Ok, here goes. I'm working on the rear suspension of my 365 GT4. 1. I have the A arms off. How do I get the inboard bushings (metal rubber metal) out? I understand a press is needed but it looks like the arm can't be supported because the outside diameter of the bushing is just about as big as the diameter of the arm itself. 2. What size of pipe or socket did you use to install the new bushings, or did you have to fab up something? 3. I need to replace some of the outboard "pin" bushings. The ones on the top A arms look really good while the bushings on the bottom on both sides of the car need to be replaced. Where is a good place to get these bushings and also the large and small rubber dust shields? 4. I cleaned up the A arms but am not sure if I should paint them or not. In a perfect world I could take them apart and at least powder coat the steel parts but I should have done this over the winter and dont want to take the time now to do this. Any suggestions? If it's not clear enough what I'm describing I can post some pictures. Thanks! PS, shipped the shocks and load levelers off to Jeff LeBlond.
I'll help, from a distance. I hope I talked you into the poly substitution for the factory rubber bushings. There's so much rubber in these suspensions that 365/400's will never be called 'harsh' even after poly bushings are installed. Check your shock bushings while they are exposed. Also check your cv joints and look for excess play in the differential flange bushings. I think you need a selection of custom drifts and a big-ass press to get the bushings out and in without damage. Not worth the time in my opinion. David at Ferrari Service of Bedford has a great solution for the pin bushings where he has some of the parts machined as pairs and also uses oe teflon coated parts. Its a great fit and cheaper than oe which are NOT likely to fit without major fiddling. I used redline synth grease on the pin bushing assembly's and the goopy stuff on the poly bushings. A quick cosmetic fix would be to degerease the arms and use a spray can of rustoleum or VHT in a silver/aluminum color. The original finish is a translucent straw yellow (take a look through the Dino pages to see obsessions over oe finishes) but I think your goal is to clean up the arms and protect from corrosion. I figure that when our cars are trading for $100k+ then I'll spring for a factory correct finish on my suspension arms... Did you see my simple shock mod to make the ride height adjustable?
