So I was rotating my tires and I found that the Rear Vee Suspension Differential Mounts are torn on the passenger's side, so I'm replacing all four, on both sides. I am using the OEM CBC5737 parts, not the more common URO parts, or the less common Eurospare/Euromarque or Vollig brands. (Vollig isn't favored by the VW crowd)

Is there anything else I should prepare to do while I'm in there?

It seems like a pretty straightforward fix. I did a search and did learn to replace them one at a time, instead of removing all four at one time, because of the added complexity of lining all the holes up with none of the mounts in place.

Anything else I should do or know about?

Thanks.

 

Have a good pry bar, other than that a time of pushing the wrenches.

 

Nothing else much to do unless the cradle is being dropped.

I might consider changing the radius arm (whole arm as cost difference between that and bushings is small).

 

I changed all 4 of mine last weekend as 2 were broken. I dropped the whole thing down and didn't have any problem lining it up with a couple tapered punches. It was one of the easier jobs I have completed recently. I installed the URO brand. The mounting holes were slightly off and I swithed positions on a couple to make an easier fit but like I said not a big deal. If you change the broke ones first like I did. the procedure is to mount them on the carriage first then to the body. Otherwise you can't access the carriage mounting bolts. I did it backwards before realizing and had to remove thme and start over.

 

So I completed the swap. All four of them were torn...so it was a timely project.

This is what I learned.

1. The mounts look like they are symmetrical. They are not. Pay attention to the two upper bolts. One is shaped a bit different from the other. Install them the wrong way and the holes don't line up very well. Unfortunately they look close enough that you would try to force them to line up...as I did for about an hour. Eventually I tried flipping them, and voila!

2. You will need a 15mm and 1/2" socket and matching wrenches. Use the socket on the bolts you see, use the wrench to prevent the nut on the other side of the bolt from spinning as you turn the bolt head. You will want a socket extension too. I used 3/8" ratchets and an 8" wobble. I don't think a deep socket is necessarily useful here. I also recommend some anti seize, a rubber mallet and a crowbar.

3. The rear most mounts lined right up and were easy to install. The ones closer to the front were tougher. I needed a crowbar to force the era cage down to be able to squeeze the mount in. I used OEM mounts and they were pretty easy to line up. I needed a rubber mallet to tap the top 15mm bolts all the way through. you may need the crowbar to help.

4. There are three lower 1/2" bolts with nuts to remove, two upper 15mm bolts with nuts. The nuts are nylon locknuts. I reused mine, but I probably should have replaced them. I knew I wouldn't find nuts that matched the bolts, so i was lazy and reused them. If I regret it later, it won't be difficult to swap later. You can get to all of them without too much trouble if you're not looking to swap parts out...

5. You will need a jack to lift the axle to remove and replace the bolts, so plan on setting a jack at the lift point and having a jack free to adjust the axle.

6. To start, jack up the axle to remove the pressure from the mounts, then remove the top 15mm bolts. You'll need to disconnect both brackets, even if you're just replacing one of them. Remove all four 15mm bolts from the top, then you'll lower the jack to make the three 1/2" bolts accessible. Make sure you don't jack the axle back up and reconnect any 15mm bolts until both mounts have been addressed. It is impossible to replace one mount if the other is still connected. Once you've replaced the mounts, reconnected the lower 1/2" bolts, then jack the axle back up and line up the holes for the 15mm bolts.

I think that's it. Like I said, I used OEM parts, and everything seemed to line up pretty well. The front ones were consistently tougher to deal with than the rear ones. Definitely a DIY task.