Good evening gents, is this bushing pushed in enough?

Went to throw my M3 front control arm bushings into my "lollipops" as they say. I tried throwing them at the lollipops but that didn't work. So I decided to almost break my bench vice by pressing them in that way.

So here's the dealio. There is no through bolt that fastens through this bushing. The control arm slips in and just hangs.

I do not forsee any clearance issues with the bushings like this.

NOTE: One side is perfectly flush with the lollipops surface, the other side sticks out. The ones in my car right now have equal amounts sticking out both sides. The side that sticks out faces the rear of the car.

Run em? Or drop them at some shop to have them do the last 1/4" or so.

Also, for what it's worth, if you screw up your bench vice like I did, I have found that smacking the movable jaw with a rubber mallet frees it up considerably!

Just hit em with that boat in the background.

Actually, I would press them in the proper amount. You are almost bound to hit something with it like that.

ACtually brought it to the shop down the road. For some reason they couldn't finish it up with their press. Go figure.

hmmm...doing the M3 bushings in the lollipop is on my to-do list as well. Now I'm a bit apprehensive......wonder if there's something odd with the 318 lollipop as compared to the 325.....

Nope. I just bet their press sucks. Or the guy didn't know what he was doing. I got them that far with a bench vice.

luckily, by the time I do them I'll have a shop press ala harbor freight :)

My E30 has the M3 bushings, but they were installed on the car when I got it. When I get home tonight, I'll crawl under the car and try to take a picture.

From what I know from pressing MINI LCA bushings (similar design), you may need a guide to keep the metal from mushrooming as it is pressed into the lolipop. You'll definitely need some sort of guide to press the bushing so it's even in the lolipop.

Is the bushing cocked at all? Doesn't look like it to me but can't tell. My favorite bushing install trick is to freeze the bushing overnight, use a torch to heat up the lollipop, then quickly press the cold bushing in. Doesn't always make it all the way but can help get a good start.

Vices are for clamping, presses are for pressing.

Repeat 3 times!

I recently had a similar fail trying to vice in a LCA bushing on my E36. I ended up using a bottle jack (12ton) inside a metal frame for a press. I used some flat 1" thick aluminum pieces with wrench bodies for spacers. Slid right in. My next trip is to do the complete rear bushing set the same way.

Ah the virtues of trying to save money.

Vices are for clamping, presses are for pressing.
Vices are for clamping, presses are for pressing.
Vices are for clamping, presses are for pressing.

93gsxturbo wrote: Vices are for clamping, presses are for pressing. Repeat 3 times!

I was going to say something similar but it would have come out more rude.

As a Vise enthusiast it angers me when they get abused like this.

Uh, cut it out and put poly ones in that don't need a press? That's what I did anyway.

I am wondering if maybe the shop you brought this to was stupid enough not to realize that the bushing needs to have a place to go if it is going to be pressed further into the lollipop.

ditchdigger wrote: As a Vise enthusiast it angers me when they get abused like this.

As a I-want-my-car-to-work-so-I-can-get-back-to-school-on-sunday enthusiast it angers me when I don't have enough time/money to do anything but abuse my vise.

For what it's worth though, upon further inspection the e30 control arm is designed to be completely straight (not flared or tapered) where it inserts into the bushing. So I just took the rust down with a file and fit it in. There will be no issues with the bushing. It's not going nowhere.

Bushing, where you going?!

Nowhere!

It really should be in there all the way. but it probably won't go anywhere. All the shop needed was something to set the lollipop on so they could press it the last bit. It's a bit of a PITA. That's the benefit of running poly bushings in there. Much easier to install.

I had a similar issue with the diff bushing, I eventually got it in there. Good old harbor freight press.

dry ice for the bush, toaster oven for the lolipop. If the lolipop is too large for the toaster oven a hot plate or the wifes stove top will work. Just make sure SWMBO is not home when you do this. Looks like the lolipop is aluminum and I have an aversion to torches and aluminum for heating, difficult to control the heat.