dykaar

I'm embarking on a rear-end bushing swap: Spring plate and trailing arm.

The bushings are original.

This will involve losing the factory index setting when I remove the spring plates. I made a plastic 90 degree gauge and marked the center of the bolt at the end of the spring plate.

So do I need to remove the swing arms? I plan to disconnect the spring plate from the torsion tube, remove the swing arm bushing bolt, and then remove the torsion tube end cap. I'm hoping I'll be able to slide the spring plate off. My car has widened fenders, so maybe I'll get lucky.

Comments from the experts?

Regards,

doug
Waterloo, Ontario Canada, eh


86 951 (http://www.pcaucr.org/index.php/visu...egory&catid=61)
01 E320 (W210) 4matic Wagon (http://www.benzworld.org/forums/w210...body-do-2.html)
00 540i-6 (http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum...3&d=1283457963)
94 855 turbo Wagon (sold in 09)
85 535i-5 (sold in 07)
76 300D (sold in 92)
83 944 (sold in 86)
I apparently only buy cars designated by numbers

JimV8

Doug. The swing arms don't have to come off. Just unbolt the spring plate from the trailing arm. I put the polybronze bushings in and that required removing the rubber bushing which I burned off with a torch. You can do it in car by doing one side at a time. Disconnect the brake lines and lower the tube so you can pull the torsion bar out from the tube.

dykaar

Jim,

Thanks for the response, I guess I knew that because I had seen, and then forgot about this link:

http://www.elephantracing.com/projec...ngplatediy.htm

I'm doing an experiment: elephant monoballs and weltmeister spring plate bushings. I'm hoping the monoball will pervent any side to side movement under load that might destroy the welts. I'm just too cheap for the polybronze bushings. Until I destroy these...

Say, where in Ontario are you?

Regards,

doug
Waterloo, Ontario Canada, eh


86 951 (http://www.pcaucr.org/index.php/visu...egory&catid=61)
01 E320 (W210) 4matic Wagon (http://www.benzworld.org/forums/w210...body-do-2.html)
00 540i-6 (http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum...3&d=1283457963)
94 855 turbo Wagon (sold in 09)
85 535i-5 (sold in 07)
76 300D (sold in 92)
83 944 (sold in 86)
I apparently only buy cars designated by numbers

JimV8

I'm in Burlington. There are a lot of 'listers' in your neck of the woods. Go to the top of the page to 'forums' and scroll to Canada. Also there's a dismantler on Benjamin Road. Whaletail and Randy has a good supply. BTW we're all going for a drive on Oct 24/ Jouwannacomealong?

dykaar

I'd love to. Alas, the car is unlikely to be done. Sigh.

-doug

dykaar

Update: I have removed the bolts holding the swingarm to the spring plate and the bolt connecting the swingarm to the torsion bar carrier, but there isn't enough slack in the parking brake cable to pullthe swing arm out and around the spring plate as shown here:

http://www.elephantracing.com/images...pringplate.jpg

What am I missing? I can't even get the swingarm clear of the bracket on the torsion bar carrier. Sigh.

Regards,

doug
Waterloo, Ontario Canada, eh


86 951 (http://www.pcaucr.org/index.php/visu...egory&catid=61)
01 E320 (W210) 4matic Wagon (http://www.benzworld.org/forums/w210...body-do-2.html)
00 540i-6 (http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum...3&d=1283457963)
94 855 turbo Wagon (sold in 09)
85 535i-5 (sold in 07)
76 300D (sold in 92)
83 944 (sold in 86)
I apparently only buy cars designated by numbers

dykaar

Update: Removing the shock helps. Getting the swing arm bushing to sit above its attachment point is what allows the swing arm to go up and over the spring plate (via the jack). You have to route the parking brake cable around the spring plate as you go. Also note the tie down. Its looped over the transmission support and is keeping the swingarm from drooping down at the brake disk end. This allows you to remove the jack.

Now I find that I can't nudge the torsion tube down, so I assume that I need to go unbolt the swing arm on the driver's side first.

More later.

