W124 front LCA bushing questions

[benmack1]

93, 300D, 2.5T. I am replacing ball joints and wondering if I should do the front end LCA bushings while in there. I am a spring compressor away from being there (planning to buy one eitherway to have it on hand). The old bushing are probably original and look ~OK. Some rubber is cracked but nothing seems out of shape. I would actually like to replace but have a couple questions.

• Are the front LCA inner bushings involved in the alignment (are there concentric bolts, sorry if my terminology is poor)?

• How badly can I screw this up? It looked like 2 bolts to me but I worry that I am missing somethig critical to the alignment.

• Do I need any special tools. I see from the FSM that there is a flaring tool as part of the pressing in of the new bushings. Can this be DIY rigged or is this going to be a problem?

• I don't see as much on front LCA bushings as many other suspension things so am I just fixing something that likely isn't broken?

[biopete]

Leave em be. Those things last a long time. I replaced mine and they didn't need it. You have to have a special tool to press them in. I took mine to the Indy to press in and he said "On the W124 you hardly ever have to replace those bushings." In 1993 they should be the new style too. I did mine on the 1987 and they still weren't real bad.

You can buy the whole control arm with bushings and ball joint for around 200.00 . Thats about twice as much as just the bushings and ball joint. But i paid 120.00 to get ball joints and bushings pressed in my control arms. So its easier to just buy whole new ones usually.