Re: Removing A-arm bushings.

[Burl Vibert <bvibert@mercury.kosone.com>]

>
>From: Bryan Gunn <bgunn@voicetek.com>
>
>>Was there ever a consensus reached on the best way to press out/in A-arm
>>bushings using common household items? These are 4000q/ur-q style bushings,
>>if it matters.
>
>I'm late reading my digests, so this may have been answered already, 
> but here is my solution.
>
>Press out as much of the old bushing as you can.  If it is rotten, it 
> should all practically fall out except for the outer metal shell.  If 
> it is not rotten, then wou will probably have to hacksaw out the 
> rubber inner parts.


>
>Using a hacksaw, cut through as much of the bushing outer shell as you 
> dare (probably about half way through).  Take great care not to go all 
> the way through and cut into the A-arm.  Using a hammer and punch, 
> fold in the shell (it should cut along the seam that you just 
> hacksawed) from both ends.  After a while, it should be easy to press 
> out the remains of the shell using a long bolt and nut, some washers 
> and some large sockets/pieces of pipe.
>
>All this takes some time, but does work.  The thing that I found 
> difficult, was pressing in the new bushings.  I slightly bent a 
> one-ton vice doing this!
>
>Good luck!
>
>Paul
>paul.heneghan@bbc.co.uk

I had a difficult time pressing in some polyurethane bushings I made for my
83 Coupe. The poly would expand above the hole and not move.  I was at the
point where the A-arm was going to bend if I pulled much harder on the arbor
press.
Then I decided to follow Murphy's 14th law of auto-repair and whacked it
with a big hammer :-) and it went in with about 10 hits. (soft faced hammer
of course)
I don't know if this will work with rubber bushings, I've never tried it.

I've heard that you can burn out the old rubber with a propane torch but
I've been wary of hardening the steel, any metalurgists care to comment?

My method of removing bushings involves a drill press and is kind of scary.



Burl Vibert
87 5KCSTQ
83 Coupe
gotta put the toys away soon:-(

PS, the last autocross of the season in Ottawa is this Sunday, we could
clean up if it snows. E-mail me direct for more info.