here's what happened on Tuesday then....
started off like this, looking pretty worn and perished
![](http://i147.photobucket.com/albums/r309/Danuk100/18t%20conversion/2012-08-21133837.jpg)
dropped the beam
![](http://i147.photobucket.com/albums/r309/Danuk100/18t%20conversion/2012-08-21135053.jpg)
decided to drill the rubber through rather than burn it out and it came out quite easy, drilled through in 4 or 5 different places then prised the middle out with a screw driver
![](http://i147.photobucket.com/albums/r309/Danuk100/18t%20conversion/2012-08-21140736.jpg)
![](http://i147.photobucket.com/albums/r309/Danuk100/18t%20conversion/2012-08-21140959.jpg)
Now comes the fun part. Getting the metal sleeve out is a royal pain in the arse an took the best part of 2 hours of hammering chiseling cutting and lots and lots of swearing!
The other side I did the day before came out a lot easier than this side but was still a big job
Started by cutting a groove in the sleeve then chiseling along the cut about halfway and finishing off with a hammer. This is what I did to get the driver side one out no problem, took around 35-40 minuites. Passenger side was a different story! the sleeve had somehow for lack of technical terms expanded in the beam so I couldn't cut it without also cutting the beam. I didnt know this which is why it took so long to get it out. I cut as much as I could then when chiseling along the cut failed to show any results I resorted to brute force
![evil :evil:](https://www.golfgtiforum.co.uk/Smileys/modern/evil.gif.pagespeed.ce.Okxx8RMvBG.gif)
This is how it looke with a lip hammered into it before cutting
![](http://i147.photobucket.com/albums/r309/Danuk100/18t%20conversion/2012-08-21141206.jpg)
After a good hour of smashing it with a hammer it finally came out and I was left with this nice hole and a pile of scrap metal and perished rubber
![](http://i147.photobucket.com/albums/r309/Danuk100/18t%20conversion/2012-08-21160210.jpg)
![](http://i147.photobucket.com/albums/r309/Danuk100/18t%20conversion/2012-08-21140952.jpg)
Putting the new ones in was surprisingly easy with the tool, I just had to use various sockets so the tool sat flush against the bush and the pressure was applied to the metal case rather than the rubber when I tightened it up. Also on the last part I had to add 2 sockets to the other side as the thread on the tool runs out before the bush is all the way in.
![](http://i147.photobucket.com/albums/r309/Danuk100/18t%20conversion/2012-08-21162520.jpg)
![](http://i147.photobucket.com/albums/r309/Danuk100/18t%20conversion/2012-08-21163347.jpg)
and thats it! no pics of the finished product as I was running late for work, but its pretty simple stuff just jack the beam back into place and f**k about with it until the bolt holes line up
I now have a non squeaking rear beam
![cool :cool:](https://www.golfgtiforum.co.uk/Smileys/modern/cool.gif.pagespeed.ce.P1E-cP-Vxt.gif)