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Radius arm and sway bar link bushings 700 87

I am going to replace the radius arm (Cone) bushing and the Sway bar link bushings on my daughter's 740 tomorrow if the warm weather holds out. I have reviewed the 700-900 faq and all looks pretty easy for the cone bushings. (Famous last words.)

The sway bar links are the straight style which take 4 small bushings each side. Any tips on how much to compress these when I tighten them down? I bought IPD poly bushings all around. I also bought two new sway bar links which I assumed would come with new washers and nuts, but not so.

Any other traps I might get into during the process? I don't want to leave my daughter stranded.

Thanks,

Dan








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    Re: Radius arm and sway bar link bushings 700 87

    Dan,

    For the sway bar end link bushings, IPD's poly bushings should be tightened just enough so you cannot rotate them by hand. Poly should not be compressed as much as OEM rubber bushings. Use Locktite on the radius rod bolts.








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      Re: Radius arm and sway bar link bushings 700 87

      Thanks to both respondents for your tips. The gob went fairly well. I was glad that I bought new sway bar links. One nut on each of mine was frozen solid so I ended up just twisting thes off. I anticipated this and purchased new rods earlier in the week. By the way, the nuts and washers are seperate, so don't forget to buy them also (four nuts and eight washers). I hope that I didn't over tighten the link bushings. I think I have them a little tighter than you recommend, but not as tight as the rubber bushings I removed. I'll kep an eye on them. I used locktite on all the fasteners. If I had it to do again, I would purchase new bolts to fasten the radius rod to the frame as is recommended in the manual. I might anyway - In the spring when it is warm and sunny.

      The only problem I ran into was that I needed an E-18 External Torx Socket (Femal socket) to remove the bolts holding the radius rod to the frame. Fortunately the Auto Parts store had one on the rack. Must not be too popular, because the package was obviously old. The left side came off without too much effort, but the right side was real difficult. I was glad I had decided to run get the socket and not just use vise grips. I don't think that would have worked. I put a two foot breaker bar on the bolt head and a ratchet on the nut. I wedged the breaker bar to the floor and steped on the ratchet to break it loose. This was the first time I had used my home made breaker bar. I cut the "hook" of a wrecking bar and welded the rotating mechanism from a Craftsman 1/2 inch drive ratchet to this end. The other end still functions as a pry bar.

      I took my time and completed the job in 3 1/2 to 4 hours not including a hot shower. I feel that it was easy enough to justify the savings compared with $89.00 shop rates. I figure a shop would charge about 2 1/2 to 3 hours labor for both jobs. Probable 1+ hour less if only replacing the radius rod bushings.

      Thanks again and good luck to anyone else who wants to give this a go.








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    Re: Radius arm and sway bar link bushings 700 87

    I just did this last weekend. Here are a few tips:

    Once you have the radius rods out, remove all traces of the bushings. I used a small wire brush used for cleaning copper pipes. It's small and can get in there. ALL old bushing material MUST be removed.

    Install the bushings in the rear of the control arm and then install the radius rod. Attach the rear of the radius rod. This will need to be levered into place. I used a Stanley Wonder Bar 55-515. The short end can be used to lever the rod into place while the bolt is installed. If the head is rounded off, a 3" 9/16" SAE nut/bolt and 2 wahsers can be used. Metric tools can be used on it. Install the front bushings and the bolt. Don't forget the washers. Do NOT tighten any bolts yet, leave them loose.

    Put the tires on and lower the car. Bounce the front end to center the cone bushings, I jumped up and down on the bumper a few times. Turn the wheels full lock, either way. Tighten cone bushings on one side, radius rods on the other. Repeat for the other side. I used a torque reading of 70 ft-lbs. This can also be used for the wheels. This is very important. An incorrect wheel torque will cause brake rotor wapage.

    If you have any questions, reread the FAQ. I will be away this weekend.

    Good luck.







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