[DeTomaso] Rear bushing woes, the saga continues

[Asa Jay Laughton]

Nothing like chaos to  put a damper on your goal of being race ready in 
time for a track day.

In our last episode, we learned that I mushroomed the ends of a few 
a-arm bushings while pressing them in.  So I order a few more from 
Wilkinson and figure I'll try again.  I also ask if he'd send me a tool 
to help press the darn things in so I'm not using my large six-point 
socket (which most likely contributed to the folly in the first place).

So today, I take all the new bushing and the new tool to the garage.  I 
first figure I'll try this slick new tool on a bushing already installed 
and see if I can maybe straighten things out a bit.  But the silly thing 
doesn't rest on the shoulder of the bushing.  WTF?  I paid how much for 
a silly piece of aluminum machined to fit the bushing properly and it 
doesn't fit?

So I check it against one of the new bushings Steve sent me.  Fits - 
like - a - glove.  WTF  (only LOUDER).

I put the new bushing up against the (older already installed) new 
bushing.  Appears to be a difference here.

For the gory detailed photos, go here:
http://www.teampanteraracing.com/gallery2/v/asajay/pantera/rearsusp/

The short story is;
- I bought the first set of bushings along with the ball joints last 
year from Wilkinson.
- The replacements I got just this month.
- The ones from last summer are a full eighth inch longer than those I 
recently received.
- The ones from last summer extend a good sixteenth to eighth inch 
farther on the outboard side.
- I'm not putting these in my car.

Questions:
- Are there differences in a-arm bushings based on the year of build?
- Has anyone else run into this?
- Should I extract the front a-arm bushings and re-do them since they 
suffered the same problem but I muscled them in anyway?
- Should I have gone with aftermarket poly bushings instead?

I'll be giving Steve a call tomorrow to ask him what he knows as well.  
This certainly won't do.  I'm guessing he didn't know about the 
difference.  Both parts were labeled the same, but one is definitely not 
going to work.

Comments?
Asa Jay

Asa Jay Laughton, MSgt, USAFR, Retired

& Shelley Marie
Spokane, WA

1973 Pantera L 5533
[ASASCAT]
    
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