. When you let
the car back down the rubber bushing
is at a neutral position and flex in both directions. If you let the
wheel down all of the way so it hangs 
the control arm bushing is stressed all of the way to one end of the
motion and as the rubber is
 vulcanized to both the steel insert and the shell it starts to rip it
self free and begin the road to 
premature failure. Polyurethane pieces you do not have to worry about as
they rotate independent 
of the steel insert and the shell. Of course in long term driving the
material is ground off of the sliding 
parts of the polyurethane pieces and they begin to wear themselves out
but for most people that 
is unimportant. But 5 years of regular use seems to come up when ever
the subject is brought up, of 
course that assumes a daily driver. 
John. 
 
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