Upper rear Control arm bushing removal (the ones on the rear itself).

[2000xp8]

Mine are pretty badly off-centered, so i need to replace them. The rear is on the car, but hanging low, with the shocks disconnected, so i have a little xtra room.

Can they just be hammered out and back in?
Or do i need to buy the tool? I'd rather not buy the tool for 40 bucks considering the stock ones lasted this long. Seems i probably wouldn't need to do it again.

I've heard it can hard to do with the rear on the car.

Thanks

 

[stangbear427]

Before I bit the bullet and bought the tool from MM, we used to press them out with a homemade version. Just a nut and bolt, and a bunch of washers. The tool is way easier, but if you're never gonna use it again...?

 

[axeman]

when buying them, you only get the bushings themselves. you don't get the metal sleeve, so you have to leave them in. just take a drill and drill as many holes in the rubber bushings and pull them out in pieces. clean the inside of the sleeves and tap the new ones in. i replaced mine with polys, so they are pretty solid at tap in pretty easily.

 

[Ranchero5.0]

Just did a customers set Friday. They had the shell so I just used a air hammer and a flat chisel blade to collapse the shell into the bushing and then put it against the lip to hammer the sheel and bushing out of the rear. Took about three minutes for each side. To reinstall them, use the biggest hammer you can find and some grease on the shell. Mine was a three pounder and the head fit the bushing perfectly. Screwed up the drivers side and hit the bushing off center and whacked my thumb... Shot blood all over the place and about passed out. Ten good whacks finished off the bushing.

Thumb still hurts.

Jamie

 

[axeman]

i didn't know some of them came with the metal sleeve. i guess it depends where you get them.

how's thumb jamie? a little swolen? going to lose a fingernail? nice times BTW.

 

[Mustang Hopeful]

Really, when I got mine it was all together with shell and all.

 

[4eyed5.0]

Mine were Energy Suspension bushings and they came w/o the shell. I removed them like axeman did, by drilling holes in the rubber, it wasn't nearly as bad as i thought it was gonna be.

 

[2000xp8]

Well, i'll just make sure i get ones that have the shell, then i guess i'll just beat them out, and then back in.

Thanks for all the replys.

 

[2000xp8]

Today i ordered the factory ones, my price is 9 bucks a piece, as one piece each built into the sleeves. So we'll see tommorrow afternoon how it goes. Most aftermarket ones seem to be about 30 bucks for the pair, without the sleeves. Then shipping.

 

[evn_05]

Wow i just realized i about made a big ***** up. I have an 8.8 with 3.73's that we just rebuilt the track lok and are gonna swap in sometime, and we used an airchisel to get the old ones out, sleves and all. I just bought some poly ones on ebay w/o the sleves, do you guys have any ideas for what i can do here. I didnt even realize this untill i read this, does anybody know where i can get new ones, or could i possibly cut the rubber out of the ones on my car and swap the metal sleves or would that be a bastard and not worth it.

 

[2000xp8]

Well, actual ford price is only 15 bucks a pop, so you can return the other ones, or buy new ones and remove the bushings from the sleeve, and swap them out.

 

[millhouse]

About the drilling, you dont need to drill them completley out. All you need is a 3/8 inch drill bit, and a few holes. You drill right next to the sleeve in the bushing, so that the drill bit bumps agains the metal insert while drilling the rubber. After a couple of holes, the drill bit will basically walk around the outside of the bushing, compressing it and you can pop it out as a whole. It's extremley easy, and only took a minute or two per side to complete.

 

[2000xp8]

Ok, well i finished them yesterday, and i'd like to say, don't be a moron like myself, just buy the bushings, (without shell), drill out the old rubber inside, and slap the new bushing in.

I, like an idiot chose to replace the whole thing, wasn't very easy, I landed up drilling out the old bushing inside, then heating the shell with a blowtorch, then demolishing it with an air chisel. Took about an hour to do both. Oh, and i had to use a maul (big axe type thing) to bang the new ones back in.

Repacing the bushing would of taken all of 5 minutes.

I guess i like to learn the hard way.

 

[Stang8URMPRT]

Yeah, I air hammered my shells out with the bushings still in them. They came out very easy. Used a press and pressed the old bushing out and the new one in. Thought it was gunna be harder.

Nick