Rover 200 & 400 Owners Club

old ones out, expands the metal making it easier to get the new ones in as well.

Hi Hammond,

I did an article for Viking a few years ago about how to do this with photos. If you PM me with your email address, I'll send you the article. I found the aftermarket parts pretty rubbish, only lasted about three years, so I fitted plastic bushes as described in the article. Make the ride slightly firmer, but they are indestructible.

Cheers,
Hugh

Getting them out can be a pain - done a few now but every 30K or thereabouts mine need replacement. I have a mileage check on them at this point.
Getting them in is not the issue but getting the old one out. Here goes.
Some will pop put but I have found this is as rare as when the Haynes manual says "now undo this bolt!" The luxury of an air chisel (if you has one) will agitate the outer shell and make it come out but too often I have to resort to more brutal manners. Typically the centre spigot if really bad will come out and leave the outer shell and rubber centre in place and if it does not then it will soon after my treatment! Use a blow torch carefully to physically burn out the rubber and leave just the outer steel shell of the bush in the arm. Sometimes this will crease into a heart shape and then come out but other times this is still stuck "extremely" tight. One side made this easier than the other but a large hacksaw with the blade in upside down can then be fitted through the hole and the outer shell needs carefully cutting through - takes about ten to fifteen minutes and several knuckles! The remains will then drop out with a few sharp bangs with a long chisel. Reverse is easier than this and the new one fits quite easily but take care to fit them the right way around so the pin is oriented the right way to fit the car so it is not too stressed when fitted or completely wrong and you have then to get a brand new one out! Not quite done the later yet but......
A few points to note. Firstly do not let the rubber centre get a right blaze on - far too near the petrol tank for this for starter let alone the damage it might do to the paint and underseal. Secondly the heat makes the rubber degrade and when alight can drip so be warned - it hurts the forearms like hell but welding gauntlets are a good thing. I do not have a bonfire underneath but keep blowing it out. I have compressed air; so always have an air line handy to avoid me running out of breathe or inhaling obnoxious fumes! Finally undo the two securing bolts and pull the arm or even better wedge it down as far as you feel you can without serious damage elsewhere. It should come down quite a way but not clear of the car by a long way. Certainly far enough to start burning stuff out and gain limited access with hacksaw.
Can easily be done in an evening say two hours even the most recalcitrant bush gives up to this treatment in this sort of time. Good luck.

Once again as expected this forum comes up trumps. I'm sure it won't go without stress when I attempt it but probably less stress it would've been without the invaluable advice/help on here. (hope that sentence makes sense as it doesn't when I read it back!!)

It isn't too bad to do them to be honest. I partially removed the arm (left the handbrake cable attached) so I could bash them out on the floor next to the car.

i done mine earlier this year , what a pain i couldnt bash them out insitu , so had to take the whole arm off, then cut the metal shim in two with a hack saw. knocked the new ones in.the local garage wanted £120 to do the job. they will get to do it next time.there is a tool that you can buy but its expensive.

I've managed to find a garage to do it for me now. A fellow football parent who I didn't even know was a mechanic !!
Charging me £80 to do them both if I supply them. Thought that was a decent price and saves me hassle.

Certainly sounds like a good price for that job. I would try to find some decent components (i.e. genuine Rover) or you might have to revisit it before long, as I found. The garage who did the job confirmed the aftermarket ones don't last long, that's why I fitted the polyurethane bushes second time round.

Cheers,
Hugh

Cheers Hugh, hopefully I've got some genuine Rover ones on the way and some aftermarket ones too as a back up. Bit late for me to look at fitting polyurethane ones now and hopefully I won't have to in the near future!