Martin50 Posted February 1, 2022 Report Share Posted February 1, 2022 Hello folks, I’m looking for some help / advice again. The suspension bushes and rubber parts both front and back have not been touched on my TR6 certainly in last 15 years and looking at history probably not since 1990’s. They look cracked at the edges and its been on my mind to get them replaced. I just wanted to ask how hard is it to do this? Is it possible to replace the rear trailing arm bushes without taking the trailing arm off i.e. in situ but with spring compressed / removed? I’ve also seen couple of You Tube videos where the whole assembly is stripped down, repainted and reassembled. I’m not thinking to up rate any thing, so will replace with standard rubber. I know the “how hard is it ..” depends on the individuals skill. I have plenty of time on my hands so this maybe something I plan to do for next winter. I’m a home mechanic I would say, and I’ve completely replaced brakes, discs, piping, radiator, petrol tank, fuel hoses. I tend to plan doing these things in detail before I pick up any tool. But I also don’t want to start getting into this and start thinking why did I do this!! Appreciate any advice as ever. By the way the car is pretty standard. No upgrades or changes from the book version. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Rob Salisbury Posted February 1, 2022 Report Share Posted February 1, 2022 Hi Martin Original rubber bushes do not come out easily, especially if they've been there for some time, the rubber glues it's self to the alloy and really the best way to remove them is by heating the central metal tube with a flame (blow lamp or similar) until the tube can be pushed out, then cut through the rubber with a junior hacksaw , careful not to cut into the TA, and yank the bush out with pliers or a pair of pincers, so with all of that you really do have to remove the trailing arms, you might be able to do it if the bushes had been replaced with the polyurethane split style, though I recently had to burn out some old poly bushes that had been in place for around 16 years. Cheers Rob Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Andy Moltu Posted February 2, 2022 Report Share Posted February 2, 2022 Given that the trailing arms are held on by the bolts that pass through the bushes, there seems little merit in not removing the trailing arm. Sure the damper attachment and the brake pipe & cable may need removing but the job is so much easier on the bench (or floor). Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Atl TR6 Posted February 3, 2022 Report Share Posted February 3, 2022 (edited) just followed factory manual to replace bushings. would be difficult in situation for stock bushes. Suspended brake with zip ties to bracket in inner well that been used for shock absorber conversion. I converted back to Armstrong shocks. edit: I replaced my squeaky polyurethane bushes with harder rubber ones from The Roadster Factory in the USA. If replacing split poly bushes with new split poly ones, I would think the spring still makes it very difficult to install. If putting in stock bushes, it takes some force to put them in.... much easier to do as in attached photo. Edited February 3, 2022 by Atl TR6 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Kevo_6 Posted February 3, 2022 Report Share Posted February 3, 2022 It’s a good idea to remove all and inspect the T/A brackets as they have a tendency to crack which is difficult to spot when on the chassis. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Martin50 Posted February 3, 2022 Author Report Share Posted February 3, 2022 Thank you to all, Rob, Andy, Alt, Kev. Appreciate the advice and your experience. I know what i need to do now. I will wait till Autumn to do this. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Martin50 Posted February 3, 2022 Author Report Share Posted February 3, 2022 Forgot to add. The photos are good / helpful. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
stuart Posted February 3, 2022 Report Share Posted February 3, 2022 5 hours ago, Atl TR6 said: just followed factory manual to replace bushings. would be difficult in situation for stock bushes. Suspended brake with zip ties to bracket in inner well that been used for shock absorber conversion. I converted back to Armstrong shocks. Just as well you changed out from those Shock brackets as they dont do the body work any good at all. Stuart. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Atl TR6 Posted February 3, 2022 Report Share Posted February 3, 2022 7 hours ago, Martin50 said: Forgot to add. The photos are good / helpful. FYI.... the picture with the bush being installed is step 1. After getting it installed 3/4 of the way, used a piece of PVC pipe so bush could come out other side. Some people use a socket Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Martin50 Posted February 3, 2022 Author Report Share Posted February 3, 2022 Bruce, Thanks again. Hadn’t seen your name first time. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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