Hi all, first post. I'm completely rebuilding the front end of my van using all XRF ball joints and rod ends (which I found out about from a thread on here--thanks!) and poly bushings.

Anyways, I'm having a hell of a time getting the upper control arm bushings out. I've torched them, cut them, and drilled through them. Aside from making a bunch of stink, I haven't gotten much farther than getting the outer flange off one of them.

There's got to be a better way. What have y'all done?

 

Sacrifice a 5/16 drill bit, and drill out as much of the bushing's rubber, working it around until you can pull out the center metal cylinder with the teeth on it.


Pull out the pivot arm
Then insert a hack saw blade through the bushing and re attach. Cut through as much of the casing as you can.

Then take a BF hammer and a punch , and collapse the casing on one side of the hack saw cut. A couple good whacks and it should fall out.

I did a fairly extensive write up on my front suspension rebuild over here on my '89.

http://www.vannin.com/threads/ubbthr...tml#Post401349

 

I didn't read the word "press". You need at least a 12-ton press to remove them and install the new ones.

 

I had no issues getting mine out without the press, but to get the new ones in required a press, and all the various adapters so as to not bend the control arms.

I had some replaced in Baja once. Those guy's tools consisted of only a hammer and a punch. I think they just relied on the Pivot arm's nuts to pull the new bushings on. I'm not sure. They guy got tired of me watching, or just did not want me to see him abuse my control arm.

 

I'm installing poly, so I only need to remove the rubber and leave the pressed in shells in the arms.

Anyways, I ended up getting a masonry drill bit of all things to sacrifice (it was on clearance at the local store) and, using a slower speed on the drill than previously, had a bunch of luck.