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The lower arm bushes on my Mk3 S were shot. Well at least the bits I could see were. Oil contamination etc done them no favours.

So I ordered a set of poly bushes from Minispares. All came apart OK. A bit of a faff to wiggle it all out and in but it went together OK. The wobbly pins on my car have a D flange that lines up with a welded on tag to create a “D” shaped hole. The D however is machined into the whole end boss.

For some reason the flange has not pulled up tight against the subframe. I think there was a minor gap before. I checked the metal sleeves on the old ones and they are the same O/D and length. The buses are all OK in the arms. I’ve noticed that the new pins do not have a flange. Just a machined flat.

http://www.minispares.com/product/Class ... lassic/pin lower.aspx|Back to search

On that basis does it matter if the lip/flange on the original pins are not tight up against the subframe? Or shall I get new pins? It seems Rover did away with the flange pin as all the D part needs to do is locate in the subframe and sit there.. I can’t see the old pin turning as the flat in the D part of the boss is located correctly. But a bit proud.

the original pin did not have the extra flange. It seems to have been fitted to counter the pin or subframe bending and the D pulling through the subframe. the flange is not the decideding factor on where the pin sits, but the shoulder on the pin through the bushes where it goes through the rear of the subframe.

So as the pin has butted up against the subrame on the shoulder behind the nut the apparant gap under the flange is of no consequence?

(seeing as the earlier/Minispares pin has no flange...)

Just as an aside,

for performance applications I like to use an A+ head nut on that wobble pin with a dab of locktite.