The 24mm bushing bolt goes up though the bushing into a tube in the body of the car. The top of the 1/2" threaded rod fits into the tube that the bushing bolt goes in and the nut keeps it from going in too far and munging the threads inside. You might want another washer on top of that upper nut to keep the nut from munging the end of the tube and to help keep that upper nut from tuning and allowing the threaded rod to go too deep into the tube.

Also, I had to put pressure on the bushing bolt to get it to align with the threads. Ended up with some sort of bizarre contraption of a socket, with an extra 24mm nut inside as a spacer and a chunk of 1/2" square rod in the socket's ratchet hole, all pushed up against the bolt with a bottle jack. It was the only way I could figure out how to push (gently) on the bolt with a jack and still be able to turn the bolt. Figuring that out was by far the most time consuming part of the job.

FYI, on the 617 diesels, there isn't a rubber piece between subframe and body -- there's a stop bracket instead. Make sure you get the right kit -- it should come with two new stops that are mirror images of each other (mine wern't, but I was able to reuse the old stop).

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'83 300DTurbo http://badges.fuelly.com/images/smallsig-us/318559.png

Broadband: more lies faster.

Hey Hope this has gone well for you. I've been way too busy. I did a search and found my old posts but I don't see the pictorial that I was referring to. It was here somewhere!! I used a couple of pry bars to remove the rubber mount from the subframe. Yes a cheap ball joint press from harbor freight worked well to remove and install the trailing arm bushings. If I can help any send me a PM.

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If it ain't broke take it apart and find out why.

1983 300SD, 4 speed
1994 C280
1987 300TD wagon
1996 HD Road King

Ride in Peace Eric Peterson, Harley of Macon

Thanks for the help, did the subframe mount bushings and diff mount this weekend and it went well, all in all. The Baylor method worked well.

Right bushing came out just fine, popped out with a bang just like I've read. I lubed the new one with dish soap and it pressed in fine. Very little problem pressing it in. The bolt was straightforward too, just a push with bottle jack and the threads took, cranked it right on in. I was thinking "wow this is easy!"

Karma got me on the left side, of course. The inner part of the bushing was delaminated from the outer, so when I pressed out I only got the "core" of the old bushing out. The outer shell of it was still stuck fast inside the subframe and now there was no bearing surface on the bushing for the threaded rod tool. I tried prying with different breaker bars, driving in a screwdriver, torch, no luck. So I crossdrilled across the bottom metal in the flat sides of the old bushing, shoved an old allen wrench across the span, and used the allen wrench my new bearing surface. Put the threaded rod tool back in, loaded up, and out it came! Installing the new one was straightforward, same as right side, but more difficulty getting the thread on the bushing bolt started. Used a bottle jack, topped with a wood block, topped with an old socket that centered on the bolt and allowed me to get a wrench in and start the thread. No problem.

Differential mount went fine. Some difficulty getting one of the bolts loose but it yielded to some heat and a good breaker bar.

Total for everything was about 4-5hrs including cleanup, not bad for the first time I suppose.

Haven't checked the handling yet, my radiator is out getting rebuilt and I need new tranny and oil cooler lines...but once this is done I'll take her out for a drive and report back.

Rob

nice job!

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~shell
As of 2/2010:
2001 CLK55 0o\=*=/o0
13.6 @ 106mph
10K mi
1984 300SD
260K mi and going and going...
97 S600
46K miles
1991 Sentra SE-R (extremely dorked with)
www.se-r.net