Doing the 4 rear suspension links, per side. The top-most link (don't know the proper name) has a 13mm bore hole at the wheel end. And the wheel has a 13mm hole. Seems like a good fit for a 13mm shank bolt - which are used elsewhere in these links, but all shorter so I couldn't borrow one from my spare car.

The original link came off and had a shim bushing to adapt a thinner bolt through this connection. Wanting to re-use the original bolts (in great shape) I knocked the shim out of the old part, and tried pressing it into the new part. Even though it is a split and compressible design, it was too fat to press through the new part without damage, suffice it to say it got damaged.

This left me looking at two parts needing to go together, both having a 13mm hole meant for a bolt. OK, so just get a 10.9 grade metric bolt that has a 13mm shaft and put it together... Go find that bolt! O/all length is 8cm. Shank 13mm we know that. Threaded tip 3mm, the rest is straight shaft. Bolt houses jump from 12 to 14mm. Erg!

I fear finding the bolt, will probably require a nut size with an effective outside diameter too large to get a tool on it, in the little space between it and neighboring link to the front of it. Maybe why MBenz shafted it down to something smaller. Who knows?

Anyway, solutions / ideas appreciated!

__________________
Cheers!
Scott McPhee

1987 300D