Okay so it'll looks like I did it right, then. Strange it's so tight on mine. I'll give it some time and see if it loosens up with use. Worst case is I put the new linkage set in and run it for another 33 years lol.
Eeh, perhaps. Knowing Joey's attention to detail and the success rate of the bushings he's sold, I suspect I may have just gotten a wonky one. It happens, and for such an inexpensive part I'm not worried. Certainly won't keep me from ordering more stuff from him in the future. My fire extinguisher mount, mirror mount and glove box are absolutely top notch.
My hope was that if I had done something wrong on installation I could detail it here so others could avoid the same mistake.
For my FJ62, the original motor pivot bushing was a 2 part assembly. The bushing part and a lock ring. There was a company in AU that was making the 2 part assy. I think they stopped making bushing and sell the complete linkage assy now.
I bought the WitsEnd version. Noted the install issues, and the possibility of the bushing popping out. Was curious to see if the pressure of the pivot ball would hold the bushing in place. In the end I did not want to have it fail when needed, so I also made a holding bracket. While not pretty, it holds the bushing nicely.
These wiper bushing clips are available. Wish I had pushed the search engine a little harder. Before I made my own holder.
In most cases, this SS clip will hold your existing bushing in place; if the failure was the lock ring separating from the wiper bushing.