Changing rear trailing arm bushings on the bananas - Setting myself up for a fall?

Hello All,

Went to the alignment shop with my '72 T and even though the car has only 36k miles on it they complained about the dried out bushings on the rear trailing arms and insisted on changing them out before a proper alignment can be done. They then proceeded to tell me that the job was a 9 hour job to the tune of $900 + alignment. I came home to investigate, and both here and on the Bird, people say that this job was the ugliest most trying job you can do on a 911. Bushings rarely fit even with mammoth levels of force, with some even resorting to freezing the bushings and heating the arms.

What have your experiences been on this subject? The bushings looked dry but not to the point of falling out. My car experiences a tail wagging phenomena at speed which I am sure should not be there. (I am sure bushings would help, but I don't lay all the blame at their feet)

Your thoughts are appreciated.

Fire the shop.

Jack and support the car so it doesn't fall on you. Get under there and look at the bushings, are they completely rotten? I've never heard of them rotting to the point where they couldn't do an alignment, but it could happen. Post photos of bushings here.

If bushings shot then:

Disconnect battery.
Loosen rear lug nuts and lower shock bolt
Jack and support car so it does not fall and kill you
Remove rear wheels
Remove lower shock bolt by placing jack under control arm to eliminate preload. Do not move the car off the jack stands when you do this.
Disconnect rear brake line with pair of M11 flare wrenches
Remove outer CVs with M8 hex key mounted in impact wrench.
Wire up CVs so they don't dangle.
Prepare to replace schnorr washers and CV gaskets with new factory parts. Replace any M10 screws that have buggered internal wrenching feature.
Remove brake disc with slotted screwdriver
Note orientation of parking brake apparatus so you can get it back together again. Digital photos a must.
Remove tiny cotter pin, castle nut and remove parking brake cable. Parking brake apparatus will fall apart when you do this, you will be glad you took photos.
Using sawzall, saw through rear M14 bolts. If concours and you want to keep the Kamax bolts, drop engine first to allow you to get bolts out from inside. The reason you saw the bolts is because the Factory put the bolts in inside-out, with the nose of the gearbox there you can't get them out. So you cut them and put the new ones in outside-in.
Disconnect rear ARB.
Remove springplate bolts.
With all this removed the trailing arms should come out.
Heat bushings with MAPP torch until they smoke, pry out each side with a pair of screwdrivers.
Install new factory bushings using bench vise. Alternatively, install weather-sealed monoballs.
"installation is the reverse of removal"-- note proper torque settings from factory workshop manual. Replace all rusted or damaged parts with new.
Now perform complete rear end alignment-- when the springplate bolts came loose the alignment went away. Expect to repeat corner balance as well.
This is an ideal time to do any other rear suspension mods you may have planned e.g. Polybronze or rubber rear bushings, rear ARB bushings.

For the novice this is a weekend task. It's not complicated, but it is very, very time consuming. Have all the PET diagrams printed out so you can easily identify what needs to be replaced "while you are in there."

For bonus points, pick an important Club Race and endeavor to get it done before then, like this poor fellow did many years ago:

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/porsc...sassembly.html

Then back together again:

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/porsc...eassembly.html

I never cared for that rug in the first place. . .

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1113823675.jpg

The hardest thing is getting the engine and gear box out to get to the banana arm to remove it. (i have hear you can remove it if you cut the bolt, but usually due to space you cant back the bolt out if the head is in the middle on the gear box side)

anyways.. get a sir bearing puller kit (or similar type). we used a set my friend has for pulling e46 bearings and bushings, and it worked for the banana arms and rear wheel bearings among other things... there are various sizes on a kit.. you put it on one way to draw the banana arm bushing out, then put it on another way (if i remember you have to use different sizes to pull out and press the new one in).

anyways.. here is a vid of us installing the rear banana arm bushing.. super freakin cake with the right tool. no need to heat or freeze or any bull.. just pull out and press a new one in.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gA5LFrFnsp0




above was installing the banana arm bushing, this next one is us pulling a rear wheel bearing.. so you can see how easy it pulls as well. again, no heating or freezing.. just the right tool.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X1W7EKDOfmA

I highly recommend these http://www.wevo.com/Products/Suspens...cts-EZPins.htm for the job.

Just rebuiding entire suspension for '67S in anticipation of installation onto freshly painted tub. Found the replacement of the banana-arm bushings among the easier tasks. You can do it. Brian

Here is what they look like:

Time to replace them. You'll be happy after it's done and your suspension works as new.

I'd be more worried about that crusty brake line:eek:

I've seen worse than that. Heck, I've seen a car running around out on a racetrack with NONE...they were completely rotted away on the passenger side.

Motor and trans have to come out.

Have fun.

On further investigation I have come to find that the shop that I took it too had a previous alignment "mishap" when they took on the job of aligning a early turbo. Seems that a one hour job took three, and left them with no taste for the "hair of the dog that bit them". I am going to go to another shop and not mention the previous relationship to see how a new one will progress. Many say that the banana bushings are not really prone to failure until they are actually falling out on the floor.