Control Arm Bushing NIGHTMARE
#1
Racer
Thread Starter
Control Arm Bushing NIGHTMARE
Tore the control arms off of my 77. Grinded the rivets off and removed both ball joints. No problem. Control arm bushings??? HOLY CRAP ARE THESE A PAIN TO REMOVE!!! I spent at least 3 hours removing the lower control arm bushings on ONE CONTROL ARM!!! I burned them. I drilled them. I completely removed the rubber. I used hammers, punches, a die grinder, tons of PB blaster and at least 3 hours of hard labor to get these suckers out. NO WAY am I doing this again with the passenger side. There HAS TO BE A BETTER WAY!!!!!!
#2
Team Owner
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Control arm busings are pressed on. You can remove the old bushings and sleeves without a press, but you'll need a press when it comes time to install the new ones.
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ElmrPhD (03-07-2024)
#3
Safety Car
I did mine last year. The air chisel made short work of a 30 year old northeast rusted bushing. You have to catch the edge and fold it in and then work it out
#5
Drifting
Second that. I brought mine to tracdogg and he used an air chisel and had them all out in no time. I then had them blasted and powder coated. He pressed in the new bushings.
#6
Race Director
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Personally I'm not a fan of the air-chisel on the vette arms, the lowers in particular seem easily bent around the bushing area. Anything else I've worked on I've used the air-chisel / BFH method.
For an alternative method you could try this
https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...g-removal.html
M
For an alternative method you could try this
https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...g-removal.html
M
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ElmrPhD (03-07-2024)
#8
Racer
Thread Starter
From all the threads I read on this forum it seems that most people suggest not using a press (I don't own one anyway). They state its too easy to bend the control arm. The popular method when installing MOOG rubber bushings is to put them in the freezer and when I install them use a large socket and drive them in with a hammer.
#12
Race Director
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I'll add another vote for freezing the bushings for re-install.
M
#13
Racer
I went through it the winter before last. I finally used a hole saw to cut through the rubber, cut a slot in the outer shell, then an air chisel to pop them right out. Freeze the new bushings and leave the arms in the sun for a while, then it's easy to tap them in.
#15
Le Mans Master
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2023 Restomod of the Year finalist
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Lots of ways to skin a cat...
I like just hitting the rubber w/ propane torch...works on cats too
Richard
I like just hitting the rubber w/ propane torch...works on cats too
Richard
#18
Le Mans Master
here....https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...tallation.html
post #20
Heat the area around the bushing housing, not the bushing, when the rubber melts/bubbles, pry the bushing out with a screw driver...
post #20
Heat the area around the bushing housing, not the bushing, when the rubber melts/bubbles, pry the bushing out with a screw driver...
#19
Team Owner
Simple job really, did not take but two hours or less to do both sides on mine and that is upper and lower....first thing is to careful measure the distance between the bends over the bushing insert, and cut a piece of angle iron to just that measure and insert that in place as you air chisel that in/out the new one is easy to press in with a decent bench vice or a hammer if you have to....but of course that angle iron section has to be in position, and a heavy block of wood, or some help from a 1/2 inch of steel laid up top of the new bushing/socket and a good hammer....did mine over 15 years ago....easy....
#20
Melting Slicks
Ditto here.
Personally I'm not a fan of the air-chisel on the vette arms, the lowers in particular seem easily bent around the bushing area. Anything else I've worked on I've used the air-chisel / BFH method.
For an alternative method you could try this
https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...g-removal.html
M
For an alternative method you could try this
https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...g-removal.html
M
Thanks again Mooser for your post too!
Last edited by 20mercury; 11-05-2015 at 10:50 AM.