Lower control arm bushing help??

[jdpolzin]

Hey guy, just a quick question for ya. My right front control arm bolt has fused together with the bushing and I cant get it out. I have heated it up and everything. When I turn the bolt, the rubber inside the bushing turns as well. I tried to cut the bolt with a sawzall but it just eats the blades and doesnt cut the bolt. Now my question is, can I cut the bushings out between the control arm? Or is the control arm sleeved for the bushing?? It loks to me by the new bushings that they come with it's own sleeve. And the control arm looks to have flanges on each side. Have any of you popped your bushngs out? Is is safe to cut it or will I be cutting the control arm? By looking at the control arm that I got out already, it looks like i should be able to cut it. Just want to double check! Thanks! -----Jeremy

 

[T Spool]

Jeremy,

The control arm is not sleeved around the bushing so you can cut the bushing without cutting the control arm. However, you're going to have a hard time getting the two halves out because the bushings are pressed in. The control arm is like a C channel in that area and if you start pounding on the bushings you're going to bend the flanges and then you will have a hard time pressing the new bushings in. Did you try using an impact wrench on the bolt while holding the nut with a wrench? I would think that would break it free from the bushing sleeve. Maybe you're installing tubular lowers and don't care if you bash up the stock lowers? I took my stock lowers to a shop and had them press out the old bushings & balljoints and press in new bushings and balljoints. Well worth $60 to not have to deal with it myself :biggrin:

 

[jdpolzin]

Yeah I am actually planning on using this stock arms. I have tried impacts and pretty much everything! The nut is off the bolt, which was pretty easy! The problem is the bolt and the bushing have become one with each other! The bushings is turning inside the metal sleeve. The only thing I can think of is using a cutting wheel and trying the cut the bolt in the middle of the bushing to release it. I would cut it between the control arm and the frame but theres no way to get a cutting wheel in there.

 

[Turbo Loyd]

Cut the side of the bolt with the head off through the little bit of rubber you see on the bushing. I tried to cut as far from the car frame as possible. I did this to prevent damaging the mounting point on the car. I used sawzall blades with the ceramic cutting medium, that covers the leading edge. Blades with teeth will not last long cutting that hardened bolt. Just make sure you find the sawzall blades that are for thick metal not sheet metal work. If you have a head porting kit you could remove the head of the bolt with the rotary file.

When the head of the bolt is cut off, use the nut on the threads with washers and spacers between the nut and the mounting point, to pull the bolt out of the bushing. As you pull the bolt out, you will have to back off the nut to add additional spacers when you run out of thread. It will fight you all the way out. Unfortunately I went through this hassle on both sides last year.

 

[DR BOOST]

when all else fails i reach for the air chisel. Mr. Bonecutters method is probably the correct method, but my limited patience and degree in hackology would have me heading for the torch or airchisel first.