Can anyone suggest a bushings adjustment tool for front lower control arm on mk1? 😫

Technical Area Steering & Suspension
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can anyone suggest a bushings adjustment tool for front lower control arm on mk1?
and
any helpful advice on how to get lower front control arm on mk1?

i’ve managed to do driver side. very tight. took a long time. but the passenger side LCA really doesn’t want to go on.

watched quite a few vids on this. shame some of em have the bit where they actually fit the LCA cut out. nice editing goes straight from off to on. :weary:

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Which bit is not fitting the inner two bushes or outer shock absorber end ?

Are you fitting the original, new or second hand arm ?

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thanks for reply :blush:
both sides fit fine, separately. i just cant get em to both go in at the same time.
i went thru the same thing with the drivers side one, then eventually it went in.
its a brand new part.
i know they’re supposed to be & have to be tight, but i wondered if there was a preferred angle or something for slotting them in.
like do you go in slightly from above / below etc.
although i must have tried pretty much every single angle at this point.
:weary:

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Only got my phone with me at the mo, I’ll send a video link which shows how it goes in when I get home :+1:

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Here you go from around 12 mins, shows assembley from earlier shows the bushings being fitted, as I remember everything is directional, ended up letting someone else do it mine as I have no ramp, and crawling around on the floor at 65 is no longer even vaguely healthy :wink:

Good luck.

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much appreciated! i’ve absolutely mined that vid for info to get me to this point :grin:
its really good. great stuff on the hub, brakes etc.
however, your earlier msg got me thinking about the bushings. when i look at them: the metal doodad that sticks out is slightly more on the left side than the right.
we’re talking about a fraction of a mm thats stopping it from going in. i’m going to get one of those bushings removal things and try adjusting it so its even on both sides.

so please can anyone suggest the right bushings adjustment tool for front lower control arm?
thank you :blush:

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At around 8 mins the chap uses a ‘two jaw bushing puller’ …

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been tryna get a good look at how equal the bushings are there. :astonished:

bushings
bushings1027×479 53.4 KB

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If I’m not anywhere near a press I use a long, sturdy bolt and nut, some big thick washers and an (often sacrificial) bit of pipe. Bolt through the entire thing, washers pressing against bushing but small enough to go through the aperture, pipe big enough to let the bushing pass through with a washer big enough to close the nut end past the pipe, so when you do the bolt up, it drags the bushing through the pipe.

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thanks just looking at some lo-tech versions like the bolt / washer route. i already have spring compressors. maybe i can use one of them as i dont need to remove the bushing.

i’ve just seen a vid where the person says basically, oh i went slightly too far when inserting the new bushings and so has to adjust slightly. its that sort of thing.

:blush:

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Hi I saw this bush puller tool on Bofi racing. You may be able to make something similar: Maruha Bush Puller for Mazda MX-5 NA NB

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If you have the right control arm, and you can get one end in, it should go.

Once you get one end in, secured with a finger tight bolt, if you get all your weight behind the control arm you should be able to flex the fitted bush enough to get the inner bush sleeve of other bush in the slot.

Please be sure that the car is very secure on the stands so you don’t pull/push it off.

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i was going to try that earlier :blush:
great minds :+1:

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14

I still crawl under mine on the drive, and I’m 71 :rofl::rofl:

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I doff my hat to you sir ! :tophat:

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Its hard work though. Weather doesn’t help

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thanks to everyone above! :+1:
it is done.
:blush:

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