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You know how those recipes in the paper say they will take 20 minutes? Bull. They usually take me at least 30.
And you know how every piece of information you can read on the internet says you can change your Volvo 240 trailing arm bushings in an afternoon. Bull. Not if it’s a 1989 and it has been used in the North East winters. And not if you are me.
I built my own removal tool courtesy of Neal Wilcer’s web page (http://www-ese.fnal.gov/People/wilcer/volvo_trailing_arm_bushing_tool.htm). The tool worked as well as could be expected and was fun to build. But let me cut to the chase. If your car is rusty, here is my recommendation for removal of your trailing arm bushings:
1.) Jack the rear of your car up by the pumpkin.
2.) Place a jack stand under the rear jacking points.
3.) Remove the bottom bolt of your shock
4.) Remove the trailing arm nut from the cross brace.
5.) Remove the trailing arm bushing bolt. If this bolt gives you a hard time, chisel it off and get a new nut.
6.) Remove the nut that holds the bottom of the spring on the trailing arm.
7.) Drop the trailing arm down and out of the way.
8.) Take your sawzall and install a new blade.
9.) Cut the trailing arm bushing from top to bottom clear through on either end near the trailing arm rails.
10.) Take a hammer and a chisel and knock what little is left of the bushing out of the holes.
Now you can install the new bushings. The tool comes in handy for this step. Make sure up is up and the tapered end is started on the inside mount.
Try not to break your rear brake guards when you are pounding on the trailing arm to get the bushing holes top line up. Don’t ask me how I know.
And if you build Neil’s tool, make sure you make the pusher end small enough in OD. Otherwise you will get it stuck in the bushing holder hole when inserting the new bushings. Don’t ask me how I know again.
That’s about it. You should be done with both bushings in an afternoon. Yea. Right.
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