Replaced Front ARB Bushings

ihpj · 03-29-2012, 09:00 AM

Given the sun was shining and I had decided to wash the Ex. I felt I wanted to do more (as there were other jobs I wanted to avoid :P) i decided to tackle replacing the front ARB Bushings.

Took me about 45 minutes all in and I'm very happy that it's done. I took a number of pictures that I will upload shortly; but this is what I did:

1. WD40 on the 13mm bolts and they came undone very easily.
2. Cleaned the brackets with fine emery paper and spent some time cleaning the ARB itself - nothing fancy just a quick rubdown.
3. Used a finger of fresh engine oil to lube the interior of the new bushings before fitting them onto the ARB.
4. Removed surface rust on the bracket and examined them for damage - thankfully all intact.
5. Used finger of said engine oil to lube the interior of the bracket before refitting.
6. Gave the bolts themselves (including thread) a quick twist and rub with emery paper to remove surface rust and refitted.

Although there was nothing suggest the bushings needed doing, they look intact and in quite good condition to me; I opted to do them as I had them in parts bin :P Not sure how they will improve the handling or if I will notice, but hey-ho I'm pleased as its another job I have been able to do myself.

I must also thank Howard for his counsel - it was helpful to talk through the job before tackling it

Any comments, please post them up!

...pictures will follow once mysore as charged.

fcat · 03-29-2012, 09:36 AM

Cool, was thinking of doing mine in the next few weeks, do you need to slacken off or remove the ARB links at either end before you do this job?

ihpj · 03-29-2012, 10:02 AM

I take it you mean the front drop links? No you won't need to as with the ARB unbolted from the front cross member, you have enough give to pull/push it to get better access.

It really was quite straightforward process as I did consider if I needed to support the naked ARB with a jack to keep it under tension etc. - its just a case of undoing the 4x13mm bolts and the brackets with bushings will come away.

fcat · 03-29-2012, 10:03 AM

cool, thanks for the info

janolsson · 03-29-2012, 06:55 PM

Nice one, you'll be rebuilding a transmission in no time :-P

ihpj · 04-02-2012, 06:02 AM

Time to share some pictures

Here are the old bushings:

The old brackets removed and cleaned:

New bushings:

Mounting holes cleaned (a little):

New bushings fitted, only got O/S/F as iPhone ran out of battery :P

...another angle of the same bushing:

Lastly, I am concerned about the level of rust my Ex has underneath. Howard tells me not to worry :P But I do...I reckon one day my Ex will disappear into a pile of rust :P

As ever, comments invited!

fcat · 04-02-2012, 06:12 AM

WHOA!!! that's some huge picture,lol

Can i ask where you got the new bushes from ?

ihpj · 04-02-2012, 06:12 AM

Can anyone please help me resize the images so they appear smaller in the thread? And I do not understand why, when the images display correct way up on my MAC, they are in the incorrect orientation when posted?

These are full 1080P HD shots as taken on my iPhone 4S.

ihpj · 04-02-2012, 06:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fcat

WHOA!!! that's some huge picture,lol

Can i ask where you got the new bushes from ?

I bought them when I was in the USA direct from RockAuto - with a truck load of other bits I thought I might need :P I'm slowly working my way through my box of goodies

These are Raybestos (sp?) bushings.

ihpj · 04-04-2012, 06:41 AM

Can anyone please take a look at my front drop links and opine if they need changing? There are no knocks or anything else that would suggest they need doing, but I am unclear when they should be done? Do mine look OK to everyone? How will I know they need changing?

Thanks...

Luis696 · 04-06-2012, 03:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fcat

WHOA!!! that's some huge picture,lol

Can i ask where you got the new bushes from ?

You can have ones from:
http://www.usautomotive.co.uk/

Good luck

simonkn8574 · 04-07-2012, 03:21 PM

I found one of my ARB links had sheered off at the top nut. Both the nut and bushing were missing and the lower link was wafting around in the breeze - giving an interesting and somewhat wobbly ride!

Ordered a new one off theBay for a tenner and fitted it today. Took an hour to remove the old bit. The lour nut was totally rusted on and wouldn't budge and so i cut the link off half-way down and walloped it through with a bfh. Worked a treat. With some cheeky jacking the new one was fitted in about 15 mins..

Old and New ARB Links:

http://s1059.photobucket.com/albums/...nt=Oldlink.jpg

SK

ihpj · 04-14-2012, 05:05 PM

So no-one thinks the rust on the underside of my Ex. is a problem? Or is it a case of that it's SO bad non-oe wants to say anything

On the plus side, since fitting the new bushings, my Ex. is working fine; no weird noises or parts having fallen off :P

kevin p · 04-14-2012, 08:37 PM

Mine looked similar to yours. All the underneath parts that would come off, were removed and sandblasted, and then painted or undersealed. I spent absolutely ages on the main chassis. First, I jet washed the underneath to get rid of mud and dust. Then with a chipping hammer started to remove the scale. I was amazed at how deep some of the layers went.
It took me well over 2 months to complete. I then sprayed on copious ammounts of waxoyl.
It is a long and dirty, dusty job and I didn't just do the bits I could see!!!!
But now it has been done, it will get a yearly 'touch up' of waxoyl.

