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Please help - bump stop install nightmare

1997 Views 3 Replies 4 Participants Last post by  davezila
This is going to sound silly, but for the life of me, I cannot get the bump stop installed on the upper control arm of my second gen. It's the type with the rubber nipple that just pushes/pulls through. It will not go for for love or money. I have tried dawn, cooking grease, oil, freezing the bushing, using a screw driver to pry it down - nothing. The nipple just deforms and flattens in the slot. Putting a vise grip on it and pulling has only managed to tear the bushing.

Does anyone have any ideas? This seemingly simple task has me at wits end. I'm about this close to giving up and using this as an excuse to buy fancy tubular control arms! Seriously - what's the secret I'm missing?

Any help appreciated. Thanks!

Mike
1 - 4 of 4 Posts
Some of the new uca bump stops are a real pita to install. The PST's are, I know.

Sounds like youve already tried lube, twist, push, pull. Sometimes that works, sometimes not.

If they are real difficult, sometimes I will decrease the diameter of the nipple by giving them a quick and slight turn on the grinding wheel. It doesnt take much, and wont be very noticeable after installation.
I'm not sure about the second gen, but on the first I just spray a little silicone lube on them, hold them in place with water pump pliers, and release the jack holding the spindle up. They pop in every time.
Also a good trick is to put a string around the bumper in the indention. Thread the string thru the hole then start to work the bumper in. You can now pull on the string to work the lip of the rubber thru the hole.

Windshield installers use this trick all the time to work the glass rubber around the frame. A little dish soap may help too.
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