Disastrous weekend working on the truck..

[Karma Supra]

Disastrous weekend working on the truck..
I've definitely started one of those jobs that I wished I hadn't!
It started off with a simple check over of everything, see if anything more serious had gone wrong to start the tyres catching the backs of the front wheel arch on lock..

As I had it all jacked up anyway I thought I might as well do the steering rack bushes, as they have been in need doing for ages, and I already had the spares, I popped the old ones out with such ease I thought Why not do the lower arm bushes too, while I'm under here ad things are apart..

Big mistake!

From looking at them last time (err this we before Christmas) I knew the camber adjustment tubes were seized solid, so after googling had bought a reciprocating saw and a load of quality "metal" cutting blades, new tubes, in theory everything to get the job done. On the plus point after some "spirited" off road driving recently, the passenger side had unsiezed, so no cutting required...

The driver side however is stuck fast, as I expected. The problem is cutting it out.. I have just spent many hours, and worn out 4 blades and just got 5mm through the first bush... Clearly the blades are no good, but I can't seem to find any better (they are the Devalt "demolition" ones, meant to be for cutting through metal pipe and girder, but the teeth look to big to me) they just sit on the surface and don't do much...

Can anyone either recommend the right blades for making the cut (or somewhere to look for some fine pitch metal blades I have tried EBay, B&Q and screwfix..) or give me any pointers?

At this rate I can only see using an angle grinder, and replacing the lower arm.., which I'd really rather not do... especially as I'm meant to be going away in the truck on Friday for the weekend!

To add insult to injury, the M3 picked up a puncture in B&Q car park, too!

Any help or suggestions please?

[tintin]

Disastrous weekend working on the truck..
I've definitely started one of those jobs that I wished I hadn't!
It started off with a simple check over of everything, see if anything more serious had gone wrong to start the tyres catching the backs of the front wheel arch on lock..

As I had it all jacked up anyway I thought I might as well do the steering rack bushes, as they have been in need doing for ages, and I already had the spares, I popped the old ones out with such ease I thought Why not do the lower arm bushes too, while I'm under here ad things are apart..

Big mistake!

From looking at them last time (err this we before Christmas) I knew the camber adjustment tubes were seized solid, so after googling had bought a reciprocating saw and a load of quality "metal" cutting blades, new tubes, in theory everything to get the job done. On the plus point after some "spirited" off road driving recently, the passenger side had unsiezed, so no cutting required...

The driver side however is stuck fast, as I expected. The problem is cutting it out.. I have just spent many hours, and worn out 4 blades and just got 5mm through the first bush... Clearly the blades are no good, but I can't seem to find any better (they are the Devalt "demolition" ones, meant to be for cutting through metal pipe and girder, but the teeth look to big to me) they just sit on the surface and don't do much...

Can anyone either recommend the right blades for making the cut (or somewhere to look for some fine pitch metal blades I have tried EBay, B&Q and screwfix..) or give me any pointers?

At this rate I can only see using an angle grinder, and replacing the lower arm.., which I'd really rather not do... especially as I'm meant to be going away in the truck on Friday for the weekend!

To add insult to injury, the M3 picked up a puncture in B&Q car park, too!

Any help or suggestions please?

Dont buy an M3 ?

[Karma Supra]

Bit late mate, I'm on year 6 of ownership!

[wishbone]

Grind the nut off and hit it through with a drift ?

[Karma Supra]

Thanks wishbone..

The nuts are off... (easy on a 3rd gen)

I was holding a builders bar against it while my old man was whacking it with a sledge...

It's not budging.

I think cutting is going to be my only option from here...

[wishbone]

Blimey! In that case just stock up on the blades and try not to write off the lower arm. I hate jobs like that

[andy_enuff]

Sounds like a job for a grinder with a thin metal cutting disc, a pair of safety goggles and a lot of care - unless you can't get a grinder in there....

I would never remove the guard tho.... or would i....

[budweiser]

did you tried to use a torch? heating up things it worked many times to me!

[Karma Supra]

Cheers guys,

I'l head into my local iron mongers at lunch time today to see if I can find some more suitible blades. I don't think an angle grinder will be viable without destroying everything else..

I had also avoided heat so far as it is near various bits I'd not really want to get hot, and the siezed tube is in a rubber bush...

I really hate jobs like this! So far its made doing all the ball joints look easy!

[Karma Supra]

Tried the new blades, they made no difference... Tried hitting them with a sledge hammer, no movement.

Surely someone must have done this job before on a 3rd gen and is able to give some hints or pointers?

[Chillitt]

Try asking proper shop rather than a DIY shop. Anywhere that has 'Engineering' in the name is a good start..
The very thing discs for cutting stainless will fly through it.

[Karma Supra]

Thanks for your reply!

I went to Drews in Reading, they are an iron mongers and have pretty a good range..

It looks like the third gen the adjustment tubes are hardened steel, which is why the blades would not touch them, I have since sacrificed the lower arm to get it off, in "trimming" it so I can get the angle grinder in there (that goes through them!) the recipricating saw went through the actual lower arms very well so the blades weren't that bad!

Now I just need to cross fingers/legs/toes and pray that I can get a replacement tomorrow

[Albannach]

This is turning into a bit of a "There was an old lady who..."

[KERRSURF]

I would have just burned the old bushes out. Shield of the surrounding area and get the blowtorch on it.

[TonyN]

I would have just burned the old bushes out. Shield of the surrounding area and get the blowtorch on it.

It dosn't help, the inner metal sleeve of the bush corrodes to the bolt/tube, so you still can't get the bolt out through the holes in the chassis as they are bigger than the dia of the boltholes.

You'll just end up with a really loose still stuck wishbone.

You have to cut them so the wishbone can just drop out the bottom, then press the whole lot out of the wishbone.