Isolastic tool

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Oct 2, 2006
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I'll soon be reassembling my Isolastics, and the manual mentions a factory tool for compressing the front bushings into their housing. Old Britts wants $70.00 for theirs. I hate to sound cheap (because I am), but this sounds like a lot for a tool I'll probably only use once. Is there a way around it?
 
These rubbers are quite soft and provided you have a clean rustfree tube and coat the tube inside and rubbers with rubber grease they can easily be squeezed into place with thumbs. Brake rubber grease is ideal and over here it's a red colour (good old Lucas-Girling as was).
For position it depends which you have, Mk3 vernier or the old style loose rubbers and buffers. For Mk3 you press them in until you have an even gap end to end from the rubber to the tube end face. It's about 3/8" on my vernier conversion but may be slightly different on the proper Mk3.
On the loose shimmed components I recall the figure is 1/8" to the end face. Fit one end to this dimension, add the assembled buffers and tube and press in the other end until it touches the buffer tube. If you used plenty of grease you can fiddle with them until the end gaps are even.
For both types make sure they go in square to start (Mk3 squares itself once the first one is in). You have to press on the threaded tube for the Mk3 type. On the shimmed type I use a large dia tube to press on the rubber itself.
 
Re-built the front several times and never needed the the tool as always use plenty of Silicon Grease which does not affect rubber.
 
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