Removal of #@$%ing rear pins & bushings.

[Mike]

Back in the day, (can't believe I just said that) I took a few pictures of my rear suspension project.

Removing the rear cross-member pins and bushings is the BIGGEST PAIN IN THE @#$ project ever attempted by a human.

What did I end up doing? I removed the left pin easily... no big deal. The right side was a problem child. It didn't want to obey and come out of it's resting place of (oh) 30 years. It was seized.

Many hours of pounding that pin (and contemplating if I should save the threads on the pin or not), I finally got it out. Pin was ruined.

The stock bushings don't come out. In fact, there is an inner metal sleeve as well as an OUTER metal sleeve. What does that mean? The mount point and the outer sleeve are METAL TO METAL contact. No way these puppies will just slide out.

So, I burned out the rubber..... NASTY NASTY NASTY. (I like the other version of NASTY much better) This is for the dogs and really doesn't get me goin.

After burning out the nasty rubber.... I tried to insert my new polyurethane bushing. Nope, wouldn't fit with that old sleeve in there.

How the HELL do I get it out? Chizel, screwdriver, lots of liquid wrench.... damnit. Nothing.

Aha, I'll saw it out with a hacksaw. Bad bad idea.... the hacksaw wasn't perfectly parallel with the bushing. I cut into the bushing mount point!!! Crap.

Do I really want to drive my Z with a possible weak spot? This, after all, is probably one of the most important structural points on the car. No way....

I went down and purchased new cross-bars with brand new bushings pre-installed and new pins.

Point? Don't bother replacing these unless you have the right tools and a LOT of patience. Even if you do get the pin out easily, you still need to get the old bushings out. This can be dangerous to your health if you do it wrong.

If your bushings are bad... just go get new cross-link bars and pins. They were around $100 each and the bushings were pre-installed.

They aren't poly, but, they are a lot better than the old stock. Take my advice.....

Now, if you have all the right tools and experience doing such a thing... go for it.

:cross-eye

[2ManyZs]

Back in the old days, (see, there are others who can say that) I was a diesel mechanic so I had a good start on a complete set of tools. Since that time, I have had a bit of a tool fetish, so now I have some tools that I have never used. But it sure beats not having them when you need them.

I did mine in one afternoon, both sides, that included disassembling the struts and control arms, sandblasting and painting and then re-assembling them. If you don't have the tools to do the job, you will be much further off sending them to a shop or a friend who does.

BTW a cheap air chisel is worth it's weight in gold for this job. You can usually buy one for less than 50 bucks with a couple different chisel attachments. If you don't have an air compressor or access to one you are up the proverbial "creek".

[XYZ]

I found a really good way to remove the bushing (front or back) quickly with simple tools and minimal heartache (once you get the control arm free of course). You need a propane torch like Mike's using, vicegrips, a drill with a 1" paddle bit, a hacksaw and screwdrivers and mallet.

1. Heat the rubber for a few minutes.

2. Attach the vicegrips to the metal bushing inner sleeve. As the rubber softens while being heated start to use the vicegrip as a fulcrum and you physically pull the inner sleeve right out of the rubber. The vicegrip may come free a few times and you'll mutilate the inner sleeve, but who cares (that is, so long as you

re not trying to reuse it)?

3. Take the drill and 1" paddle bit and drill out the rubber interior to expose the outer sleeve.

4. Slide the hacksaw blade through the sleeve and start cutting carefully and level until you get through to the control arm. Make two cuts like this about 3/8" apart. Use your mallet and screwdriver (flat tip) and knock out the 3/8" chunk of inner sleeve and then remove the rest with the mallet and screwdriver. Once the smaller piece is gone the rest is cake. Once you do it, it should only take about 20 mins. per sleeve.

5. lightly sand/clean up control arm with a piece of emerycloth or fine round file. Works pretty well.

I actually tried to use an air chisel on one control arm and just made a big mess and ended up doing the above procedure. I've never used and air chisel before so either I wasn't holding my mouth right or something.

