CAB's almost didn't happen

[Dudesky]

So the sun finally came out today, and I got to do my control arm bushings, and replace some exhaust hangers as well as my backup light switch.

Being a fabricator and machinist, I try to make use of those skills and adapt them to car repairs. But this time I almost screwed myself, as I had no backup plan. For those who've done CAB's before, you know how hard they are to slip on to the control arms. I chose to use a (Jorgensen) woodworking clamp with a 1" socket attached to force them in, but the clamping system kept collapsing under all the pressure. I eventually got them in, but the job totally kicked my ass . . my arms and chest are killing me right now. You're supposed to do this and get the car back on the ground inside 30min, I barely did it in 27min. This is definitely NOT the way to do this job Anyway, I decided against doing the DIY, since it wasn't a very effective method.

But still it was worth it- the car steers so tight now, what a difference

[catalyst]

haha, yeah they are a bitch to get on.. did you soak them in saop and water?

[Dudesky]

^^^Tons of it, I actually had the lollipop assemblies soaking in a bowl. Without that, I probably wouldnt have been driving again tonight. Dude those things are a bitch- I figured they'd be easier than the RTABS I did over the summer. Just fitting the bushings on to the lollipops was a pain, and I used a huge 80lb vise with a leverage bar

BTW, regarding the alignment issue, I found out you don't need one unless you use the offset M3 bushings.

[catalyst]

Originally Posted by Dudesky_E36

^^^Tons of it, I actually had the lollipop assemblies soaking in a bowl. Without that, I probably wouldnt have been driving again tonight. Dude those things are a bitch- I figured they'd be easier than the RTABS I did over the summer. Just fitting the bushings on to the lollipops was a pain, and I used a huge 80lb vise with a leverage bar

BTW, regarding the alignment issue, I found out you don't need one unless you use the offset M3 bushings.

lol, dude i told you not to bother trying to press the new bushings yourself, it is so goddamn frustrating.. alot of shops have presses and ussually if the guy is nice he will do them for free.

Did you sand down the end of the control arm? i used like 80 grit and smoothed the whole surface, made it alot easier.. guess i forgot to mention that part, haha.

[Dudesky]

Ahh shit . . that would have helped. Getting it on past the end was the hardest part. Oh well. I'm just glad I finally got it, and didn't have to leave the car on jackstands overnight to figure out plan B

[DEATH2000]

good to see u got em in. Next time just have a shop put em man, maybe a but easier

[94bmw325i]

so how exactly do you know when stuff like that, and those RTABS(?) that you made a DIY for need replacing? Is it just somehting you should do every 100k miles or a noticable sound/car feels all over the road?

[Dudesky]

Originally Posted by 94bmw325i

so how exactly do you know when stuff like that, and those RTABS(?) that you made a DIY for need replacing? Is it just somehting you should do every 100k miles or a noticable sound/car feels all over the road?

Common symptoms for torn or cracked lower control arm bushings are undesired front toe changes during cornering, vague and rubbery feel to steering, and exaggerated bump steer over rough pavement. As for the RTAB's check the DIY again, the symptoms are listed toward the top of the writeup

[catalyst]

Originally Posted by DEATH2000

good to see u got em in. Next time just have a shop put em man, maybe a but easier

Speak english.

I dont know about you, but my car will never see a shop in the time i own it, i dont trust anyone but myself to work on it.

[94bmw325i]

catalyst did you ever post pics of your car w/contours? I personally would like to see some!

[Dudesky]

Originally Posted by catalyst

I dont know about you, but my car will never see a shop in the time i own it, i dont trust anyone but myself to work on it.

Same here, at least as much as I can help it. I've had some near mishaps here and there, but no worse than what I have to deal with at work.

[catalyst]

Originally Posted by 94bmw325i

catalyst did you ever post pics of your car w/contours? I personally would like to see some!

not yet

i took some in 35mm, just have to develope them.

[junkdrawer]

what if you dont get the cabs installed in 30 minutes? if I have a shop do them I wont be able to get them on soon enough. what will happen they will cease in the wrong place?
This may be based on the fact that bmw recommends a special lubricant, that has a bmw part number, which dries up in 30 minutes. so if you put them on slightly off from where they should be they can adjust once mounted on the car and set down to seat them properly.

now is that lube necessary? you guys used soapy water? what else?
do i need to sand the control arms if they are new or is that just for old ones?
is this the only reason it has to be done so quickly?
I am getting ready to redo my whole front suspension and I need to know about this before I get started.

just got this beautiful 95 325i and all It needs is the front end worked on and a high pressure p/s hose which aleaks very slow.

thanks in advance
junkdrawer

[Dudesky]

The bushings will not adjust themselves without the special lubricant (or soapy water). They won't budge without it. Thus, you have to seat the car down before it dries off, or the rubber will twist and distort. BMW's lubricant takes 30min to dry, after that, no adjustment is possible. The 30min is also the accepted amount of drying time for soapy water in everyone's experience who's done this.

[junkdrawer]

if i have them pressed on in a shop Im screwed then arent I.
I guess ill try to do it myself. should I use the diy with the homemade tool or should I just try to get them on by hand since I'll have all new parts?