Author: Richard Stephens, 911SC technical Advisor

Changing the bushes on the rear ‘A’ arms certainly ranks towards the top of the horrible job’s list. There are two rear trailing arm bushes located either side of the gearbox. The picture below shows the position of the bush. They are often forgotten about because they are hidden away and still can be the original items fitted by Porsche on many 911s. They are a split bush in two half’s. Using new design polyurethane bushes mean they are a hand push fit for installation. The car will need to be jacked up at the rear. Make sure you use axle stands.



I have had to do this job on four Porsches in the last five years – 911SC, 911 C3, 911E and my 930 turbo. To aid this job there is a very useful tool made by Elephant Racing shown below. I think it is a must have tool. Design911 sell the tool if you want to order it from the UK.



I found that with this tool you have half a chance of getting the bush changed without removing the ‘A’ arm from the car which will add a lot of work to the task. 

The first job is to remove the nut and bolt. Then prize the trailing arm out from the support fixture cross member. As recommended by Elephant Racing put a piece of wood above the trailing arm for protection when you need to heat the unit. The metal inserts shown below can be prised out with a screw driver. A bit of heat helps get the rubber part out. 



The tricky part is the split metal inserts below. This is where the tool is invaluable. Follow the instructions closely and you should be able to hit the metal inserts out.



If you have problems hitting the inserts out then you may need to use a junior hacksaw to cut a groove to weaken them. One thing to watch out for is to not line the points on the tool with the inside hole on the alloy trailing arm. The tool and easily snag on this making it difficult to extract the metal inserts.



There are several polyurethane suspension bushes that can be used and they are a personal choice on how stiff you want the ride to feel. These are easily installed as they are a push fit. Put some of the grease paste supplied in the kit on them to stop any squeaking.



If you decide to use the original type bushes then you will need a tool to press them in. If you change all the bushes on the front and rear it may be best to get the wheel alignment checked as this will affect the geometry of your 911 for the better. I hope these thoughts help with this difficult job.