BTW, you need a vice on a bench to hold the control arm still while doing this work it's a gazillion times easier than doing this on the floor.:classic:

pic 1 is stock bushing not yet removed. Then vicegrips to pull out inner sleeve. Drilling out rubber after sleeve removed. Outer sleeve cleaned up way beter than need be as at the time I thought I was done but then realized this outer sleeve still needed to be hacksawed out. Live and learn.

[mperdue]

I tried toasting the rubber too. I got rid of most of it but what was left was REALLY stuck to the metal. I ended up filing/sandblasting the rest off. Sandblasting didn't work very well though - I guess the sand sorta bounces off the rubber. But if you file it down close to the metal it works.

[XYZ]

When you heat up the inner sleeve, if you do it from below and to the inside of the sleeve itself it does a really good job of softening the rubber, which is what you want so you can lever the sleeve out with the vicegrips. After the inner sleeve is out, drilling with the paddle bid takes no time at all and the picture you see with the polished interior of the outer sleeve was with the drill bit. You can tip the bit sideways and clean the rubber right off.

I tried burning the rubber out too and the propane torch isn't really hot enough plus it takes a long time and smells really, really bad. The techinque I came up with is fast and there is a minimal burning of rubber so it doesn't gas you out.

The one other thing is to get rid of most of the rubber. The second time I did this procedure on my front control arms I didn't get rid of the rubber as well and it gummed up the teeth of my hachsaw.

[Zvoiture]

Hey guys...As a card-carrying member of the RSPBRC (Rear Spindle Pin Bushing Replacement Club), I can agree this is not fun. I just met a guy the other day who has several hundred of a tool he made in the 70's to remove these. He says he could sell them for maybe $30??? I have not tried them yet, but is anybody interested? Doesn't somebody else sell a tool for this? Maybe in Canada? Seems I saw one once online...

steve(the soot is still drifting down from the garage ceiling)77

[Zed]

This is just an idea. I haven’t tried it for this particular application,

but have used it on several similar situations.

Use a large C-Clamp.

Place an old bushing on one side between the C-Clamp and bushing. (a socket

of the same O/D as the bushing would be good substitute).

Then place a deep socket with a I/D larger than the O.D of the bushing and

with a smaller O/D as the control arm (in the area of the bushing) between

the C-Clamp and control arm.

Tighten the C-Clamp to start squeezing the bushing out.

Heating the control arm will help.

[jcdozier]

I, too, am a RSPBRC member (thanks Zvoiture). Having "been there and done that", I wish I could offer some suggestions, but my experience wasn't any different than the posts. Blowtorch, small hammer, hacksaw, larger hammer, cold chisel, even larger hammer - it takes 'em all to get the job done. Having done it, I no longer consider the rear spindle bushings Replacement Parts on my Z. If mine ever need replacing again, I will just replace the whole car.

[carguyinok]

Sitting back watching this. I cant help but wonder why has no one taken it too A shop with A bearing press ?

They could press out the old & press in the new before you could finish telling how you do it in your driveway.

[jcdozier]

Local shops here didn't have a press that the assembly would fit into. Not big enough for the whole cross member to fit into and not enough "offset" to get to just one bearing at a time. Perhaps I should have looked around some more for a shop with the right press.........

[Zvoiture]

I took mine to the local Midas. After explaining several times to several different individuals what I wanted AND CLEARLY STATING I DID NOT INTEND THEM TO DO IT FOR FREE, I was given the "We can't be liable" speech. Can't be responsible for damaging your arms, for damaging your new bushings, what if we get them out and the urethane ones in your hand don't fit? What if the assembly fails? And on and on. Lawyers have ruined the country.

I gave up and went home and did them myself. Now, in hindsight, it was probably a BIG mistake going to MIDAS. They are a pretty big franchise 'chain' store here--even though they advertize, "For all your suspension needs--including lowering and lifting". A smaller suspension shop would have most likely not had the 'corporate' mentality.

steve77

[carguyinok]

Lawyers have ruined the country.:disappoin

That's so true it isnt funny.

( it was probably a BIG mistake going to MIDAS.) Yah. But had you taken the whole car in and let you pay them too do the whole job you know thats how they would have done it.

Funny they are willing too take the (risk) If there able too milk the big money. But if you just need help or dont have a tool you better not even shadow there door.:disappoin