FE-FC Holden Discussion Forum

Been looking everywhere for a good write up on this and can't really find much. How tight do I go on the bushes? How much grease? If I pre grease do I need to put in more with a grease gun after?
Cheers

Hey Marc;
I am just putting togther mine for my ute so am interested in this as well; when I screwed the grease caps/pivot caps on the other day they did not seem to go on very far so that was what I was a little worried about.
Should I hold the wishbones and screw the cap into it; is that why they have the slight threading on the outside?
I think grease wise it doesn't really matter I have found that if they have a lot of grease in them it is even harder to get them in far enough because you are trying to compress the grease.
I look forward to the advice.
Regards
Neil H

Hi Guys, I dismantled my HR front end a couple of days ago, getting it ready to install the V6 Conversions steering rack kit.  I've got an old Gregory's FX-HR Service and Repair manual and this describes how to dismantle and reinstall all the bits - with pictures!  It's pretty detailed and includes torque settings and setting up your steering correctly.
NES, the manual says to tighten both the upper and lower wishbone bushes to 60 ft/lb, and to "use SAE 90 EP gear oil to lubricate the inner and outer threads of the bushes".  It doesn't mention putting more grease in later.  The Lube schedule says to apply "Chassis Lubricant" every "1000 miles"  ;)
Neil, summarising the manual, after installing the rubber grease retainer, place the lower wishbone on the shaft so that the dimension from the inner face of the wishbone to the boss face on the cross member is the same front and back.  Start the front and rear threaded bushes in the arms of the wishbone and on the ends of the pivot shafts. Then do as above in the answer to NES.
Hope this helps.  Happy to provide more info if required.

Cheers,
John

Marc,

The HR workshop manual has the best description of bush installation; but any Holden shop manual from FE to HK describes the procedure.

Basically:

Leave the grease nipples until last.

Put the new grease seals over the control arm shaft, with the flared ends pointing out.

Thread the control arm over the shaft and hold the arm in the position where there's an equal protrusion of shaft out of each end (the shaft comes just about flush with the outer faces of the control arms).

Dip the bush in gear oil, and start it on the shaft.  You're using second-hand control arms, so the convex thread will already have been cut into the arm by the old bush.  If you're lucky, the outer thread will pick up easily, and you can keep screwing the bush into the arm.  If the outer thread doesn't engage, you'll notice that the bush pushes the control arm back into the crossmember as you turn the bush.  It should pick up within half a turn.  If not, unscrew the bush while holding the control arm against the start of the convex thread, and you'll be able to feel when the outer thread engages.  Tighten the bush into the control arm until the points of the hex just meet the control arm.  Be careful not to tear or pinch the grease seal during this process.

Now you can install the second bush.  Proceed as for the first bush, but it may be necessary for you to lever the end of the control arm out for the outer thread of the bush to engage in the control arm easily.  As you install the second bush, rotate the control arm back and forth on the shaft to check how tight the bushes are.  A lower control arm should just drop under its own weight; an upper control arm will need a bit of a push to move, but shouldn't be stiff.  The final tightening of the bushes once they're screwed all the way in should be, I think, 20 ft.lb or above.  The more you tighten the bushes into the control arm after this, the stiffer the control arm will be to rotate.

NOTE: If you are using Rare Spares replacement bushes, the outer thread is oversize, and it'll be a real fight to screw them in.  The manual says "Do not exceed 250 ft.lb when installing the bushes".  You'll most likely be using a good length of water pipe over a breaker bar.  Screw the bushes into the control arm until the points of the hex contact the control arm, and you're done.

After the bushes are installed, you can install the grease nipples.  Then go to town with the grease gun.  Don't stop until you see fresh new grease ooze out all around the grease seals.

There's a special tool, number 3A-whatever, control arm spacer, for locating the lower control arms during bush installation.  This tool is dimensioned so it spreads the ends of the control arm apart very slightly when the bushes are being installed.

Rob

Replaced many shafts and bushes over many years and yeah you have pretty much covered it . Haydn

Thanks guys really appreciate the information as I said was worried how far they were screwing in.
I think I need to go back and look at my sedan I don't think the bushes are in far enough oops  ::)
Regards
Neil H