Adjustable Length Control Arm for Model S Rear Suspension
I purchased an upper control arm link for the rear suspension from Tesla
($220). The bushings are installed with an impressive press fit so it took
some custom tooling to properly remove them and be able to reinstall them in new
arms. The tooling consisted of a press that centered on the bushing's
inner sleeve and a cylinder to properly support the arm while pressing and to
receive the bushing as it was pressed out.
A solid eccentric bushing was made to put in place of the stock bushing.
It was slightly undersized so that it would rotate in the suspension arm (the
length adjustment) and a set screw was added to hold it from rotating with
reassembled. I removed the stock link, measured the center to center
dimension, added the required length to make my target camber, adjusted the new
link for this dimension and installed the new link. I took care not to
tighten the bolt on the adjustable bushing end as there was no compliance (no
rubber).
Pictures of all the bits are below.
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Press, Bushing and Sleeve |
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Set up for Bushing Removal |
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