I am replacing all the bushings in my rear suspension on my '88. I know there is a tool to pull out the old ones, but their are a lot of them on the market. Has anyone done this and found a particular brand/type that works well? These are not going to come out without some force, so I am asking to make sure I buy the best tool for the job.
I tried pressing the old rubber out of my rear 87 a arms (yes yes its all different) i bent my a arms. After that i subscribe to the school of burning them out.
I tried pressing the old rubber out of my rear 87 a arms (yes yes its all different) i bent my a arms. After that i subscribe to the school of burning them out.
Thanks. I started with the trailing arms first, just in case. They look to be the healthiest of the options. The new poly bushings are split, have new sleeves and look like they will slide right in with a little grease, which I will be using anyway.
You can get a bushing removal tool set from O'Reilly auto parts- they charge you for it but when you bring it back they give you back the deposit...
I also bought some metal tubing and made half-round spacers so the A-arms wouldn't crush while pressing out and in the bushings
Thanks. I will most likely rent one from them as this is a job I don't do too often. I did it on my 280Z, but they came out fairly easily after I soaked them in penetrating oil. The ones on the Fiero won't budge. The crush preventing metal tubing is a good Idea. I will keep this in mind. Take care...
A few years back replaced all on 85 GT with OEM - type rubber bushings using hydraulic press/threaded rods/various pushers and backups -sockets, tubes. The bushing eyes are subject to damage and must be supported , especially in replacement. I got all of them out with some effort and TLC. The fit of bolts to (new) bushing ID's was not good so I wrapped shim stock to achieve good sliding fit. Results worth the effort. Before replacement snap oversteer as loose suspension reacted to throttle, All has been well for ...7-8 years of weekly driving.
I se that you are working on the rear 88 suspension so you don't need my spacers...But if you ever do your front A-arms here is what the spacers look like;
I se that you are working on the rear 88 suspension so you don't need my spacers...But if you ever do your front A-arms here is what the spacers look like;
I used the right tool. And by right tool, I mean the wrong tool, but one I had on hand.
I used one of those c-clamp press kits. I didn't have any luck with the any of the press inserts or sleeves, so I just used the clamp screw and pressed the inner metal shaft through the bearing using my big impact gun. Then I was able to go back again with a socket on the screw, to push the bushing out, again with the big impact gun. Then I spent a lengthy amount of time getting the socket out of the bushing, I found my elbow grease isn't as good as I thought it was. Then do it again 11 more times.
I used Rodney's rubber bushings (w/ metal sleeves) as replacements. They came with a flapper to clean the bores, and I gave everything a coat of anti-seize on the way in.
I made a tool for doing the rear bushings and it worked great!!! I will make a video or photo shoot. I used a regular 5-ton puller, 30 bucks at Harbor Freight, a carriage bolt and my rattle gun to pull the center metal sleeve out and then pulled the rubber out with a pair of long-nosed pliers. Took me less than 5 minutes to pull each bushing. Once one gets the center metal sleeve out of the rubber, it is no problem after that.
Good pics...that's what I remember. Sometimes overnight blaster soak. Reused all old bolts even with some pitting. Had trouble finding new ones with proper strength/length/pitch. As always proper (perfect) matching of pusher rounds VERY important and probably the limitation and frustration of those without a large assortment of diameters and lip thickness. I was stalled several times trying to make a proper setup. Slipping off the target or pressing on both the bushing shell and A arm eye at same time is tricky. Deburr/clean/lube . A lathe is a valuable asset in this process . I still want one , but haven't yet.
