After an awful lot of effort trying to get one bush in, I resorted to a persuading device. Unfortunately this damages the alloy core and wasted a bush. So I admitted defeat, bought a replacement and popped to my local garage. It took them less than 15 minutes! So there's a top tip...
Next step was to remove the old subframe. With the help of a tame race mechanic, the result is below!
The right side came down okay, the left not so, so we took off the trailing arm and really went to town on it. Part of the alloy bush insert ripped off in the process, but we sorted that.These things do corrode to the body after 20 years.
The rear of the car looks a bit weird now. The only troubles we had was one backing plate bolt decided to be circular inside instead of hex, so I had to drill it out. Fortunately the plate spins vertically after persuasion allowing room for the subframe to slip past. Another drama:
The T section of the rear brakes used to have a small connecting pipe that sharply bent towards the flexible subframe hose. Unfortunately whatever ham fisted mechanic had "replaced" this section had bent the pipe so much it's probable that the car had very limited rear brakes. So a new one is being made up before the subframe can go back on.
Slightly annoyingly, the subframe that is ready to go back on, is from a touring which as it turns out, doesn't have an exhaust mounting bracket like mine. But nothing that can't be fixed... oh and heat guns - my saying of that day - are very much under rated! Not quite as good as oxy torches, but still pretty awesome at persuading bolts off.