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Those Damn Lollipops!:banghead

2K views 13 replies 7 participants last post by  chknhwk 
#1 · (Edited)
Alright... so I finally decided to put that whole box of suspension parts that I had purchased on the other day. Everything came apart fairly well considering the 240k on the components. I got to the part where I needed to get the control arm bushings out of the "lollipop" brackets. Looks and sounds fairly straight foreward, that is if you have a press! Even then I'm not sure how easy it would be. So using a combination of my smokewrench, a ball peen, and a ball joint press I finally got the old one out of the "lollipop". Getting the new one in was not quite as easy but still not too bad! The shitty part started when I tried to put the assembly on to the new control arm. I spent 3 hours tonight trying to put that SOB on there to no avail! To make a long story short, I ended up tearing up the new bushing! DAMIT! So, I really don't want to go through all of that crap again. My question to you guys is A: have you had this problem, if so then how did you get that thing on there? B: Is there a poly bushing that is already pressed into the "lollipop" and is easier to get onto the control arm?

Also where is the best place to purchase the control arm bushings already in the lollipops?
Anyone ever used the FCP Groton offset polyurethane sets?
HELP! I have to get my baby back together!
 
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#2 ·
I use a hack saw to cut through the metal ring in two 90deg spots careful not cut into the cast iron, then hammer it out with a chisel. File or sand out any burs or scratches you made. To install with out a press or the correct size pipe drivers (not advisable) is first put the bushing in the freezer over night, the next morning set the cast iron ring into a pot of boiling water for 5 min, then, with gloves quickly push the two together (yes on the kitchen floor, lay down a towel first though). I have done this with a 80% success rate. Even if you fail to completely get it in all the way you'll have at least half way, quickly drive it the rest of the way in with a nylon mallet on a block of wood before it completely "sets". Oh and by the way make sure you marked both the ring and bushing with aligning marks so you push it in correctly... If you don't, then get it out of your neighbor's yard and go buy a new kitchen window...
 
#4 ·
LOL.... sounds like a plan. I thought about freezing it but I was in such a hurry. Getting the bushings into the eyes wasn't the hardest part. The difficulty I was really having was getting the bushings to go onto the new control arms! They are new Febi's and I swear I think the ends are too big! I found a good article on bmwe30.net last night that pictured a homemade press device that I will be manufacturing tonight. I also ordered the Groton M3 offset solid bushings last night which I will promptly throw into the deep freeze upon receiving them! The article's author also used laundry detergent as a lubricant to get them on, sounds like this new method might work! I think I'll put the whole lollipop back into the freezer with the bushing in it so that it's easier to get onto the arm too. We'll see how it goes! Thanks guys!
 
#5 ·
DIRTE30 said:
LOL.... sounds like a plan. I thought about freezing it but I was in such a hurry. Getting the bushings into the eyes wasn't the hardest part. The difficulty I was really having was getting the bushings to go onto the new control arms! They are new Febi's and I swear I think the ends are too big! I found a good article on bmwe30.net last night that pictured a homemade press device that I will be manufacturing tonight. I also ordered the Groton M3 offset solid bushings last night which I will promptly throw into the deep freeze upon receiving them! The article's author also used laundry detergent as a lubricant to get them on, sounds like this new method might work! I think I'll put the whole lollipop back into the freezer with the bushing in it so that it's easier to get onto the arm too. We'll see how it goes! Thanks guys!
Hey, let me know what you think about the FCP Groton stuff, I've got a few things bookmarked on eBay but haven't purchased anything yet. I'm looking at their front M3 upgrade kit for the control arms.
And good luck! I'll be watching this thread as I'm looking at doing the whole suspension fairly soon, I'd love to get this car on the track before the year is out. :eek:
 
#6 ·
Sawing them out is the easy way to get them out. Or an impact chisel.

I would highly recommend the solid bushings as a replacement. Not urethane, but the E30 M3 offset or the solid centered E36 bushings.
 
#9 ·
OK... So I bought the FCP Groton M3 solid offset bushings. Got to me in two days! Very good quality German parts. Put them in the freezer and came back the next day to do the deed. I knocked the old bushings out and used a little plumbers cloth to clean up the inside of the eye's. Then I boiled them in water for about 5min. I then proceeded to knock them in with a block and a hammer. Went right in there! Once they were all the way down I flipped over the eye and held the bracket end in my hand and banged them against the flat part of my vise so that the bushing would protrude evenly from both sides of the eye. I also polished up the ends of the new control arm with the plumbers cloth as they were kind of rough. Then I proceeded to use a little laundry detergent to lube the control arm and the hole in the bushing. Once they were both lubed the new M3 bushings just pushed right on there! Why the other ones wouln't go on is beyond me! I even made this elaborate contraption to press them on and I didn't even need it! Anyhow once they went on I put everthing back together and made several attempts to align the toe and got it pretty close to where it would drive straight down the road. It'll do untill I can get it to the alignment shop. The added caster does give more negative camber on turn in and seems to have helped handling a bit, but this doesn't come without negative effects. It really likes to follow ruts and such now and seems to have lost some return to center feel. I got used to it fairly quickly though. I can't wait for lowering springs and struts so I can use some camber plates! Oh, and I did get rid of the shimmy and shake from the front end that had shown up after my new tires were installed. The new Falkens are really sticky and very quiet and smooth with my new front end installed! SWEET! :D
 
#12 ·
There must have been a gas leak near by to make them delusional, My local dealership wanted to charge me 40 dollars just to give me the code for my factory radio (20 year old raido I paid 10 bucks for), and I had to take my car to them (about 25 min away) so they could take it out of my car (couldn't be out all ready because it "might be stolen") just to give me a code for a raido that I didn't even know worked. I just have to wonder how they take a crap with all the sticks up their ass....
 
#13 ·
:lmao2 I would agree with you aside from the fact that there's a really hot young thing that works the checkout counter at the nearest dealership here! She just started talking to me out of the blue last time and I found out that she lives like 5mi. from me and her daddy owns one of my big construction co. customers! :naughty She also gave me the hookup on the parts and invited me out on her boat!:drool Dooh! I'm a married man... I'm a married man...
 
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