A-arm bushings removal

[fullahotair]

anyone have any advice on the removal/installation of the A-arm bushings?

Thanks!
Nathyn

 

[ATS666]

burn the rubber out

press the shell out or hack saw the shell abit so u can hammer it out.

 

[PigGuy]

My suggestion is long. It took me several days. I called multiple places, nobody would touch them, they were all afraid of bending the arm.
First, glue pieces of wood as thick as the space between the sheetmetal. Then, cut a semi-circle the size of the bushing. put that in between the sheet metal so it won't let the arm bend.
Then, get a long, 1/2" bolt. Get a piece of plate steel 1/4" thick. Drill a 1/2" hole in it, then get a piece of wood, drill a hole in it the size of the largest part of the bushing, put that over one end, and the steel peice over that. Then, get washers, grind them to the size of the bushing side you need to push out. use a big socket or something round, metal and about the size of the bushing. Use that to keep the washer from bending. Use the bolt to pull the weird washer stuff and round thing towards the bushing, and it should pull the bushing out towards the piece of wood with the plate steel.
Then, when you tighten it to the point when you think it's about to break... get a BFH. Whack the end of the bolt with the round cylinder and washer stuff HARD. Do that a few times, and tighten it again, until you think it's about to break the bolt. Whack it again, and it should move even more, and keep doing that until it's done, it should take a couple cycles of tightening the bolt with all the other contraptions, and whacking on the end of it.
To put the new ones in, freeze them awhile, then, pop them into the thingy, and put them in with the sheetmetal stuff, the pounding works the best with installing the new ones, rather than taking out the old ones.
Just make sure you have the piece of wood with the semi-circle cut in it. That will keep the control arm from bending inwards.

I know what I said was all confusing, but "if you build it, [it] will come"... out.
I don't know if it's just me, but I had a hell of a time getting those things out, and my car isn't even rusty! Don't count on pushing it out by the rubber, when I tried that, it just popped the rubber right out of the bushing.

BTW: I only did my lower control arms, I replaced my uppers when I did the B-body brakes.

 

[ATS666]

ppl where afraid to touch the control arms? damn never heard of that but then again I dont goto shops that I am not confidant in the mechanics work.

I have found u are more likely to bend the bushing lip then the control arm.


Just goto a suspension shop and they will do it for ya.

once ya got the old ones out its really quick for a shop to press some new ones in.

 

[GN ERGY]

Go rent the tool from auto zone and do them yourself. You will need a good size hammer cause once you torque the tool down you have to give it a smack with the hammer to get the old bushings out and install the new ones the same way.
Tarey D.

 

[fullahotair]

Thanks guys,

I called a local shop and they never called me back, but thats alright, I would much rather do it myself, cuz i know some of the monkeys that work in these shops and i wouldn't want trust them to change a tire..

I'll give autozone a visit and see if they have the tool to remove the bushings.

Pig Guy, thanks for your info, if the tool from autozone doesn't work, i'll give your method a shot...


Thanks,
Nathyn

 

[fullahotair]

Well, i just called autozone, and they told me they don't have/rent that tool....


the search continues...


Nathyn

 

[Spdrcer34]

I called a few shops, and drove around to a few....

One national 'chain' told me they didn't do that, and they farmed out that type of work, I pointed at the 25T press behind him, he got an attitude, and said 'WE DON'T DO THAT'...I left.


I went home, and called around.

I found that the 'fabrication', and 4x4 shops are actually the nicest when it comes to this type of work. The hardcore 4x4 guys are ALWAYS breaking suspension pieces......the shops that cater to them are more than happy to help you.

Good luck.

FYI, I paid $40.00 for 3 to be pressed out, and 1 to be torched out.

Ryan

 

[fullahotair]

Yeah i eventually found a shop to do it. It was called TransAxle. I they think deal mostly with commercial trucks and such, but they did my A-arms. It cost me about 60 bucks to get all four pressed out and the new 4 pressed in.


Nathyn