I need help. How do you get the lower control arm bushings out? My engine is out and I am replacing the control arm bushings - maybe! I have the bushings but have no idea how to remove the old ones. Help.

 

You could try digging or burning the rubber out, then take a chisel to the old shells. The idea with the chisel is to kind of fold them into themselves so the diameter decreases. This can be a brutal job without the specially made press tools used by the dealers to do this. Before you remove the old shells make sure your new bushings come with shells. Some brands apparently are designed to re-use the old shells.

 

I removed mine by drilling 1/8" holes around the perimeter. I then dug the rubber out using a pick/aul. Others have successfully used a proper sized hole saw. Still others have burned them out....not the prettiest method though.

 

As 1970 Stingray said, drill around the through the rubber, then dig them out. Leave the shells in the arms, and replace the inner bushings with poly-uerathan inserts, then you won't have to have them pressed in.
If you go back with rubber then you'll have to get the shells out and new bushings and shells pressed in.
This is not an easy job, and has to be done very carefully or pressing in the new bushings can bend the control arms. It is best left done by professionals with the right kind of jigs. Be careful in who you get to do the job, a lot of "professionals" don't have anymore idea of how press in the new bushings and can bend the arms.

 

You could bring them to a shop and have them pressed out and the new ones pressed in for $30.00 to $50.00. I did mine myself with an arbor press. If I had to do it again I would have them pressed in at a shop. :lurk:

 

Harder then I thought. Is it easier for the shop to do the pressing with the engine out? If so I will need to have the car towed, if not I can drive it to the shop after winter with the new engine in it. Would the bushing not be forced into place by slowly tightening the bolt up?

 

You need to remove the control arms and then have the bushings pressed in. The whole front end is going to need to be taken apart.


[Modified by 73Ken73, 8:54 PM 11/23/2002]

 

I recently put a Monte Carlo SS F-41 suspension under the El Camino I'm building. I was faced with the same question. HOW in the world was I going to do this? I had access to a press and even that didn't help. It's just hard to get access to the bushings to press them out period!!!

I then had an idea. We had a chop saw in the shop. I took the Upper/Lower A-arms and used the chop saw to cut as close as I could to the A-arm on each side. This left only about a quarter of an inch of bushing in the control arm. That allowed the center sleeve and rubber to be tapped out with a hammer very easily. I then just took a punch and tapped the outside sleeve and spun it out.

It's nice to have a press to put them back in but not neccessary. The chop saw will always be my method for removal from now on. That is the hard part.

Hope this helps, JIM :smash: :yesnod:

 

You have to remove the control arms from the car. With the engine out it's a lot easier to do BUT the big thing is removing the spring. Be careful if you've never done that before. I did this job last week. With the arm held in a vise by the cross shaft I used a 1.125" hole saw to cut the rubber bushing out. Then I used a cold chisel to start tapping the old sleeve out- I'm not using poly replacements. Spray them with PB Blaster first to help loosen them up. I also have a press and used some 1.5" electrical EMT conduit from Home Depot to make supports to go in between the arms so they don't bend. If you have a 3/4" socket set then use a socket to support the arm around the outer bushing. The ones I did were in there since 1968 and one really was tough to get out. I didn't use the press that time because it was down so I hammered them out with the chisel. Once you get one out the shaft will come out and you can hammer the other one out by hitting it in the center to collapse the bushing then tapping it out from the end.
You might as well do the ball joints too as well as the rest of the suspension since you'll have it all apart anyway.
Good Luck,
Gary


[Modified by gtr1999, 7:14 AM 11/24/2002]

 

This sounds like something I'm not ready to tackle, even though I have all winter. What is the best way to check to see if maybe I should leave them alone. The rubber is in bad shape where it can been seen but the rest?
Maybe I'm trying to make work for myself.

 

I did it the old fashioned way......burned the rubber out and the shells came out easy.

 

I just did this during the summer, and as stated above, the arm will have to come off to do this. Be sure to use a chain or spring compressor to remove the coil springs!!! Pictures of the process and set-up are here. I used a press and it was no problem. www.angelfire.com/al/swhite7/frontend.html
YBNormal...drive a vette

 

I did mine last Fall. I used a propane torch to burn out the rubber.
My bench vise worked well to press out the shells.

 

When I changed my bushings , the rubber on the outside edges was cracked but inside the rubber was perfect. I think that my bushings could of gone another 28 years.

 

I agree this is something you had better know what you are doing. The spring has to come out and this is where you can get hurt. I find with the motor out the front end is too light and when compressing the spring with the jack the front end rises too much. Sure if you knew what you were doing it is easy enough.
If you decide to tackle it email me off the forum and I could easily talk you through it. I have done a few of them, In fact 7 to be exact.
I live in Waterloo ontario and spend alot of my time in the summers at Devil lake just 40 minutes north towards westport.

 

I've never used the chain method, only used the spring compressor, and the job went smooth as a hot knife going through warm butter. You can rent the spring compressors at any of the automotive stores, and some, like Murrays, have a free tool loaner program. You need the internal spring compressor, and that means that the front shocks have to be removed.

Keep one thing in mind, if you have the proper tools, you can do the job, and the spring compressor is designed to compress and reme the front coils safely and easily.

 

73Ken73 raises an interesting point...

How bad were YOUR bushings when you got them out? Could they have lasted another 28 years?
:smash:

 

I've read all the excellent suggestions and I have one of my own: Buy rebuilt lower A-Arms from Corvette Central! I just did the whole front end on my car. Each A-Arm is about $120 (US) and they add on a $75 core charge which you get back after they receive your old A-arms - you have to pay to ship them. In your case (Canada) I think they deduct some sort of customs fees from your core refund. Check their web site/catalog. CC actually gets the A-Arms from VanSteel in Florida, but VanSteel will charge you about $20 more apiece for the same deal. When I factored in the labor charge to have my old bushings pressed out, this seemed a no-brainer. I was not worried about keeping my original A-Arms. I think you will be happiest with rubber A-Arm bushings and poly on all the other suspension pieces, front and rear. I did my whole suspension and the car is so much tighter. By the way, I did it the hard way on another '73 Corvette about 12 years ago. I unbolted the A-Arms and used an air impact gun with a chisel bit to drive out the old bushings - loud, but effective. I then used a press to put in the new bushings. It all worked fine. I was in the Marines then and I had access to an excellent auto hobby shop at Camp Pendleton, CA.

 

Thanks for all the great suggestions on the topic. I think I'll put the bolts back in a put my attention back on rebuilding my engine. Since it backs no difference if the motor is in or out there is no hurry. Thanks again for the wealth of knowledge - what did we do before the "net".

 

I've used the drill and chisle method on mine,but on another car remove the arm and let a front end shop press out the old and press in the new bushings. They make their money on the R/R,so you can save a buck doing the R/R yourself. The Vette radiator shroud was my biggest obstical. Took several Michelobs to finally overcome!