Rampmonkey Posted July 30, 2013 Share Posted July 30, 2013 Guess what? Front end rebuild! Anyone recommend somewhere to get wishbones etc powder coated? I'm in Aylesbury but open to bit of a wander! Ps any tips on refitting bushes? I'm guessing bolts, washers and a liberal dousing of washing up liquid! Here's to making the most of rainy days! 😬 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drumster Posted July 30, 2013 Share Posted July 30, 2013 Can't help on powder-coating but when I did mine I got someone with a hydraulic press to put them in. Makes it a simple 10 minute job so to speak. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rampmonkey Posted July 30, 2013 Author Share Posted July 30, 2013 Learning that one! Doesn't look like DIY removal or fitting is going to be an option! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil B Posted July 30, 2013 Share Posted July 30, 2013 Bushes have steel outer sleeve so washing up liquid will make no difference whatsoever. I got a colleague to turn me up some bits, a deep cup and stepped washer and used an m12 length of studding to pull out the old and push in the new. Basically a custom version of the socket and washers. It wasn't easy and I needed liberal quantities of copaslip on the bearing surfaces under the nuts. Why not give Bruce at Arch a call and ask him how much to blast, coat and fit new bushes? They'll come back looking like new and no risk of diy tooling slipping and damaging your new finsh. Phil B Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ads7 Posted July 30, 2013 Share Posted July 30, 2013 These guys have been in Aylesbury years and may be able to help. They are based down Chamberlaine Road near the Mercedes Garage. Omnikoat Cheers Adam Edited by - Ads7 on 30 Jul 2013 18:35:35 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rampmonkey Posted July 30, 2013 Author Share Posted July 30, 2013 Cheers Adam! I'll give them a call tomorrow. I'm sure there's a hydraulic press knocking around in one of the workshops at work....might crack this on a budget! Just an after thought, bushes for bilstein shocks... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Area Representative paul richards Posted July 30, 2013 Area Representative Share Posted July 30, 2013 "Powder coating - Aylesbury" That'll take a lot of powder 😬 I've successfully completed the job using a bolt and sockets. Needed to tighten and then hit bolt with hammer before tightening a little more and repeat - several times. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Birkin S3 ZA. Posted July 30, 2013 Share Posted July 30, 2013 A good 4" vice will push 2 tons more than enough for pushing in and out bushes, I have a 15 t and a 50 t press good for crushing things if you don't know what you are doing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rampmonkey Posted July 30, 2013 Author Share Posted July 30, 2013 Not me that'll be working the press! 😬 My trusty 4" vice succeeded in bending 2 half inch bolts with washers this afternoon. Those buggers ain't shifting without a fight! From what I've read in the archives, it can be a hit and miss job; if you're lucky, it's easy. If not..... Edit - for the record, I've changed bushes on lots of vehicles over the years and never had some as stubborn as these! Edited by - Rampmonkey on 30 Jul 2013 21:58:53 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SKC Posted July 30, 2013 Share Posted July 30, 2013 Give Banbury Powder Coating a call. They do a great job and will even blast or acid dip parts for you before hand if required. Regards SKC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MereCat Posted July 31, 2013 Share Posted July 31, 2013 Used these guys for a few bits and have been great for price, speed and as far as I can tell quality. They have a large booth for blasting as we'll. Also found out my garden railings were coated there ...so can do small to large jobs. Last time I was there they had a few cages in for coating. The added benefit that they have a metal polisher on site aswell so if you want your exhaust done they can do that here Should have said they are in High Wycombe so not far from Aylesbury Edited by - MereCat on 31 Jul 2013 08:29:53 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rampmonkey Posted August 6, 2013 Author Share Posted August 6, 2013 Quoting Rampmonkey: Guess what? Front end rebuild! Anyone recommend somewhere to get wishbones etc powder coated? I'm in Aylesbury but open to bit of a wander! Ps any tips on refitting bushes? I'm guessing bolts, washers and a liberal dousing of washing up liquid! Here's to making the most of rainy days! 😬 RIGHT! THERE ARE TWO BILSTIEN SHOCKS ABOUT TO GO THROUGH THE GARAGE WINDOW! Can I refit the rubber bushes? Yes. Can I refit the bolt collars that pass through the bushes? Yes. Can I refit the bushes with the collars in place? NOT A F@£$ CHANCE! Can I refit the collars once the bushes are in place? As above. I am very close to losing it. A simple front end refurb has taken over a week and frankly it's getting more than a little frustrating. With wish bone bushes that wouldn't come out (even with a ten ton press - see how the wish bone bends....) to shock bushes that are seemingly impossibly tight to refit. I KNOW I've got the right bits - part numbers are correct etc. I just can't get this lot back together. Am I missing something here? Anyone got any tips or ideas? I've done this job so many times on other makes of car but never encountered such a pain in the 🙆🏻 job as this! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Markiebabes Posted August 6, 2013 Share Posted August 6, 2013 Any pics ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rampmonkey Posted August 6, 2013 Author Share Posted August 6, 2013 Not taken any yet. I can send some if it would help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Markiebabes Posted August 7, 2013 Share Posted August 7, 2013 It may do 😬 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rampmonkey Posted August 7, 2013 Author Share Posted August 7, 2013 Having had the night to cool down a bit.... It's the inner sleeves Mark. I can get them into the new bushes, no problem. What I can't then do is get the bushes into the shocks. I need some means of getting full circumference compression before I try to push the bushes into place. If I try to fit the sleeves AFTER I've put the bushes into the shocks (Also dead easy!) the center of the bush is 5mm too small for the sleeve. I'm sure this is going to come down to technique or something! I'm in the motor club shed this afternoon and have access to hydraulic press.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
6speedmanual Posted August 7, 2013 Share Posted August 7, 2013 Tip for bushes: Burn them out and cut the outer metal sleeve with hacksaw. Juditious use of blowlamp allows this to be done without damaging powdercoating. Cleaned up housings and a dab of faxene grease and the new bushes will press in reasonably easily, certainly in scope of a 4" vice. Peter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rampmonkey Posted August 7, 2013 Author Share Posted August 7, 2013 Eventually got the wish bone bushes out, but WHAT A FIGHT! I'm hoping the refit will be easier as the new wishbone bushes have a rounded off shape to them. Fingers crossed. 😬 The shock bushes are more frustrating than anything else - what seems so easy is a right pain! The joys of hobby car maintenance. 😬 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Markiebabes Posted August 7, 2013 Share Posted August 7, 2013 😬 now for a Blat ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rampmonkey Posted August 7, 2013 Author Share Posted August 7, 2013 Right then, for the purposes of closure and for anyone searching for a similar answer..... Cracked it! 😬 Solution - 1. Insert the bush into the shock to about 1/3 2. Fit the sleeve into the remaining 2/3 of the bush 3. Apply a liberal dose of washing up liquid 4. Compress the whole bundle in a vice or press 5. Use a suitable sized socket (app 23mm) to drift the remaining bush into place and even it out. Lord knows, that's a simple solution that was difficult to arrive at! Maybe my aptitude for mechanical problem solving has dropped off considerably now I'm office bound.... Many thanks for all replies! PS Mark - Just got to reassemble and bleed the brakes and then I'm hitting the road. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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