Rear suspension bushes

The Watt linkage is fundamental for rear axle location. Any wear here will make the car tricky in crosswinds, and it will ruin the handling. The bushes on my car looked a bit sad, so I decided to replace them. Here’s how it fits together:

Since I replaced the bushes, the car feels transformed! No more fishtailing – I can kick the back out and it responds smoothly and predictably
It’s not an expensive job, and isn’t too difficult. Disassembly will almost certainly mean destroying some parts, so make sure you have everything to hand before starting. And remember, any suspension work is safety critical, so please work carefully…

1. Raise the rear of the car on ramps. Apply the handbrake and chock the front wheels.
2. You can see the watt link is bolted to the body at either end, and is attached to the axle in the middle with a big nut. The nut will probably be very rusty, so now is a good time to apply some penetrating oil.
   The nut is peened over to prevent it coming loose, so prise the peen away to unlock it. Now try to slacken it. I had to use a quality 27mm 1/2″ drive socket and a long power bar to get it to shift – it was very tight. Recover the big washer as well.
3. Remove the two bolts that attach the watt link to the body.
4. Now you should be able to lift the whole assembly away. But the centre bush is probably siezed solid to the shaft. Here’s how I removed it:
   1. Use a set of pullers to remove the link. This will destroy the centre bush and leave the inner sleeve behind, but at least it gets the link assembly out of the way.  
   2. Now try to remove the seized sleeve with Mole grips.
   3. If it still won’t budge, carefully cut the sleeve lengthways with a junior hacksaw. Try not to damage the shaft in the process.
   4. You can now use a cold chisel to split the sleeve.
   5. Now use the chisel between the sleeve and the washer on the shaft. The sleeve should finally slide off, together with the washer.
5. Remove the bolts holding the link bars to the centre bush assembly, noting which way around they are fitted.
   The left link goes to the top, the right link to the bottom
   The bottom bolt points rearward, the top bolt points forwards.
   The link bars are both identical (in theory), but check them to see if they are bent at all.
   Never clamp the link rods in a vice – they are hollow.
6. The bushes can be pressed out with suitably sized sockets and a vice. By all means use a proper bush press if you have one!
7. Remove any loose corrosion, and check the link rods carefully for any sign of damage. They are placed under very high load, and need to be strong.
   Now is a good time to give everything a fresh coat of paint if you are fussy. Avoid getting any paint in the bush holes.
8. You’ll notice that the bush outer sleeves are made of plastic. This makes them very difficult to press into place, because any pressure makes them distort. Be patient, and use some detergent as a lubricant to help them in.
   I found it impossible to get the big centre bush fully home with this method – the plastic sleeve was just too soft. I resorted to whacking it home with a hide hammer. It didn’t do any damage
9. Refit the link rods to the centre assembly, making sure you get the bolts the right way round. Tighten the bolts fully.
10. Apply copper grease to the shaft on the axle and fit the small washer, watt linkage, big washer, new nut, in that order. Don’t fully tighten the nut yet.
11. Attach the link bars to the body, and tighten the bolts fully.
12. Now tighten the centre nut, and peen it over to lock it in place.  

That’s it!
Now go find a twisty road, and enjoy…