i am installing energy suspension front bushing set and have everything ready to go by all appearance.. but i cant reinstall my front control arms. the rear pivot bushing doesnt seem to be in the right place. there looks to be near a quarter inch offset between the bracket that holds the bushing and the bolt holes that hold the bracket to the car. i have pressed the bushings on as far as they appear to want to go, but there is still 1-2 mm gap between the collar on the control arm an the bushing (which isnt gonna allow them to mount anyway, even if i get em snug). i have since cut a channel out of the bushing to ensure the barbs on the control arm are seated properly and as far as i can tell they are just as they should be.

so my questions are..
has anyone had similar problem?
are s4 an s5 control arms different?

i have called energy suspension and confirmed i have the correct part #'s. i have searched a couple different forums this one included. i have tried to squish the bushing on using a vice with no success, most posts i have seen indicate many just push this one on by hand. im fresh outta clues an down one daily driver. anyone got a picture of a properly mounted one from the back so i can see how much of the shaft sticks out of the bushing?

 

18 looks n not so much as a flaming??

 

These are probably mis-packaged.
I have a set installed and they mount as you would expect.
I will try and remember to grab a pic for you when I get home.
As the arms have not been installed on the car yet.

 

that would be fantastic man. as i said ive cut one all to hell and am waiting for replacements so i have about 4 days wait. im startin to wonder if the lack of response has to do with it being a stupid question that isnt even worth flaming, or its actually something that hasnt happened all to often.

 

Sorry for the delay. But here you go.

 

you rule man, much appreciated. unfortunately everything looks exactly like yours, however i cant get the shackle to mate up under the car on either side. if at all possible throw me an update on how the re-install goes for ya an if theres any tricks u use.

once again thanks for takin the time, long live the triangle

 

well new bushings should be here tomorrow so ill give this a bump on the off chance someone might have some kind of insight. i cant see where i did anything wrong installing them, and cant find anyone else that has had the same problem.

 

and here i wait still for bushings.. the good people at USPS kindly lost them for me so i would have extra time to research i guess. thier generousity is unmatched.

thought id take one last crack at this in hopes someone has had a similar issue and can lend some insight.

 

well i am completely lost.. i got new control arm bushings today.. installed and.. same result.

i have gone so far as to put a jack under the bracket an actually lifted the car off its stands tryin to mash that bushing down so that the bracket sits flush with no success.. and i can still only come to whitihn a 16th of an inch of mating either sides bolts.

so i present a new question.. is it at all possible i have control arms of a different model? is it possible i previously had bushings and brackets off another model?

one thing i noticed is even after squishing the bushing between the car and a jack i still couldnt get the bushing to sit properly in the bracket (it sticks up about 1/8th inch maybe a lil more) so if u were to set the whole deal down flat with the flat side of the bushing on the floor the bracket would "hover" off the floor 1/8th inch a side.

the car is a 87 N/A and as i understand it all fc's have the same shape control arms aside from the replaceable ball joints on the S4, someone please help me out here. i love this car an seein it in a permanent wheelie on jackstands is breakin my heart. i even went so far as to buy a FB to scoot around in till i fix it, but i miss my FC horribly.