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I want to get some new bushes pressed into the fork and lower engine mount, but I don't want to take the driveshaft out of the diff if I can avoid it (damaged a new seal last time I fitted new shafts, want to avoid this, plus refilling the gearbox). Is it possible to unbolt the mount + fork, separate them and somehow slide them off the hub end of the shaft if I take the hub off?

All right everybody? I had a few advisories on the 206cc last year so I’m getting them sorted this week. Up front I need to replace the springs and inner tie rods; all was going swimmingly until I came to the driver’s side lower ball joint. I only have the cup type separator which requires plenty of clearance above the ball joint to drive the pin through from the top but on the 206cc the drive shaft is still in place and there’s not enough movement on the driveshaft to push it through the hub with the steering knuckle in situ’ so I can't use the cup type separator. Likewise, there’s not enough clearance to remove the damper/strut without having first split the lower ball joint. So, the lower joint must come apart first but I just cannot get the damn thing fully separated. On the 205, I undid the pinch bolt and with a large spanner being used as a lever and a bit of hammering the lower arm came away from the steering knuckle, but on the 206cc, although it moves very freely to about half way out, it either gets stuck or I run out of droop on the lower arm and the lever I’m using just starts to bend. I’ve tried jacking the brake disc up to give me more downward travel on the lower arm but this seems to make the joint bind and I can’t get it to move at all. I’ve also hammered a wedge between the two ‘ears’ where the pinch bolt clamps to make sure these are spread but to no avail. I thought about buying a scissor type separator but it looks as though they just ‘crack’ the initial seal and are more suited to ball joints that have a nut on the top rather than a pinch bolt. Also, mine is already lose I just can’t get the lower arm far enough down to completely separate the joint. Here’s some pic’s showing how far it will move, first with a screwdriver and then with a large spanner. As you can see it’s really important that I get this done as I’ve discovered the driveshaft boot clip has snapped (and grease is everywhere!) so not only have I got to separate the lower arm in order to get the strut out I also need to pay some attention to the driveshaft and boot too! I guess my next option could be to try a fork type separator but I thought, before I spend out, I'd be best to ask here as I’m sure any suggestions will be helpful. Thanks all. Ian. ps. - I haven't looked at the passenger side yet as I'm doing a side at a time so I have a reference.

So I have a project car going strong, and have hit a bit of a technical hitch. I knew it was coming but delayed addressing it anyway There is lots of info on here (and very good stuff too) about suspension when lowering 205s and how to avoid excessive negative camber, but what to do if you've done the stupid thing and raised it so have massive positive camber... Note I've lifted it by fitting 405 diesel struts/springs/shocks. Nothing else yet. The rear is fine obviously, but the front now needs a load more negative. I'm not sure that 309 arms would give enough - also my car is a non-GTI so has the TCA setup. Are the 309 lower track arms also ~10mm longer than the 205s or is that only the GTI wishbones? I'm not concerned too much about handling and addressing the finesse of bump and rebound as this isn't a track car or anything remotely similar. I just want it back to a neutral setup so it drives normally. Any thoughts on this other than the 309 arms? And will base 309 TCAs also be longer than 205 TCAs? Any help greatly appreciated, and apologies for not conforming to the 'lowered GTI' stance