Assistance please, can't get C/A bushing out.
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 405
Likes: 0
From: Fresno
Assistance please, can't get C/A bushing out.
I have the arm out of the car and I cant seem to get the bushings out. I am sure they are original. I have an air hammer/chisel but I have never used it before. Where do I try to use it? on the outside lip of the bushing or on the inside where the rubber meets it. They seem to be in there for good. Any other Ideas? I remember someone saying to use a 1" hole saw. But if I use this I have to use the same old shells. I already bought the poly bushings. I do not own a torch or a press. Thanks in advance for your advice!-TK
Pro
Joined: Jun 2001
Posts: 579
Likes: 0
From: Pflugerville/ Colllege Station TX
Re: Assistance please, can't get C/A bushing out. (TJKirby82CE)
I just did mine last week. I had to use and air hammer ot get the old ones out and even then it was a pain in the butt. I cant really thinkof a way to describe how I did it though. I had to use a press to get the new bushings in.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Apr 1999
Posts: 6,134
Likes: 46
From: Raleigh North Carolina
Re: Assistance please, can't get C/A bushing out. (Jester69Stingray)
Some methods:
drill the rubber out
use a hole saw to cut the rubber out
use a torch to burn the runbber out
The shells will come out easy if the car has seen very little salt (rust).
If the car is from the "snow belt", the shells can be extremely difficult to remove, and if they are rusty, you will want to remove them instead of re-use them for poly bushings.
I use a press, but I also have the "factory" Kent-Moore tools made specifically for this job. Without the tools (factory or home-made) you stand a chance of bending/distorting the arms when you press the new bushings in. When you are finished, the shafts should turn freely, by hand, or you bent the arms. The GM factory service manual has this procedure covered.
Many people use an air chisel/hammer to knock the old bushings out... if you're careful, this is a great approach. However, I have seen many arms that were completely chewed up by people who have used this method. Some of these arms were so bad that they would no longer hold the bushing... the arms had to be replaced.
Another approach is to remove the rubber & inner sleeve (per above) and then cut the shell with a "jewelers saw" (round hacksaw blade).
And of course.... there's always heat.... oxy-acyetlene.
drill the rubber out
use a hole saw to cut the rubber out
use a torch to burn the runbber out
The shells will come out easy if the car has seen very little salt (rust).
If the car is from the "snow belt", the shells can be extremely difficult to remove, and if they are rusty, you will want to remove them instead of re-use them for poly bushings.
I use a press, but I also have the "factory" Kent-Moore tools made specifically for this job. Without the tools (factory or home-made) you stand a chance of bending/distorting the arms when you press the new bushings in. When you are finished, the shafts should turn freely, by hand, or you bent the arms. The GM factory service manual has this procedure covered.
Many people use an air chisel/hammer to knock the old bushings out... if you're careful, this is a great approach. However, I have seen many arms that were completely chewed up by people who have used this method. Some of these arms were so bad that they would no longer hold the bushing... the arms had to be replaced.
Another approach is to remove the rubber & inner sleeve (per above) and then cut the shell with a "jewelers saw" (round hacksaw blade).
And of course.... there's always heat.... oxy-acyetlene.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Sep 2000
Posts: 9,078
Likes: 7
From: DFW TX
Cruise-In VII Veteran
St. Jude Donor '07
Re: Assistance please, can't get C/A bushing out. (Tom454)
Someone told me to use a hacksaw to cut the outside shell out. After the rubber is out. Insert the the blade of the saw and make two cuts 180 degrees of each other. Pops right out.
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 405
Likes: 0
From: Fresno
Re: Assistance please, can't get C/A bushing out. (Budman78)
Here is how my day went. Took the arms to a local shop...waited in line for 15 minutes to be told,"We do not do anysuspension work here." So Off I go to Pep Boys...Wait in line for another 15 minutes. I put the arm on the table and state that I want the bushing pressed out. He tells me to use a chisel and a hammer. I tell him I used my air chisel and cant get them. I then say don't you have a press? Response...yes but it will not work to press out those bushings because we cant get at it from the inside..BS! So I leave, ended up drilling out the rubber, I will reuse the old outer shell. I thought of cutting the shell in half but then I would have to press in the new shells for the poly correct? What a day!-TK
Melting Slicks
Joined: Oct 2001
Posts: 2,065
Likes: 1,395
From: Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
Re: Assistance please, can't get C/A bushing out. (TJKirby82CE)
[QUOTE] I will reuse the old outer shell. I thought of cutting the shell in half but then I would have to press in the new shells for the poly correct? /QUOTE]
Sounds like you have had quite a day.
Just a comment on using your old shells. I did my arms last fall and was going to use my old shells. However when I tried the poly bushing in the old shell it was a tiny bit loose. When in the new shell it was snug. So I didn't like the thought of that tiny bit of play.
I used my bench vise and pressed out the old shells with no problem and used it to press in the new shells. The new ones were very tight, however the vice did a great job.
Just my experience, thanks, Barry
[Modified by Barry's70LT1, 11:58 AM 3/26/2002]
Sounds like you have had quite a day.
Just a comment on using your old shells. I did my arms last fall and was going to use my old shells. However when I tried the poly bushing in the old shell it was a tiny bit loose. When in the new shell it was snug. So I didn't like the thought of that tiny bit of play.
I used my bench vise and pressed out the old shells with no problem and used it to press in the new shells. The new ones were very tight, however the vice did a great job.
Just my experience, thanks, Barry
[Modified by Barry's70LT1, 11:58 AM 3/26/2002]
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 405
Likes: 0
From: Fresno
Re: Assistance please, can't get C/A bushing out. (Barry's70LT1)
I ended up useing the old shells. The bushings fit tight so no worries here. I just did the upper arms. Next weekend lower arms...Maybe in the future I will just buy new arms with poly and ball joints already installed. Seems like this is only a little bit more expensive but much easier.-TK
BTW thanks for the advice! :cheers:
BTW thanks for the advice! :cheers:
Corvette Stories
The Best of Corvette for Corvette Enthusiasts
Every 2027 Corvette Engine Explained
Joe Kucinski
Designer Imagines A Corvette That Looks More Like a Corvette Than the Corvette
Verdad Gallardo
10 Ugly Corvettes That We Still Kinda Love
Joe Kucinski
Top 10 Most Expensive Corvettes Ever Sold on Bring A Trailer
Brett Foote
10 Things Every Corvette Owner Needs (2026 Edition)
Michael S. Palmer
8 Most "Only Corvette Owners Understand" Quirks and Problems
Pouria Savadkouei
10 Reasons the C6 Z06 is Still A Performance Benchmark After 20 Years
Joe Kucinski
How Much Horsepower Every Corvette Engine "LOST" in 1972
Joe Kucinski