Front disc mount bushing problem

[fireguywtc]

Sorry I posted this in the wrong section before so I moved it.

Ok I need some help and I am very frustrated

I have ordered a new set of bushings and such for my brakes but they still dont fit. They are the same size as the old ones and I cant figure out what I am doing wrong or if something has changed and I need to fix it. Here is a pic of the bushing and the only hole that I know of that it should go in. Should I drill it out? BTW the rubber piece out of the metal shell fits in there perfectly. Whats going on here??

Thanks, BIll

[robroy]

Hi Bill! Sorry to hear that you're still facing this problem! Although I didn't have this exact same problem with mine, I remember some tricky problems of my own in this area.

I know we touched upon this issue already in another thread so please forgive me if any of my suggestions are repeats!

A few things come to mind:

1. When you removed the factory bushings, did the metal shells come out cleanly? Is it possible that somebody installed them backwards years (decades) ago and they're still lodged in there?
2. Did you already try cleaning out the hole with emery cloth? I had to rub some emery cloth around in mine a little bit to get a good fit on the bushings. But I may have overdone it, since I needed to use some thread lock on the shell exterior to keep them from popping out.
3. Are you taking care to install the bushings so that the open side of the metal shell faces inwards (opposite from the way it's shown in the photo you've posted)?
4. Have you tried coating the metal shell with a small amount of lube before tapping it in?
5. I see that you've tried two sets of bushings. Did both of these bushings come from the same manufacturer? I used bushings from NAPA with good results.
6. Would it be possible for you to use a file to make a bevel on the edge of the metal shell (on the "open side," that gets driven in first)?

Regarding point "c," you can see in this photo how the bushings are installed with the open face going in first (and the curved side facing outwards):



Robroy

[fireguywtc]

thanks for the reply Robroy, here are my answers:

A. I don't remember removing them, so most likely they came out with no problem. There is no shell still in the hole or anything, I have checked and cleaned it.

B. I used a wire brush on a drill to clean them so its good there.

C. Yes I tried both ways but I knew the beveled side was supposed to go out, they are just physically too big.

D. Yes, several times

E. Everything new is from Care quest, and I have no idea were the old ones are from or if they are orginal. But new and old are exactly the same size

F. No, again the shells are just physically too big to fit. My best option would be to make the hole bigger, rather then the shell smaller.

The main thing here is knowing the I am putting this in the right spot, so atleast I am not crazy. I may also lose the metal shell and just put the rubber piece in there with some thread lock or something to keep them from slipping. My thinking is I dont really see any benefit to the shell unless the hole was to big for the rubber piece alone. If I had to use thread lock on my metal shell like you did, it would proabably be impossible to remove later on.

Thanks again, Bill

[robroy]

Hey Bill!

I'm guessing that the benefit of the metal shell is that it holds the rubber bushing up against the plate, so it's not pushed out when the caliper bolt slides back and forth there. I'm not sure how much that bolt actually slides around once installed, so maybe that's not an issue after all!

Regarding the thread lock, I actually had to remove one of the bushings (I got it in a little crooked) after the 'lock had cured, and it wasn't a big deal--it snapped loose with a little encouraging. Of course the thread lock I used was the "high strength" red type, not the "permanent" red type. It's yield is at around 35-40 ft/lbs of torque.

The bushings the factory used, on the other hand, were impossible for me to remove since they had rusted up solid with the anchor arm; I had to have a machine shop remove them.

The problem you're facing is indeed curious!

Robroy

[fordman]

when i pulled those apart before i shipped them. i had a heck of a time with those little things. ithink i had to tap them back into place. i can't remember exactly what ihad to do with the ones that came out. but ihad to tap them back in to put it all back together. no i am thinking about the ones in the caliper that hold the brake pads in. sorry about that.

[Rusty67]

It sounds to me like you are not using the right bushings for the part. Check the hole with a Mic and check the bushing shell with a Mic as well. This will give you a good reference point to start from.

[fireguywtc]

Robroy, you are right! good perspective on what the sleeve is for, I didn't think of it that way.

Fordman, I know that you sent them together, so all and all I know I had to take them apart while not paying attencion to what I was doing. Now I am having trouble getting it back together.

Rusty67, the only part of this that makes me think I am using the right part, besides the fact that I double checked the part #s, is the fact that the orginal bushings will not go back in either, and they are the same size as the new ones. The old ones had to go in there somehow.

I will go back and see if I can't force them in there some how with some more persuasion. I have been refraining from this since force should always be a last resort and I wanted to make sure I wasn't doing anything wrong. If I cant force them I think I am going to make the hole in the mount a little bigger, I don't need much to get them in there.

Thanks for all the help all!

[fordman]

oh ok. yes try and tap on them to make them go back in. they are tight when they go in.

[fireguywtc]

I measured the shell and the hole today.

Caliper mount hole is 11/16
Shell diameter is 13/16

I think I am going to buy a large drill bit and drill it out to the larger diameter to fit.

[fordman]

so the old one was 11\16 also to match the hole?

[fireguywtc]

so the old one was 11\16 also to match the hole?

Sorry I forgot to mention that I checked them too, the are the same size as the new ones, about 13/16. This is a great mystery.

I also tried forcing them (new and old) in there, a defenite no go. Very frustrating

[flyboy2610]

so the old one was 11\16 also to match the hole?

Sorry I forgot to mention that I checked them too, the are the same size as the new ones, about 13/16. This is a great mystery.

I also tried forcing them (new and old) in there, a defenite no go. Very frustrating

Try using a long bolt and a couple of fender washers to draw them in.
Bolt, washer, bushing, insert through caliper, bushing, washer, nut. Kind of like a homemade press.

[fordman]

yeah that souinds like a good idea. if the old ones came out the new ones have to go back in.

[Rusty67]

I still think you should check it with a caliper to get an idea.

[fireguywtc]

I still think you should check it with a caliper to get an idea.

That is what I used to measure them both.

Flyboy, that is good ideal, when I drill out these holes to where they will fit tight, that will be the method I will use to get them in there. Thanks for the tip!