03-29-2012, 09:00 AM	#1
ihpj Wannabe Elite Explorer 1998 UK SOHC Explorer Join Date: Apr 2011 Posts: 275 Vehicle Specs (Original Poster)	Replaced Front ARB Bushings Given the sun was shining and I had decided to wash the Ex. I felt I wanted to do more (as there were other jobs I wanted to avoid :P) i decided to tackle replacing the front ARB Bushings. Took me about 45 minutes all in and I'm very happy that it's done. I took a number of pictures that I will upload shortly; but this is what I did: 1. WD40 on the 13mm bolts and they came undone very easily. 2. Cleaned the brackets with fine emery paper and spent some time cleaning the ARB itself - nothing fancy just a quick rubdown. 3. Used a finger of fresh engine oil to lube the interior of the new bushings before fitting them onto the ARB. 4. Removed surface rust on the bracket and examined them for damage - thankfully all intact. 5. Used finger of said engine oil to lube the interior of the bracket before refitting. 6. Gave the bolts themselves (including thread) a quick twist and rub with emery paper to remove surface rust and refitted. Although there was nothing suggest the bushings needed doing, they look intact and in quite good condition to me; I opted to do them as I had them in parts bin :P Not sure how they will improve the handling or if I will notice, but hey-ho I'm pleased as its another job I have been able to do myself. I must also thank Howard for his counsel - it was helpful to talk through the job before tackling it Any comments, please post them up! ...pictures will follow once mysore as charged.

03-29-2012, 06:55 PM	#5
janolsson Wannabe Elite Explorer Leicester, UK 1998 UK Red over grey Join Date: Jul 2009 Posts: 1,276 Vehicle Specs	Nice one, you'll be rebuilding a transmission in no time :-P __________________ Remember the 6 P's, Proper Preparation Prevents Piss Poor Performance, oh and always have a BFH handy Jan

04-02-2012, 06:02 AM	#6
ihpj Wannabe Elite Explorer 1998 UK SOHC Explorer Join Date: Apr 2011 Posts: 275 Vehicle Specs (Original Poster)	Time to share some pictures Here are the old bushings: The old brackets removed and cleaned: New bushings: Mounting holes cleaned (a little): New bushings fitted, only got O/S/F as iPhone ran out of battery :P ...another angle of the same bushing: Lastly, I am concerned about the level of rust my Ex has underneath. Howard tells me not to worry :P But I do...I reckon one day my Ex will disappear into a pile of rust :P As ever, comments invited! Last edited by ihpj; 04-02-2012 at 06:46 AM.

04-07-2012, 03:21 PM	#12
simonkn8574 Wannabe Elite Explorer Bristol, UK 2000 Northface in Green. Join Date: Jan 2012 Posts: 84 Vehicle Specs	I found one of my ARB links had sheered off at the top nut. Both the nut and bushing were missing and the lower link was wafting around in the breeze - giving an interesting and somewhat wobbly ride! Ordered a new one off theBay for a tenner and fitted it today. Took an hour to remove the old bit. The lour nut was totally rusted on and wouldn't budge and so i cut the link off half-way down and walloped it through with a bfh. Worked a treat. With some cheeky jacking the new one was fitted in about 15 mins.. Old and New ARB Links: http://s1059.photobucket.com/albums/...nt=Oldlink.jpg SK Last edited by Howard; 04-08-2012 at 01:41 AM.

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03-29-2012, 09:36 AM	#2
fcat Wannabe Elite Explorer 1998 4.0ltr Join Date: Jul 2008 Posts: 348 Vehicle Specs	Cool, was thinking of doing mine in the next few weeks, do you need to slacken off or remove the ARB links at either end before you do this job?

03-29-2012, 10:02 AM	#3
ihpj Wannabe Elite Explorer 1998 UK SOHC Explorer Join Date: Apr 2011 Posts: 275 Vehicle Specs (Original Poster)	I take it you mean the front drop links? No you won't need to as with the ARB unbolted from the front cross member, you have enough give to pull/push it to get better access. It really was quite straightforward process as I did consider if I needed to support the naked ARB with a jack to keep it under tension etc. - its just a case of undoing the 4x13mm bolts and the brackets with bushings will come away.

03-29-2012, 10:03 AM	#4
fcat Wannabe Elite Explorer 1998 4.0ltr Join Date: Jul 2008 Posts: 348 Vehicle Specs	cool, thanks for the info

04-02-2012, 06:12 AM	#7
fcat Wannabe Elite Explorer 1998 4.0ltr Join Date: Jul 2008 Posts: 348 Vehicle Specs	WHOA!!! that's some huge picture,lol Can i ask where you got the new bushes from ?

04-04-2012, 06:41 AM	#10
ihpj Wannabe Elite Explorer 1998 UK SOHC Explorer Join Date: Apr 2011 Posts: 275 Vehicle Specs (Original Poster)	Can anyone please take a look at my front drop links and opine if they need changing? There are no knocks or anything else that would suggest they need doing, but I am unclear when they should be done? Do mine look OK to everyone? How will I know they need changing? Thanks...

04-14-2012, 05:05 PM	#13
ihpj Wannabe Elite Explorer 1998 UK SOHC Explorer Join Date: Apr 2011 Posts: 275 Vehicle Specs (Original Poster)	So no-one thinks the rust on the underside of my Ex. is a problem? Or is it a case of that it's SO bad non-oe wants to say anything On the plus side, since fitting the new bushings, my Ex. is working fine; no weird noises or parts having fallen off :P

04-14-2012, 08:37 PM	#14
kevin p Wannabe Elite Explorer Telford Shropshire England 97 4.o sohc Join Date: Mar 2003 Posts: 545 Vehicle Specs	Mine looked similar to yours. All the underneath parts that would come off, were removed and sandblasted, and then painted or undersealed. I spent absolutely ages on the main chassis. First, I jet washed the underneath to get rid of mud and dust. Then with a chipping hammer started to remove the scale. I was amazed at how deep some of the layers went. It took me well over 2 months to complete. I then sprayed on copious ammounts of waxoyl. It is a long and dirty, dusty job and I didn't just do the bits I could see!!!! But now it has been done, it will get a yearly 'touch up' of waxoyl.