ARGH!! Urgent Droplink Question

[mikec]

Hey Everyone,

My car is sitting in the driveway right now in pieces, so please hurry!

The question is simple: How exactly do the droplinks on a 91 go together? I was trying to find the source of my clunk from the rear, and traced it to a droplink that was allowed to move up and down about 1/4 inch. I've managed to get it all apart, but now I'm not sure how exactly its supposed to interface with the arm.

The pieces I've got (bottom to top): nut, bushing plate, bushing, what looks like another bushing plate (it actually looks like 2 plates welded together), another bushing, another plate and then the droplink itself.

I'm confused because when I first started working on it, there was definitely bushing above the hole in the arm. The right side is like this too. But while working on getting the bushing off, I managed to pull the whole thing through the hole. Is the droplink just the rod and bracket for the swaybar, or is something supposed to be welded to it?

[totech]

Mike,

I looked at a scan of the rear susp and this what I found.

The drop link seems to have a metal washer welded onto it about 1/2 way down. You add a bushing to it, and then I think it goes through the control arm. then another bushing and a washer/bolt.

I can e-mail you the picture.

Andrew

[ciper]

The drop link should look have these items in order:

Buhsing inside of a ring
Connected to a rod
Half way down the rod is a "cone" shaped washer/ring
Below that is threasds


When reassembling it you should remove the droplink from the sway bar
Put one rubber bushing on the rod, below the washer/ring
Stick the threaded portion through the hole in the lateral link
Put another rubber bushing on the threaded portion
Stick the washer similar to the welded item on below
Loosely tighten the lower nut
Connect the sway bar to the upper bushing
Tighten both nuts.

[mikec]

Andrew,

Would you be able to send me that picture? mchreptak@rogers.com

From the descriptions you guys have given me, it sounds like I've got an extra piece. Hrm....

[mikec]

Yep, I've definitely got an extra piece. The extra piece happens to be part of the control arm. Somehow it broke sometime in the past, and has worn the hole bigger, so JB Weld or something like that is out of the question. I'm going to try to find a washer big enough to sit in the divot. Failing that, I may have to replace the arm (CRAP!!!).

But I've got new bushings coming!

[ciper]

You want to buy a used control arm? Ive got extra, I replaced them with the MRT parts.

[mikec]

I paid my local Home Depot a visit, and found a washer small enough to sit inside the divot, but big enough to not go through the hole.

ciper, if you're not planning on getting rid of it, I may take you up on the offer if the washer doesn't work out. I'm going to "test" it tomorrow, so I'll let you know. Thanks!

[mikec]

Well, my Home Depot washer fix seems to be holding so far. I must say, its nice to be able to drive over uneven surfaces without the rearend clunking.

But I've come across another small problem. I tried to replace all the bushings associated with the droplinks and swaybar today, but was unable to get the new bushings into the swaybar ends. I'm just using new OEM bushings. Any suggestions on pressing them back in?

[Legacy777]

Yeah......it takes a little bit of effort.

I forget exactly how we did it......my uncle and I did it. I think we had a piece of metal tubing we slide the bushing over. Put that in a vise, lubed the bushing up and sort of twisted/wiggled it in there.

[vrg3]

I haven't seen these pieces up close in person, so this may not actually be appropriate, but what about heating up the relevant parts of the swaybar with a torch so it expands slightly? That's the way many press-fit bearings and whatnot are installed.

Or maybe, if all you have to do is just press it in, could you use a hydraulic floor jack to press it against something?

[mikec]

I'm gonna try a vise, and I've got my dad bringing a C clamp home for me tomorrow night. Between those 2 things, I'm sure something will work. But heating the end of the bar is a good idea too. NASIOC had someone mentioning putting the bushing in the freezer so it contracts slightly. I may end up combining all of those!