Regards,

doug
Waterloo, Ontario Canada, eh


86 951 (http://www.pcaucr.org/index.php/visu...egory&catid=61)
01 E320 (W210) 4matic Wagon (http://www.benzworld.org/forums/w210...body-do-2.html)
00 540i-6 (http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum...3&d=1283457963)
94 855 turbo Wagon (sold in 09)
85 535i-5 (sold in 07)
76 300D (sold in 92)
83 944 (sold in 86)
I apparently only buy cars designated by numbers

JimV8

The torsion tube gets jammed in there pretty good. I had to use a prybar to nudge it down.

krystar

i found it easiest to just unbolt the swing arm from the torsion bar carrier. it's only 1 bolt and then the swing arm can move in many axes so u can get the spring plate and swing arm flange matched together at your new index setting.

also need to unhook the brake line and the shock

Potomac-Greg

I also found that it was hard to pry the torsion tube down off the body when the jackstand holding up the car was under the torsion tube. No worries, I figured it out after 15 or 20 minutes.



PS: The pictures are giving my flashbacks / PTSD.

dykaar

Update: passenger side down, spring plate cover and spring plate off. I need a nap.

Any insight on getting the bushing out of the swingarm?

Do I need to support the torsion tube now that the cover is off?

Regards,

doug
Waterloo, Ontario Canada, eh


86 951 (http://www.pcaucr.org/index.php/visu...egory&catid=61)
01 E320 (W210) 4matic Wagon (http://www.benzworld.org/forums/w210...body-do-2.html)
00 540i-6 (http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum...3&d=1283457963)
94 855 turbo Wagon (sold in 09)
85 535i-5 (sold in 07)
76 300D (sold in 92)
83 944 (sold in 86)
I apparently only buy cars designated by numbers

dykaar

Update: got the driver's side down. I needed to support the passenger side of the torsion tube up high so the tube would clear the exhaust when I pulled it down.

I also think I understand why the driver's side rear wheel is offset to the outside by 1/2". What do you think: The slot in the body is 1/2" wide and the spring plate cover had slid to the outside. Question is, how does anyone expect it to sit on the inboard end of the slot, under load?

Regards,

doug
Waterloo, Ontario Canada, eh


86 951 (http://www.pcaucr.org/index.php/visu...egory&catid=61)
01 E320 (W210) 4matic Wagon (http://www.benzworld.org/forums/w210...body-do-2.html)
00 540i-6 (http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum...3&d=1283457963)
94 855 turbo Wagon (sold in 09)
85 535i-5 (sold in 07)
76 300D (sold in 92)
83 944 (sold in 86)
I apparently only buy cars designated by numbers

dykaar

Update: After much barbecuing/sand blasting/composite wheeling/wire brushing, the spring plates are naked. I painted the covers red. The one in the middle has the Weltmeister bushing on. Yes, there is an extra set. They'll be for sale after they're plated.
Pix here: http://www.pcaucr.org/index.php/visu...egory&catid=61
Question: what (if any) lube goes on the Welts?

Regards,

doug
Waterloo, Ontario Canada, eh


86 951 (http://www.pcaucr.org/index.php/visu...egory&catid=61)
01 E320 (W210) 4matic Wagon (http://www.benzworld.org/forums/w210...body-do-2.html)
00 540i-6 (http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum...3&d=1283457963)
94 855 turbo Wagon (sold in 09)
85 535i-5 (sold in 07)
76 300D (sold in 92)
83 944 (sold in 86)
I apparently only buy cars designated by numbers

mikey_audiogeek

Hi Doug, good work on the build!
If the Welts don't work out for you, go to the Delrin bushes from Racer's Edge. Paragon sell them, but you can also get them direct from Karl at Racer's Edge.
I run the Polybronze. My previous experience with urethane bushes for suspension pivots has not been good. The only non-metallic bearing materials I like are Delrin and Vesconite.

Mike

dykaar

I'm hoping that the issues with the Welts arise from using rubber bushings on the swingarm. Those Welts look brittle. I popped for monoballs on the swingarm and cheaped out on the springplate. I'm hoping the monoball will prevent any side-to-side motion that might trash the Welts.

Why hasn't anyone put monoballs on the springplates?

Regards,

doug
Waterloo, Ontario Canada, eh


86 951 (http://www.pcaucr.org/index.php/visu...egory&catid=61)
01 E320 (W210) 4matic Wagon (http://www.benzworld.org/forums/w210...body-do-2.html)
00 540i-6 (http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum...3&d=1283457963)
94 855 turbo Wagon (sold in 09)
85 535i-5 (sold in 07)
76 300D (sold in 92)
83 944 (sold in 86)
I apparently only buy cars designated by numbers