Rear control arm bushings
- Thread starter Bobr
- Start date
Dan Sarandrea (Phila)
Waitin' On Parts...
Looks like a good idea here
A couple of galvanized pipe items from Home Depot, a little all-thread and some washers gets 'er done.
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xzd_F2KkNGs"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xzd_F2KkNGs[/ame]
A couple of galvanized pipe items from Home Depot, a little all-thread and some washers gets 'er done.
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xzd_F2KkNGs"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xzd_F2KkNGs[/ame]
DougESmith
True Classic
Noooooo!
Those aren't X1/9 arms! The bushings for X1/9 arms are seperate form the "Tube" brazed to the arm. You need some sort of press and blank/plug like what I made! All the wrong things that I mentioned, happened to me, so I know the work arounds and process works...
First, make a press. Then,
It is best to have a spare arm. First drive the center of the bushing out and remove all of the rubber. Next, cut the outersleave out of the arm, from the OUTSIDE, do not damage the outer sleave of the bushing.
Next, sand/polish the empty bushing outersleave outside so that it's outside diameter is smaller and will not get stuck in the arm when you use it to push in new bushings, if you push a bit too far one way.
Now drive the center and rubber out of the bushings in the arms you are keeping, clean out all the rubber..... here comes the teadious part(I had to do this because of rust welding the bushing sleave to the arm tube) thread your fine tooth hacksaw blade through the bushing and useing the hacksaw carefully cut through the old bushing outersleave in two places, roughly 45 deg apart. If you cut into the arm a TINY bit dont worry. Once you have sectioned the sleave, if your lucky, it will fall out, if your not(like me) you will need to use a punch and hammer to seperate the bushing sleave from the arm tube.
After the outer bushing sleaves are out, use a dremel to remove ALL of the corosion inside the arm tube, polish it even. Do the same to the outsides of your new bushings.
you are ready to press you new bushings. Spray a little WD40 on them to lube the works a bit... make sure you are perfectly alinghed, and using you old sanded outer sleave, press the new bushing into place SLOWLY and CAREFULLY. (it WILL creak and pop! It is a tight fit!) I got one a micromilimeter out of line and ruined my first plug because the new bushing jammed a fourth of the way in.
BTW I tried to just press out the old bushings straight off with a pipe plug a little smaller than the bushing, and crushed the end on the arm because the bushing was corrosion welded to the arm tube. Yes, I had three sets of Arms in my parts bin.
I had more pictures, of the whole process, but the mem card got deleted for other things before I downloaded them, I forgave her.
Those aren't X1/9 arms! The bushings for X1/9 arms are seperate form the "Tube" brazed to the arm. You need some sort of press and blank/plug like what I made! All the wrong things that I mentioned, happened to me, so I know the work arounds and process works...
First, make a press. Then,
It is best to have a spare arm. First drive the center of the bushing out and remove all of the rubber. Next, cut the outersleave out of the arm, from the OUTSIDE, do not damage the outer sleave of the bushing.
Next, sand/polish the empty bushing outersleave outside so that it's outside diameter is smaller and will not get stuck in the arm when you use it to push in new bushings, if you push a bit too far one way.
Now drive the center and rubber out of the bushings in the arms you are keeping, clean out all the rubber..... here comes the teadious part(I had to do this because of rust welding the bushing sleave to the arm tube) thread your fine tooth hacksaw blade through the bushing and useing the hacksaw carefully cut through the old bushing outersleave in two places, roughly 45 deg apart. If you cut into the arm a TINY bit dont worry. Once you have sectioned the sleave, if your lucky, it will fall out, if your not(like me) you will need to use a punch and hammer to seperate the bushing sleave from the arm tube.
After the outer bushing sleaves are out, use a dremel to remove ALL of the corosion inside the arm tube, polish it even. Do the same to the outsides of your new bushings.
you are ready to press you new bushings. Spray a little WD40 on them to lube the works a bit... make sure you are perfectly alinghed, and using you old sanded outer sleave, press the new bushing into place SLOWLY and CAREFULLY. (it WILL creak and pop! It is a tight fit!) I got one a micromilimeter out of line and ruined my first plug because the new bushing jammed a fourth of the way in.
BTW I tried to just press out the old bushings straight off with a pipe plug a little smaller than the bushing, and crushed the end on the arm because the bushing was corrosion welded to the arm tube. Yes, I had three sets of Arms in my parts bin.
