NO LUBRICATION should be used to 'help' the bushings move into place or else it will cause problems later. If the holes in the control arm are cleaned up with a light sanding, it can help.

After installation of the bushings, the control arm assembly should be reinstalled on the car, including cover washers and bolts, but only TIGHTENED enough to assure that it will stay in place on the car.
The car should be let down off the jack and allowed to settle on the ground before torqueing the bolts to the inners. If the assembly is torqued tight BEFORE allowing the car to settle, the rubber in the bushings will be clamped in place, in the extreme "down travel" of the suspension. When the car is let off the jack, it will twist the rubber close to it's extreme 'up travel' while it's only sitting level. The first time it's driven over a bump, it will TEAR the rubber bushings, as it will now be stretched beyond its elastic limit and your efforts will be wasted.

The steel sleeve and rubber bushings are NOT supposed to be lubricated.

You may rub some pure silicone grease on the rubber to protect it, but petroleum products will deteriorate rubber.

The following other materials are available which replace the rubber in the bushings.

PolyUrethane - getting fairly common / adds stiffness / should be lubricated
PolyGraphite - fairly rare, but a good choice / adds stiffness / self lubricating
Delrin - more rigid than Poly and usually have grease fittings installed
All the replacement bushings are significantly more stiff than the original rubber. While you will enjoy not having to replace them ever again, they will add to ride harshness and cause rattles to develop or augment existing ones.
You should consider renovating the suspension entirely when changing to these types.

----------------------- Comments from the web regarding plastic bushings on a repaired frame ----------------------- As one of the other guys mentioned, using the Delrin suspension bushings..... If it were my car I wouldn't do it! On an unbroken frame yes, not your's. You have a frame that has broken/cracked in several places. Someone has welded all the cracks. Not insinuating they did a good job or a bad one but with a bunch of weld and a "hard" suspension you have increased greatly the possibility of recracking/rebreaking the frame. The hard bushings eliminate a "lot" of unwanted suspension movement, e.g., when the tire hits a pot hole/curb/etc., "all" that fore and aft energy is going to be transfered back into the frame. Where as, rubber bushings will absorb a "lot" of that energy before it gets back into the frame. Just something to think about from my 2 cent jar. ocr1@earthlink.com (Mike@ocr) ----------------- Delrin, urethane, or steel pivot-bushings will NOT make the car ride rougher, or the spring rate higher. They will pivot exactly the same as always, and the springs will have the same rate. What you are probably thnking of is the NOISE transmission of hard bushings versus soft bushings. Before you write off the hard plastic bushings, remember that 48 49 and 1050 Studes were all made with STEEL bushings in the suspension. The famous R3 suspension put on many Larks and such were using the 1950 STEEL bushings and other components. I have had them in my Hawk for decades, and I still think my GT Hawk travelling trailer towing family car with a backseat full of kiddie car seats rides very well even for very long car rides... I am well aware that rubber transmits noise a lot less than solid metal bushings, but I haven't been able to tell much if any noticable dfference in road noise. I know for CERTAIN that it doesn't make a harsher ride. DJLevesque@webtv.net (David Levesque) ---------------- Go by the shop manual for the disassembly of the front end. You should be able to have the front end apart in under an hour and a half. Support under the frame behind the rear engine crossmember Drop the sway bar and remove the shocks and disconnect the tie rod Put a floor jack under the outer end of the lower control arm with the handle pointed to come out under the center pivot for the steering and then remove the two bolts holding the inner end of the upper control arm to the frame. Use a socket on top and a box end on the bottom with a piece of masking tape over one end of it so the nuts and washers don't fall into the frame. Swing the upper arm up and out and then SLOWLY lower the floor jack until the lower arm is all the way down and the spring is relaxed. Then, remove the four bolts holding the lower control to the frame and you will have the enitre assembly in your hands! Once it is out, you will be able to tell if there is play in the outer pins and will be able to check the king pins as well. IF you do have to remove and reinstall them, be sure you have the spreader on hand! Otherwise, you WILL damage the control arms when you reassemble. daytona62@comcast.net (Lee) Aug 2003 >