4 hours ago, emccallum said:

If you are talking about removing the rear spindles, I have a pretty good tool that I bought many years ago. Homemade by a guy, you are more than welcome to use, just let me know.

Spindles are out - I am talking about removing the control arm bushings from the rear suspension arms - what the spindles go through.  Thanks anyway though! 

Edited March 19, 20232 yr by inline6

No problem, IIRC, I used a kit like this to remove those bushings. I think the kit was about $60 when I bought it a few years ago. Crazy how much stuff has gone up. Love seeing your progress.

https://www.amazon.com/YUAN-Universal-Sleeve-Install-Bearings/dp/B07ML8N9X5/ref=sr_1_16?crid=1B59JLDEHYZCR&keywords=bushing+removal+kit&qid=1679261019&sprefix=%2Caps%2C150&sr=8-16&ufe=app_do%3Aamzn1.fos.f5122f16-c3e8-4386-bf32-63e904010ad0

I decided in the few hours I had to work on the car today, I would make a pipe section for pressing the rear control arm bushings out and remove those.

I cut a piece off of my .125 sheet that was suitably wide enough to accommodate the full depth of the bushing when pressed out of the arm, and began bending it.

    

Using the vise, and an impact socket, I continued bending until it wrapped around the socket.  Then I cut it to length and hammer formed it around the socket:

    

I then welded the seam, dressed the weld with my hand held belt sander, and the ends with my bench grinder.  Then, I  bead blasted it to make it look nice.   

  

Under an hour and I was at my press with this, the control arms, and various bits to use in pressing the bushings out.  

Two hours later, I still hadn't gotten even one bushing to budge a millimeter.  OD on a new bushing is about 1.185" if I recall correctly.  And the impact socket I was using to press the bushing out is 1.182.  It's a bit to big, but I should have been able to get a few thousands of an inch, but I got no movement... at... all!  I tried going down in size to the next thing I had, another socket that was 1.165".  But it wasn't catching enough of the bushing outer sleeve.  These bushings have a very thin outer wall sleeve.

In frustration, I took a hack saw to one of the bushings and cut through the inner sleeve.  But, as soon as I got through it, it collapsed a bit and kept the hack saw blade from moving in and out anymore.

What a royal pain in the arse.  First time I have been stuck on something in a long time.  I am thinking about burning them out. 😠

I will see what others have done first.

 

 

 

Edited March 20, 20232 yr by inline6

1 hour ago, inline6 said:

I am thinking about burning them out. I will see what others have done first.

Unless you are planning to go with poly, then burning them out won't do you any good. You'll still have to get the outer shell out before you press the new bushings in. You could burn the rubber out and then use a hacksaw to cut through the outer shell to relieve the retaining force. You don't have to cut 100% of the way through... It'll start to cave in before you get all the way through. Even with a couple thousandths remaining and it will be a lot easier to press out.

I did mine (whole without burning) on a hydraulic press, and like most operations on a press, it all comes down to having properly sized drifts and anvils. A square (normal) force applied in the correct location with the proper sized backup anvil should do it.

How many tons is your press? I've got a 20T and had no problems.

I used a vise, a socket, some fixturing, and a MAPP torch.  I've always been surprised at how much effect heat has.  Apply force, nothing, apply heat, movement, let cool, nothing, re-apply heat, keep going.  It's been the same on broken off studs.  And differential fill plugs.  Heat is your friend.

Even on the mustache bar bushings you can get the rubber out by heating the outer metal of the bar.  A little bit of sizzling and it slides out.  No need for flames and smoke.

Exactly what I did.

20T HF press was able to remove mine as well.

My press is only 12T, I think, from harbor freight.  Looks just like this:

 

Based on everyone's input, it sounds like I would have success with a 20 ton press.  I found this for $68.50 and free shipping. 

https://strictlymot.com/products/20-ton-hydraulic-shop-press?currency=USD&variant_sku_code=2777136-0-0-0-0-0-0&gclid=CjwKCAjwiOCgBhAgEiwAjv5whLBTtoAkp7L5HAnW0p-SVQ3SGIv9FU6RxWIz6PNaUjKpF8_iqv3SLRoCxPsQAvD_BwE

Sounds like too good of a deal to be true - and I'd be risking personal info if I tried buying it!

 

Edited March 21, 20232 yr by inline6

I dont think they could ship it for $68! My 20T is pretty heavy. Get the HF 20T and sell the old one, thats what I did. As others said, heat helps. 

 

https://www.trustpilot.com/review/strictlymot.com

 

Here is where they stole the image from....scam

https://perfectionindustrial.auctionserver.net/m/lot-details/index/catalog/132/lot/21978/

google images is a neat tool

Edited March 21, 20232 yr by emccallum

Heck, you could drive up to my neck of the woods and use my 20T arbor press.

1 hour ago, inline6 said:

My press is only 12T, I think, from harbor freight.

Well it was a couple years ago when I was messing with those bushings, but I don't remember it being that hard of a fight for me. Are you maxxing out your 12T press? You can usually tell by feel of the jack handle when you hit the bypass limit. Are you hitting the limit?

And that press you pictured is what I have. An old HF "A-Frame" 20T. I don't think they offer it anymore. Last I looked, they still offer an "H-Frame" in 20T and an "A-frame" in 6T, but for some reason it seems they dropped the 20T "A-Frame" a number of years ago. Probably unsafe or something.   

On 3/21/2023 at 10:19 AM, Captain Obvious said:

Well it was a couple years ago when I was messing with those bushings, but I don't remember it being that hard of a fight for me. Are you maxxing out your 12T press? You can usually tell by feel of the jack handle when you hit the bypass limit. Are you hitting the limit?

And that press you pictured is what I have. An old HF "A-Frame" 20T. I don't think they offer it anymore. Last I looked, they still offer an "H-Frame" in 20T and an "A-frame" in 6T, but for some reason it seems they dropped the 20T "A-Frame" a number of years ago. Probably unsafe or something.   

I am back from a week of vacation which consisted mainly of relaxation and recuperation.  I located the manual and receipt for my press.  It is a 12 ton capacity press.  I purchased it in 1999 for $127 including shipping.  The bottle jack stopped working a year or so ago, and with a new bottle jack (12 ton) only $30 something with shipping, it wasn't worth my time to tear it apart.  Hate that.  One of the few times I convinced myself to just chuck it.  I did open it and look for anything obvious first. 😉

Anyway, I was reaching the limit of the bottle jack with these rear control arm bushings.  The handle went kind of "soft".  And I was using a propane torch simultaneously to add a bit of heat to the portion of the control arm that the bushing presses into, admittedly I did not add a lot of heat though.  The 12 ton press served most of my needs... but these bushings surprised me.  I didn't expect them to be this tight.   But, it looks like 20T has worked, so I am thinking I will go that way.