How to install Energy Suspension Master Bushing kit & Buddy Club camber arms.

DC5_Bonson

Advanced Member
Messages
604
Hello DC5 owners! This is a guide on how to install the Energy Suspension Master Bushing kit & Buddy Club camber arms.



The American bushing kit includes front & rear LCAs, trailer arms and a set of F/R ARB bushings which will cover most of the major suspension components. Priced at around 100 quid, the kit also comes with a tub of grease (heavy duty stuff) and instructions although not in great details and it is advisable that you do this job with proper tools such as a Work Press and a ball join puller, etc... but unfortunately I do not have access to these tools so alternative methods is being used in this guide. First of all, you need to spare a good few days to work on the car as things might not goes smoothly as you might think. An assistant is highly recommended.

You need at least the following tools to begin the job;



Jack up the car and place it on an axle stand and loosen the front lower LCA with 19mm sockets (notice the OEM bushing is very worn!)



Loosen the rear bolt and the ARB drop link.



With the ball joint (roll center) intact, pull the LCA out from the sub frame and swing it out towards you to allow room to work on. Let it sit on a tool box or wooden stool and use a drill to weaken the center pin out. Although it is easier if the entire LCA is removed however I didn‘t have ball joint puller to do so.





Hack saw the old bushing off.



And then it should be easily removed by a flat head screwdriver.



Grease up the inner LCA ring


Time to put these new pieces on…



For the front LCA bushing (big one), take out the bushing centre and place it on top of the LCA and wedge it against the sub frame with a jack to press the bushing into the LCA. Took me a few attempts to do this one, but once it‘s in good position, it should slip straight in.





Use a C clamp and push the center into the bushing



Swing the other side out and work on it.



Later I found out using a blow torch is much easier! Use a heat shield to protect the body paint and have another one put at the bottom to catch the debris.



After the old bushing has been completely burnt out, pull the center pin out with a pair of pliers.



Follow the same procedure…





Grease it up…



Insert the new bushings in by hand…



Clamp the centre pin in…



After the two bushings on the LCA has been installed put the bolts back in the sub frame. You might find it difficult to put it back into the sub frame, so the suspension strut might have to be removed first and then put everything back in.

Now the front LCA is finished, it's time to move onto the rear of the car. I have also changed the rear camber arms and the front camber bolts to complete the set up. There are actually six bushings needed at the rear (3 on each side). Two are not needed as I mistakenly brought extra ones.



Use jacks to support the trailer arm and hub carrier.



Take out the bolt on the ABS wire mounting using a 10mm spanner.



17mm spanner



17mm socket



Out with the old one…



Copper grease the bolts is a good practice!



Line it up with the old one for now until the tracking is done.



Done!



With the Camber arms installed it‘s time to move onto changing the bushings. First of all, remove the trailer arm. I am not gonna mention every bolt this time, because at this stage you should know what you are doing. Hang the brake caliper out of the way and rest the hub carrier on something. Notice the ABS wire is still intact, it because it‘s seized on and I don‘t want to risk pulling it out, so we will just work next to the car.





Burn the old bushing out… :twisted:



Once everything is melted away, clean it up with wire brush. To remove the center pin, you really need a large steady Vice to clamp down at one side and then use a big adjustable spanner with force to twist and pull it out.



I use a C clamp to push the bushings in, but again a vice is a lot better.



The fatter bushing should be facing towards the rear of the car.



Now move onto the hub carrier and do more burning.



Clean it out and grease it.



Follow the same procedure and you are done.



After that‘s done toque every bolt to spec (follow the service manual). You should take your car to a garage and get wheels alignment for a fast road set up to feel the difference. I hope this guide will help somebody if they are interested in fitting this kit. Comments and questions are welcome! :)
 

dave h-b

Active Member
Messages
65
Fantastic write up mate, its a lot easier doing the front LCA without removing the ball joint, so glad you posted this before i did the front end, and the use of a blow torch is just awesome :xyes:

THANKS A BUNCH!

PS i am also installing a set of BC rear camber arms at the same time! Let me know what else you got from Hannan, might be i need some more guides from you, saves so much time =D>
 

DC5_Bonson

Advanced Member
Messages
604
Fantastic write up mate, its a lot easier doing the front LCA without removing the ball joint, so glad you posted this before i did the front end, and the use of a blow torch is just awesome :xyes: THANKS A BUNCH!PS i am also installing a set of BC rear camber arms at the same time! Let me know what else you got from Hannan, might be i need some more guides from you, saves so much time =D>
No problem dude, glad it helped! :D yeah it's true! leaving the front LCA intact saves alot of troubles but you have to take care while burning because the black smokes are lethal lol. The BC amber arms are nice complement to set up the cambers on the car, it's currently set on Front -1.5 and Rear -1.3 for fast roads and track days :twisted:

On the side note... DIY FTW :xcheers:

How does the car feel now
The ride seems to be a little more harsher than before especially in the Scottish choppy roads around where i live, but i think it really tighten up the cornering ability, it feels so sharp and positive during high speed corners.
 

dave h-b

Active Member
Messages
65
The ride seems to be a little more harsher than before especially in the Scottish choppy roads around where i live, but i think it really tighten up the cornering ability, it feels so sharp and positive during high speed corners.
Yeah i would 2nd that, the ride is definately harsher on the crappy roads, but the added enjoyment you get in the corners far outweighs the rattled bones :green:
 

Stoo

Whining.....
Messages
3,201
I did the front LCAs last week.

Tightens up the front no end.
A little twitchy over bumpy roads, but the FRSU added to new bushes causes this...
 

Vindots

Advanced Member
Messages
294
i installed mine.. result is a stiffer front end and outperforms the rear end significantly.. my spring rate is 5kg f and 8kg r but the front feels like it has 15kg spring on!
 

Gareth88

Advanced Member
Messages
221
Has anyone ever used the "caster increase" front bushes? Not sure if its worth paying the extra and getting these instead of the standard polly?
 

hondamad2204

Advanced Member
Messages
3,832
I'm about to use this guide to install my front LCA HardRace hardened rubber bushes over the next week. I was wondering if anyone has installed them before rather, than the poly ones in this thread.??

Also, will copper grease be sufficient to do the job? Just making sure really if there is anything else to watch for with putting them in before I get started.

(I will be getting a Geo done again after install before anyone picks up on it. lol Changing springs at the same time so It will already be in bits)
 
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