Todays progress

A case for and against cheep tools

This afternoon I removed the rubber bushings from some of my suspension components.

I used cheep tools from Harbor Freight. I have had a 6 ton shop press for years, So earlier in the week I popped over to Harbor Freight and picked up a bushing/bearing driver kit and a few things that were on sale (a cotterpin assortment, a metric grease fitting assortment, a couple of flourescent lights, and some other odds and ends).

I looked at what I had, and realized none of the drivers in the bearing driver kit were large enough to handle the bushings in the Mustache bar, I checked a few of my sockets, but I had loaned out my large ones. Then I thought all you need to do is punch a hole in this bushing. i had picked up a $2.50 9pc hole saw kit, and sure enough, the 1&3/4 40mm blade was a good fit. I placed it teeth down on the bushing and placed a 2" pipe nipple under the bushing and pressed most of the rubber out with ease, withing 5 minutes, both sides were finished. I took the bar outside, and poured a little MEK on the remaining rubber, and left it to work.

Next, I removed the bushings from the front suspension arms in two parts

First I pressed out the inner sleeve that the bolt goes through. I just used a 2" pipe nipple at the base of a 6 ton Shop Press and used the ram of the press to push out both center sleeves.

Then I used the 1&3/16" x 1&5/16" bearing bushing driver insert (it actually is stepped and the smaller step fits into the outer sleeve while the larger step come just to the outside of the larger sleeve) between the ram and the bushing collar-it pressed the first one right out. The second one was not moving. As I added more pressure, I started to hear things snapping, so I stopped, backet off the pressure, and found the frame of the press had succumbed to the pressure-I have had this press 10 years, and abused it well beyond what i expected for the $60 I paid for it, so I was going to go down to Harbor Freight and get a better one-I found a 12 Ton on sale for $80-but a phone call to the local store revealed that they did not stock that one. So I had one side that was complete and one side that was related to a typical spindle pin. I tried the three pieces in the vice and squeezing, but no dice. This was not going to beat me!

Then I put som PBBlaster on the sleeve, placed the 2" pipe nipple on a 1/4" steel plate, put the bottom of the bushing inside it, and took the bearing driver insert, mounted it on its drift, and wailed on ity with a 3# hammer. Ten minutes later, the sleeve was out.

Other than the $60 press, I used a blade out of a$4.99($2.50 on sale) hole saw kit, a driver out of a $9.99($5.99 on sale)Bushing/Bearing kit, a pipe fitting, and $6.99($3.99 on sale) hammer.

I know I could not have beat the hole saw through the rubber, but after securing the mustache bar in the vice, I probably could have used a drill with the hole saw and cut it out. Beating out the other suspension arm bushing would not have been very hard.

Will

Great Will, not bad for a days work.

I have one question..What exactly dose this do? I mean is it worth the trouble? If a car already drives would this need to be done?

Excuse me im stoopid

Bill,

Replacing the 30 year old bushings makes the car handle better, The bushings deteriorate through time, and really were not all that firm to begin with. using urethane throughout the bushings will take a great deal of the compliance out of the suspension and allow the components to react sooner rather than later, meaning the transient responce will improve, and the feel of the car will be considerably "tighter!"

I am using adjustable bushings to allow for more allignment adjustability so that hopefully I have more adjustment to "dial in" the car.

Will

Oh cool. Ill have to look into that when i can afford it...How much do the urethane bushins cost? Me car needs help in the deptment it gets realy shaky at times

I bought the Energy suspensions set off Ebay for about 135 with shipping-it has every bushing in the suspension.

I also bought the adjustable pieces that go at the spindle pin and the front that is pictured in my first post in this thread-they came from VB, and do the "wrenches" must be ordered as well

Will

Man i got to find a job....

Will:

Now that your press is dead, what are you going to do to press out spindle pins and such?

FWIW, before the Spindle Pin Tool was arround, I spent a full day pounding out the first set, before I gave up and took the second set to the machine shop. My machinist had to use his 30 ton press (and a torch) to get my spindle pins out of the second set of A-Arms.

I pulled the pins when I wrote the other thread- they are out!

I have accumulated all of the parts for a puller-but until I need to pull another one, I will wait to put it together.

Today I will be out by Harbor Freight so I will see what kind of press the store has in stock-they have things that aren't in the catalog, and they don't stock everything in the catalog.

This afternoon I will do the final sandblasting of the suspension components, and prep them for paint.

Will

Will

I expect this Z to be at MSA Will. No ifs, ands or buts Seriously, you sound like you're making good progress :classic:

Z ya on the I-10

Vicky

As I added more pressure, I started to hear things snapping, so I stopped, backet off the pressure, and found the frame of the press had succumbed to the pressure...

Will, I've been there before, especially with tools from Harbor Freight. Well, not really the tools, but more the equipment. I'm on my 2nd 6" vice and will be returning it for my 3rd! I don't have a press, so I use the vice for pushing out bushings. I broke the 2nd vice here about 2 weeks ago! :eek: Luckily, Harbor Freight has taken them back no questions asked. When they stop, I'll break down and get a good vice. Can't expect too much when I only paid $32 for it.

I also bought the adjustable pieces that go at the spindle pin and the front that is pictured in my first post in this thread-they came from VB, and do the "wrenches" must be ordered as well

I bought my own wrench for my front camber bushings instead of the one from VB. I use a 1-1/2" open end wrench cut down to 7" long. It was $7 at the local Northern Tools store. FWIW....

Good point,

These little stamped steel wrenches look like an invitation to bend steel!

I will take tem out to Harbor Freight when I go, and see what they have.

Will

When i get that far Will, Im bringing the car to you!