Front Radius Rod Bushing Insert, Installation questions.

[AlanRubin]

Originally Posted by terry_b

Very straightforward. Lift the car up, remove the radius arm bolt, and drop the end of the arm down a bit. Push the inserts into the void in the bushing (2 per arm), then move the arm back into place and reinstall the bolt.

Measuring is a good idea, but I actually just dropped the car onto the ground and slid under the front to torque that bolt down.

You need to remove the existing ones first..












But yeah, you can do it while they're on the car, just pry the existing ones
out.


AS said, unbolt and pull it down out of the mount:





Pull the existing inserts out:





Put the aftermarket ones in:



Lube the side walls of the mount bracket:



Push it up (may need a mallet to whack it a few times), then bolt back in:

[Joe.G]

Should the bolt hole line back up with a few taps of the mallet or do I need to try and pry it around to line it up? There are factory inserts on both sides?
Can I drive the front of the car up on boards or ramps and do it off of them and not have to worry about timing bushings if I don't jack it?


Any lube or anything needed?

[CamaroCracka]

I wouldn't try to do it on the ground. IIRC, the passenger side bolt was a little tricky to get back in and I would want to be able to see what I was doing. The inserts should come with lube for them. It looks like Alan used copper anti-seize on on the seats.

[Crazych66]

Best bang for the buck suspension mod IMHO. It was night and day before and after. Steering was much tighter and precise.

[terry_b]

Good point about removing the OEM inserts. I thought the 1LE and ZL1 were the only ones that Chevy put inserts on.

You can do 90% of the work with the car jacked up on stands with the wheels off. Just don't tighten the bolts up all the way.

You could use a ramp to keep the car higher up when you put the wheels back on and then put the weight back on the suspension. Just make sure when you tighten and torque the bolts that the car is resting on the suspension.

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[Joe.G]

Just not sure how I would torque the bolts or even get to them with car on the ground, Its only lowered an inch but it is really close.

[AlanRubin]

Originally Posted by Joe.G

Should the bolt hole line back up with a few taps of the mallet or do I need to try and pry it around to line it up? There are factory inserts on both sides?
Can I drive the front of the car up on boards or ramps and do it off of them and not have to worry about timing bushings if I don't jack it?


Any lube or anything needed?

You can do it on ramps, and it will keep the wheel in place, so it does not
shift on you when you pull the LCA down and out of the bracket. I do
most of my work on ramps. When on a lift, and you pull that LCA out
of the bracket, the wheel will swing outward, slightly, on you. I always
try and keep the tire on the ground, so it won't move. Even if you use
jack stands to raise the front end, to just before the wheels come off
the ground. However, yeah, ramps work good for this job.

Yes, the inserts go on both sides of the LCA bushing, you get four total.

LUBE, yes, I said that, so the spacer slides on it as you push it back
up into the bracket. The bolts should have the tapered end, so if it
is just a little off going through the other side, a few whacks on the
bolt head will get it through.

Originally Posted by Joe.G

Just not sure how I would torque the bolts or even get to them with car on the ground, Its only lowered an inch but it is really close.

Box wrench on one side, your ratchet on the other side. Hold the wrench
on the nut, and tighten the bolt. Also, you HAVE to do this at ride
height anyway, you do not want preloaded weight on the bushings.
ALL rubber bushings are final torqued at ride height. So, if on ramps,
it is at ride height. Poly and Sphericals, doesn't really matter.