Hello all, I’m a new syncro owner and I’ve taken the plunge to replace the front lower arm bushes.
Both bushes have completely worn away, both sides are/were down to metal on metal, which I hope explains the squeaky bounce syndrome when driving. After extensive study at the University of Youtube I decided on a like-for-like replacement, so opted to use the original rubber bush.
Getting the old bush out wasn’t that bad, I managed to get the new one in which was a pleasant surprise. I’m not happy with the frontside positioning of the bush, I think I need to tease the rubber flange out, but it’s in for now with the bolt in. The rear-side positioning looks better i.e. the flange looks seated okay (could be a little tighter, but I’m assume/hope it will get pushed in a few mil once she’s running again).
The issue is I can’t get the alignment of the bush to the chassis mounts, so the bolt won’t pop all the way through. I managed to get the bolt in the frontside, but the alignment is about 5 mm out on the rear-side horizontally, so close, yet so far.!
Does anyone have any ideas on how the shift the arm towards the centre of the van? I try to avoid hammers and brute force as a rule, but happy to take guidance from those in the know. I’ve tried using a strap to pull the arm over but no joy. I’m beginning to think I might need to remove the driveshaft and other parts so that I can swing the arm in by 5 mm… the water might be getting deeper.
If all else fails, it might be handy to have a number for T3 Syncro friendly mobile mechanic that operates around west Melbourne, please share if any knows of one. I might need a life raft.
thanks,
Lee
