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In theory, under *ideal* conditions, with the patience of a saint and dexterity of a brain surgeon, you might be able to get the driver's C-A bracket out and leave the arms themselves in, but to object generally I have to point out that I've just replaced all 4 upper bushings while my motor was out, and it was still a finicky, fiddly, irritating job with the whole engine bay to play in: Those shims are just begging to scatter all over your garage floor even with plenty of elbow room. Depending on how your old bushings were installed onto the arms (w or w/o antiseize) and how long they've been there, the metal sleeves often rust onto the arms and won't budge for anything less than a torch or a burly gear puller, neither of which are likely to fit well into that side of the engine bay. If you felt lucky nonetheless, you'd still probably have to get your oil filter, AC compressor, bracket, and alternator out of the way, which would Suck to backtrack through if your luck hadn't held and a bushing was rusted. Of my 8, 5 have required intense coercion to come off, and that was OUT of the car, with plenty of room to work with. (I eventually bought a Posi-Lock puller, which is now one of my favorite tools, but I still take the new bushings to a local garage to have them pressed in)
The other reason to take everything out is so you can sand, inspect, and repaint the arms themselves with POR-15; mine weren't rusting thru, but they were on their way, and it SO sucks to have one break while driving, which is why the lowers are now new and will get the same treatment once the factory paint goes.
That said, any amount of trouble is justified to replace this rubber, as new lower bushings made the most significant difference in ride quiet/quality that I've yet seen. Haven't gotten to do anything with shocks/springs, but I have high hopes for the results once I have the money/time to replace all the rubber on the back end.
Bear in mind that these 8 pieces of rubber stand up to the whole weight of the front of the car, the tension of the springs, and the torque to the wheels While they absorb impact/vibrations from the road. How could replacing them Not be a bitch?
Now, a really determined guy might remove aforesaid accessories, undo the rear motor mounts, and try lifting the motor away just enough to make some room to work, but he'd need to keep a close eye on the PS reservoir lines, heater hoses, and wiring harness. And that's just a shot in the air, AFAIK.
posted by 141.149.15...
, Thu, 7 Oct 2004 19:32:55
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