Technical anti roll bar bush

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Technical anti roll bar bush

PS. If you have an effective way of removing the droplink balljoint nut/droplink, and the ARB brackets will split on the car, without the problems I had, I reckon the job could be done in a couple of hours, an hour per side. The garage quoted me 1.5 hours labour.
 
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PS. If you have an effective way of removing the droplink balljoint nut/droplink, and the ARB brackets will split on the car, without the problems I had, I reckon the job could be done in a couple of hours, an hour per side. The garage quoted me 1.5 hours labour.
Well done and thanks for posting your detailed description.
 
Step 5: Separate the upper and lower ARB brackets with the chisel and hammer:

I tried to do this the other day with a small 5in chisel - no chance. Needed something meatier and longer ie. a 10in Wilko chisel (£5 money well spent). Note the tip is about 15mm wide. Position the chisel in the join between the ARB upper and lower brackets (car front or car back of ARB bracket). I then extended the chisel handle by placing my 10in 1/2 drive socket extension at the back of the chisel, this allowed me to swing the hammer unobstructed outside the wheel arch. Whack with hammer to split bracket.

As above, tools I used to do this:
 

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FYI: I replaced one of the ARB bracket bolts today. Bracket front bolt removed and rear bolt loosened - the upper and lower ARB brackets parted immediately of their own accord without any coercion at all from me. Suggesting that they had not previously been separated before me, and, it will be a lot easier to replace the bushes next time - if the car isn't scrapped first!
 
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FYI(2): I noticed that my old bushes have what I guess is a reinforcing and/or anti-friction lining bound into/onto the rubber on the inner surface contacting the roll bar (picture below). My new bushes (off Ebay) did not have this, just the same rubber material throughout. I assume that the old bushes are of a superior design, and look like the picture of the ARB bush listed on shop4parts. Might be worth spending a couple of extra quid for the better quality bushes - better performance and durability?

Front Anti Roll Bar Bush Vehicle: Fiat Multipla 1.9 JTD
www.shop4parts.co.uk/?name=store&op=Details&ProdID=7108&sku=72163
£10-81 inc VAT plus delivery (30/10/17):
 

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FYI(2): I noticed that my old bushes have what I guess is a reinforcing and/or anti-friction lining bound into/onto the rubber on the inner surface contacting the roll bar (picture below). My new bushes (off Ebay) did not have this, just the same rubber material throughout. I assume that the old bushes are of a superior design, and look like the picture of the ARB bush listed on shop4parts. Might be worth spending a couple of extra quid for the better quality bushes - better performance and durability?

Front Anti Roll Bar Bush Vehicle: Fiat Multipla 1.9 JTD
www.shop4parts.co.uk/?name=store&op=Details&ProdID=7108&sku=72163
£10-81 inc VAT plus delivery (30/10/17):
The original birth brand arb bushes have the reinforcement lining.
Plus I think the original birth ones are OEM to fiat.
 
I did the bushes about 12 months ago, and at the time there seemed to be a lot of advice about anti roll bar bushes, and as the car was quite noisy over bumps and I was doing the lower control arms, I decided the time was right for a change. I bought a pair of bushes on ebay for about £20, and was unimpressed at first, but when I got the old ones out I realised the difference was more in the feel of the rubber than the shape.

All four screws broke off at the slightest turn of the socket, but my intention was always to replace them with stainless, so aside from drilling out the rubbish and re-tapping, no harm done there.

My useful tip on this topic though was regarding separating the 2 halves of the metalwork that holds the bush. I read all sorts of ideas about large drill bits and hacksaws, but I found my standard £25 multi-tool with a metal cutting blade separated the two pieces in less that 30 seconds, and removed the lip at the same time. Very satisfactory indeed. I refitted using stainless screws (standard thread unlike all the other fine threads in the suspension). Can't recall the size (I had an assortment), but there was enough sticking up out of the welded nut to add a stainless nut for a little extra purchase and to make the job look finished.

If you go the stainless route, the original screws had pointed ends to make it easier to get them back into the nut (the head of the nut is inside the subframe, so you are working with a long socket or extension at this point). As standard stainless screws will have a flat top, I think is it essential that you tap out the captive nuts with a sharp tap and run the intended screw through several times so you an confident it will go when you are lying on the floor rotating the socket and wondering why the screw won't catch the thread.
 
My useful tip on this topic though was regarding separating the 2 halves of the metalwork that holds the bush. I read all sorts of ideas about large drill bits and hacksaws, but I found my standard £25 multi-tool with a metal cutting blade separated the two pieces in less that 30 seconds, and removed the lip at the same time. Very satisfactory indeed.

Hi przybyla7. Less than 30 seconds?! Could you say a bit more about how you did this? What sort of cutting blade was it? And did you do it with the roll bar on or off the car? Photo or pic off the web of the blade would be useful. This method could save people a lot of time and hassle...
 
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Hi przybyla7. Less than 30 seconds?! Could you say a bit more about how you did this? What sort of cutting blade was it? And did you do it with the roll bar on or off the car? Photo or pic off the web of the blade would be useful. This method could save people a lot of time and hassle...
No problem - I actually posted the method a year ago, so hopefully it has helped someone. Didn't think to take photos as I was new at this posting lark (I have started doing so now though).

ARB was in situ. I used a cheap DIY multi tool (http://www.argos.co.uk/product/4768458) with the Bosch metal cutting blade that came with it as a bonus. The tool is long, as is the blade, so I could reach in to the bracket easily. I pretty much cut them in place, but I could have slid the bush/bracket assembly along the bar as the bush was loose. All I had to remove was the road wheel.

Needed a bright light to see to line up the blade on the seam between the top and bottom half. Turned on, pushed gently, and literally 20-30 seconds later I was through the join and the remains of the screw. Not quite a hot knife through butter, but not far off. Cut off the pressed through metal rim too.

I only cut the front join in place. I could then remove the bracket after levering it open, and I cut the rear join on the bench.

After several weeks of torture including changing the clutch, this was one job that went smoothly!
 
Sad to say, it didn't. The drop links (and the bolts) seem to be made of harder steel. Gave up after a few minutes and resorted to angle grinder.

Don't know what they drop links are, but I have 1 long arm pair of bolt cutters that barely scratched them despite having my full weight on the handles.
 
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