Rear Outer Control Arm Poly Bushings (Tricks?)

[240260280z]

Re-doing rear control arms. The outer bushings (Hyperflex) are ~ 2mm too thick. The hub assembly does not fit between them.

The last time I did this I had to sand the bushings. I did read after that some freeze the bushings before installation but 2mm seems like a lot of "shrinkage" (George?).

Anyway can anyone vouch for the freezing trick or is there something else that is easier?

[Darrel]

Get your scissor jack and spread the arms about an 1/8" or a little more. They will spring back but should be enough to slide the arm over the strut housing.

[MEZZZ]

I wish I would ahve tried that idea Darrel. I just took a palm sander and sanded them down until they fit. Wasnt crazy about doing that but had read a few other people doing the sanding them down also. That part was by far the worst one to deal with in the complete E/S kit.

[Darrel]

I sanded/beveled them down the first time too. Then i read in one of the forums about spreading the control arm out, using either a long bolt, all thread and a couple of washers, then thought about the scissors jack. Make sure to take out the bushings first so the jack is against metal, measure first, then spread it an 1/8" or a little more.

[Zed Head]

I used a couple of greased putty knives to get the front bushings in. One one each side, and press it in.

They weren't too big by 2 mm, but the concept should still work to give some leverage to compress the polyurethane. Drywall mud blades, putty knives, any thin flexible metal should work.

[240260280z]

Great! Thanks! Just what the doctor ordered!

I tried using a flat screwdriver like the putty knives but no luck. I'll try with the knives then fall back to scissor jack as back up.

Thanks all!

[70 Cam Guy]

I just hit the strut housings with the flapper wheel on my grinder until they slid on. I did each side even and haven't had any problems. It really didn't look like I was going to gain what I needed but that's great if the scissor jack works!

[jmortensen]

Here's the difference between sanding and spreading from a practical perspective: If you sand the bushing down so that it is the same thickness as the sleeve in the middle, then there is less pressure on the side of the bushing when you tighten everything up. Less pressure means that the suspension moves more easily when you're driving and doesn't have to overcome as much initial resistance to movement (stiction), and that is a good thing. What you don't want is for the sleeve to protrude out from the poly bushing, because then even with the bolt tight, the strut will be able to move back and forth on the sleeve as you're driving. I think you'd have to sand off a lot for that to happen, but figured I'd throw it out there in the name of disclosure. So I would suggest that sanding the bushing is best until the bushing (installed in the control arm) is the same thickness as the sleeve, or just a hair wider than the sleeve to minimize the stiction. If that is not enough to get the strut in, then spread the control arm.

It is also easy to put zerk fittings on the outer end of the control arm so that you can grease the outer bushings. Just drill and tap and screw them right in. I did this and it worked great, then I decided to make my own control arms with rod ends instead. Being able to grease the outers is a nice thing, as the little tube of grease you put in when you install the bushings won't be in there very long. Unfotunately zerks do NOT work on the inner poly bushings. The bushing caps are not tight enough to hold the grease in, so you squirt it in and it just runs right back out.

[greenzee]

I would like to know whether the rr c-arm pu bushings need m/shop press or could we install them ourselves? Thanks for any input.

[beermanpete]

No press is needed. The bushings fit by hand. The only tight fit is getting the lower arm back onto the strut as discussed above.