I had more pictures, of the whole process, but the mem card got deleted for other things before I downloaded them, I forgave her.
Dan Sarandrea (Phila)
Waitin' On Parts...
OK, But...
...you're saying that if a person does not have a 12 ton press, an extra suspension arm or two to cut up and make a fitting from, then they can't do this repair.
I'm not saying your method is not the more elegant....I'm saying that with the right basic materials, some patience, and liberal use of a GOOD penetrating oil, you can press the bushing out with the force exerted by cinching down allthread.
Granted there are always individual examples that have somewhow rusted/welded themselves into place that can defy the rule.
...you're saying that if a person does not have a 12 ton press, an extra suspension arm or two to cut up and make a fitting from, then they can't do this repair.
I'm not saying your method is not the more elegant....I'm saying that with the right basic materials, some patience, and liberal use of a GOOD penetrating oil, you can press the bushing out with the force exerted by cinching down allthread.
Granted there are always individual examples that have somewhow rusted/welded themselves into place that can defy the rule.
Matt Brannon - Midwest Bayless
Mad.Matt
DougESmith Said:
(Im-Press-ive workmanship, BTW)
-M
lol
(Im-Press-ive workmanship, BTW)
-M
DougESmith
True Classic
Not to be too argumentative, but
I had to edit this post, after some thought. I needed to be more complete in my reply and i dug through my scrap for all the bits i could find from when i did it. I want anyone who attempts this to have as high a chance of success as possible. That said.
The draw back to the washer and threaded rod method is that the bushing's rubber and center tube extend beyound the lip of the tube the bushing goes through in the end of the arm. (If I had not lost my other pictures I could show you exactly what i mean and the whole process including mistake)
So what you would need to be successful with the washer/pipe method are:
1. Enough washers that have a center hole big enough to slide over the rubber of the new/old bushing but an outside diameter the same size as the outer tube of the bushing and smaller than the inside diameter of the tube through the arm. If you dont have this, when you try to press in the new bushing, you will rip the guts(center tube and rubber)out of the bushing when you press the new one back in. (See Tool in Work shop Manual). I cant find washers like that.
Or
1. a peice of pipe the exact outer diameter of the bushing outer tube and a large enough inside diameter to slide over the Rubber of the new bushing. Again I was not able to locate such a perfect piece of pipe in Lowes or Homedepot.
And
You would need washers or pipe with a larger inside diameter than the outside diameter of the bushings outer tube, but not bigger than the tube in the arm to press against to push and pull the new bushing through the arm tube..... a failed attempt here is where i crushed the end of an arm.(my pipe inside diameter was larger the the outside diameter of the tube going through the arm. If you don't have opposing force on the arm tube and the bushing outer tube, but rely on the arm itself, the arm will give first. (I have the T-Shirt)
Just words to the wise this is not a project to take on without lots of forethought. Pictures follow
I had to edit this post, after some thought. I needed to be more complete in my reply and i dug through my scrap for all the bits i could find from when i did it. I want anyone who attempts this to have as high a chance of success as possible. That said.
The draw back to the washer and threaded rod method is that the bushing's rubber and center tube extend beyound the lip of the tube the bushing goes through in the end of the arm. (If I had not lost my other pictures I could show you exactly what i mean and the whole process including mistake)
So what you would need to be successful with the washer/pipe method are:
1. Enough washers that have a center hole big enough to slide over the rubber of the new/old bushing but an outside diameter the same size as the outer tube of the bushing and smaller than the inside diameter of the tube through the arm. If you dont have this, when you try to press in the new bushing, you will rip the guts(center tube and rubber)out of the bushing when you press the new one back in. (See Tool in Work shop Manual). I cant find washers like that.
Or
1. a peice of pipe the exact outer diameter of the bushing outer tube and a large enough inside diameter to slide over the Rubber of the new bushing. Again I was not able to locate such a perfect piece of pipe in Lowes or Homedepot.
And
You would need washers or pipe with a larger inside diameter than the outside diameter of the bushings outer tube, but not bigger than the tube in the arm to press against to push and pull the new bushing through the arm tube..... a failed attempt here is where i crushed the end of an arm.(my pipe inside diameter was larger the the outside diameter of the tube going through the arm. If you don't have opposing force on the arm tube and the bushing outer tube, but rely on the arm itself, the arm will give first. (I have the T-Shirt)
Just words to the wise this is not a project to take on without lots of forethought. Pictures follow
Last edited:
DougESmith
True Classic
Half the fun is making tools like...
