Advice for removing and fitting rubber or polyurethane bushes with steel outer shell & steel core.

NOTE: In exchange for reading & using our advice page we really would like you to buy Polybushes & other bushes from us, if you dont want to buy anything from us please close this webpage & read no further as you no longer have my  permission.

Remove the old arm or link, you may have to cut the bolt from the car with a thin hacksaw either side of the bush very carefully.

DB7, XJS, E type or any Jaguar with independant rear suspension,  removing rear trailing / radius arm.

Undo the lockwire on the front cup bolt, undo the bolts & remove strap, remove the ABS sensor lead if fitted, remove the Anti Roll bar link if fitted, carefully extract the front bush / arm of the trailing arm from the body, you may have to pull the arm / bush off the bush cone as it 'welds' itself with rust onto the body cone. Then very carefully cut or sand (very carefully !) off the old cone. Undo the rear bush bolt with a six point spanner, this is because the hex has a flat on one side to allow the bolt to be withdrawn.

Now get the arm, once off  the car, and press the centre out of the old bushes using a tube or large socket that fits over the steel outer bush dia & a smaller close fitting boss or socket that just fits inside the steel liner.

 WARNING: NEVER BURN THE CENTRE OUT OF ANY RUBBER BUSH, it may be a synthetic rubber which contains Hydrofluoric Acid when exposed to a temperature of over 400°c, this acid is extremely corrosive & remains dangerous for years, If it gets on your skin, it may be necessary to amputate the limb concerned - see Haynes Manuals under Hazards.   

Note:

Examine the arms for corrosion & give them a shake for loose rust inside the arm -we are now replacing the arms regularly - see photo's.

Removal of bush

Place the main body (of the arm)  in a good vice with the hole where the bush was and hacksaw 2 small slots in the steel ring out with the cutting done towards the main body of the arm, its unlikely that you will push the steel ring out as it will be rusted in, carry out the cutting carefully to cut just the ring, it will collapse & be easy to push out.

The large bush only pushes out one way as it has a locating or edge collar on the top, it pushes out through the bottom - non cup side,

Either buy a wheel bearing removal kit off ebay £49 or so inc carriage, or make it youself - use a tube 3.74" / 95mm minimum overall dia, 3.53" / 89.66mm internal dia, 1.3"/33mm long or deep on the bottom, a large washer 3.410" /86.6mm od, 1/2" /12.7mm thick with a small raised section (peg) in the centre of 0.940"/ 74.676mm x 0.400" / 10.16mm tall, this locates in the centre new bush. In the centre of the washer bore a hole preferably 20mm dia, minimum 16mm dia.

You will need to modify parts of the ebay tool a little to the dimensions for the inner washer & peg, 3.53" & 0.940" raised section.

Make a cap for the tube out of 1/2" thick, 3.74" od bar with again a 20mm or 16mm hole in it., buy a length of 20mm or 16mm HT all thread & a dozen nuts, run 2 nuts on the bar & cut off a 75mm length, dress the ends & run the nuts off.

Assemble the tool & press out the bush.

Clean out the rust in the bore of the arm.

NEVER PRESS IN THE NEW BUSHES ON THE CENTRE, Always press in on the outside ring, if pressed on the centre this will lead tp premature failure of the new bushes.

Get  the new Polybush or Rubber bush & carefully grind or file a good leading Edge on to the steel outer ring, use your 3.4" disc, the 3.74" cap and your length of well lubed all thread to press in the new bush with the raised section in the centre of the new bush & pull the new bush into the bottom of the arm with the cup facing up, if you have any problems use the procedure below. Make sure that the bush is correctly orientated as its difficult to remove & change later.

Using a press (not the vice, I broke one years ago fitting new suspension arm bushes to my Lotus Europa) support the arm in such a way that the arm bush bore ring is kept above the press bed by about 15mm with a pair of block or ring etc, this is to prevent the bush being damaged by forces that the bush wasnt designed to cope with.

Refitting

Press the bush in always pressing on the outer ring of the bush & the supported outer ring / steel dia of the arm, this stops any damage to the bush itself which may shorten the life of the bush. Make sure the bush is correctly orientated, the 2 voids in the bush go in line with the arm - if you wish to stiffen the arm/bush for racing put the voids at right angles to the arm but the bushes / rear suspension won't last as long !! - and the cup in the bush goes upward the same way as the anti-roll bar link fittings, before fitting as its difficult to remove & change later.

When refitting the Polybushed rear arms to the car, refit the rear of the arm 1st, check the bolt for condition of the threads & shank, renew if damaged, coat the bolt liberally all up the thread & shank with Copaslip, use a new star locking washer.

Refit the front bush to the body, sometimes the Polybushes are too small in the cup to correctly fit on the cup of the body, so you may need to polish the cup in the bush out with a sanding bobbin & drill.

Leave the rear of arm bolt slightly loose, settle car back on its wheels & bounce it a couple of times before fully tightening it, Torque of rear bolt -

Front suspension