Elapsed time 18 hours - RTAB bushes changed : nearside and offside upper and lower rear bushes changed
Started a bit earlier today as I missed sitting drinking some wine with my wife yesterday evening which she was most miffed about, to be honest so was I.
So today I learned how to get the spring back in without dropping the front of the trailing arm, it involves reading the Haynes manual, ignoring half of it and knowing which half to ignore… the hint here is ignore removing the drive shaft, and don’t ignore undoing both of the anti roll bar linkages so the anti roll bar doesn’t foul on the drive shaft when you try and get the spring back in.
I also learned that buying bush pullers from eBay means you’re dancing with “buy cheap buy twice". More on that later.
Finished the problem with the trim on the other side in about 30 seconds, shows what a night’s rest does to the mind, and some daylight.
Decided to try the lower arm bush first this morning, as it was less involved, worked out the lever points and got that out and in within any major drama.
This is how to lever the hub away from the car to get the bottom control arm out, wish I had figured this out yesterday.
Managed to get the deep socket on this one, and it came out swimmingly.
My two main worries were: getting enough movement in the trailing arm to clear the upper arm and getting the spring out and back in to help with the former.
lowered the hub a bit more by detaching the strut bottom, make sure you have a jack under it taking the pressure of the spring, or it will ping.
Spring came out easy, then the top arm came apart fairly easily, but was struggling for clearance to get the tool on to extract the bush. Eventually realised I needed to disconnect the ARB linkage, which gave me enough space to get the tool on.
Here’s were "buy cheap, buy twice" kicked in. Withdrawing the bearing was fine, but after three attempts to insert the new bearing I had to stop for lunch, because it went in on the piss every time.
I’d picked the slightly better bush yesterday, in so far as the cup that drives against the outer shell made contact, this one hit the inner and rotated the spherical bearing, which sent it on the piss as it started to wind in. It was clearly on the wonk. No point winding against something at an angle or it will just strip the rod.
Out of the toolbox came a 34 and 36mm impact socket for removing 205 hub nuts. 205 hub nuts are like a lottery, depending on what model you have, and what age, it can be anywhere from a 26-28 (I think) for a 1.6, 34, or 36….. for a 1.9, diesel and base models are similarly random.
The 36 did the job, and cleared the inner shell. The bush of course promptly wound in on the piss just to dash all of my hopes, but then miraculously straightened and we were away.
Getting the spring back in proved a major headache, and eventually after much swearing, the antiroll bar was disconnected on both sides, a spring compressor aided things a bit because i'm a weakling.
Went to drink wine on the terrace after that, in the afternoon sun, with my wife. White wine i might add, for extra weakling points. With a cube of ice, for bonus weaking points.
The anti roll bar bushes and links will have to wait for another weekend. As the retaining nuts need replacing, they are so rusted a 13mm bihex just rotates, only my hex socket set gave any purchase. New set ordrered. I'm also wondering how i'm going to get the car high enough to get it out from underneath. As all the videos show it either on high stands or on a 2 post lift.
.... set of lower spherical bearings... nearly ordered... because geometry stability
1066 Country
Next time. 
