

| Subject: | Re: Upper COntrol Arm Bushing '85 GL |
| From: | Ed McLean |
| Date: | Wed, 10 Mar 2010 10:34:37 -0500 |
Make sure you are very clear with your instructions on how you want the bushings spot welded. I took my upper control arms to a well respected local shop that specializes in VW buses and asked them to spot weld the bushings with only one very small weld on each bushing and immediately quench in water to remove the heat. When I returned there were four significant sized welds on each bushing. I seriously doubt they quenched in water to protect the rubber and plastic parts. This was particularly annoying because this was the second time they tacked bushings in these control arms for me. The first time there were two fairly large welds and one of the bushings appeared to have been damaged by heat. After only 5k miles they were squeaking and they were clunking at 12k miles. BTW, You can easily remove the old welds with a file in just a few minutes and then press out the old bushings. This is much neater than using a grinder. Be careful to support the control arm when pressing in the new bushings so you don't bend it. When reinstalling the control arm, be sure to shim any extra space between bushings and the attachment points on the Vanagon and tighten the camber adjustment bolt with the springs loaded to reduce stress on the bushings. Ed McLean
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