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View Full Version : Howto: Bushing swap. DIY tool for $5



thedguy
01-05-2012, 05:15 AM
This is an old ass press tool concept, after doing this on a whim at Garage Woolery and I was surprised to find that no one has ever seen this redneck engineered tool before.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v391/EmMi_SoN/_DSC0025-6.jpg

Gonna need a few things from the Home Depot hardware section:

One 3/8"-16x24" threaded rod (I call it all thread)
Four 3/8" x 1-1/2" Fender washers
Four 5/16" or 3/8" flat washers
Four 3/8" hex nuts.

All of this came to $4.17 for me

Optional;
A single 36mm socket will work well too. This will come in handy later, worth having anyway.
Might try using autozones free rental and get their ball joint kit as well.

OR Two 2" (or larger) diameter fender washers, though if you
pull the front lower control arm bushings first, you likely won't
need these.

A couple of 14mm wrenches/sockets. If you have an impact gun, get a socket to fit it that fits these nuts and this job will go retarded fast and easy.

The tool is assembled like so:
You thread on a single nut, well down on the piece of all thread, you want to get enough thread to go through both ends of both bushings and room for a couple of nuts and washers,
Drop on two of those flat washers,
then a fender washer,
then a random deep socket or small piece of pipe. Something to act as a spacer so the nut doesn't get forced down the whole created as the bushing comes out,


thread this through the bushings
http://thumb.phyrefile.com/t/th/thedguy/2011/03/09/300/IMAG0841.jpg

Next you'll put on another fender washer (or 2 for added strength, they like to flex),
A flat washer (or 2, same thing),
and TWO nuts tightened together.

Should look like this on the other end:
http://thumb.phyrefile.com/t/th/thedguy/2011/03/09/300/IMAG0843.jpg

now start wrenching on it:

http://thumb.phyrefile.com/t/th/thedguy/2011/03/09/300/IMAG0844.jpg (http://www.phyrefile.com/image/view/ztZwFwV2cvQxKVQ5)

As you start on it, both ends will start to come in, eventually one will give more than the other and it'll pop out.

One thing I found helps is tapping the bushing with a hammer while compressing the assembly helps the bushing pop out easier and quicker.

http://thumb.phyrefile.com/t/th/thedguy/2011/03/09/300/IMAG0846.jpg (http://www.phyrefile.com/image/view/YEJDKdEoPKZxsSlB)

http://thumb.phyrefile.com/t/th/thedguy/2011/03/09/300/IMAG0847.jpg (http://www.phyrefile.com/image/view/CxuX4dmhtLdXNPN6)

Once the first bushings comes out, remove your jam nuts. Pull out the assembly and now replace the "random deep socket" with the 36mm socket (or 2"+ washers or pipe or something to big to go in the hole) and reassemble


You might note earlier I said these were "optional". Reason why I say that is, if you start with the front lower control arm and get lucky enough to remove the bushing with the large lip, you can flip it backwards and use it instead. The very top pic of me doing this job shows said reverse bushing doing its thing.

http://thumb.phyrefile.com/t/th/thedguy/2011/03/09/300/IMAG0848.jpg (http://www.phyrefile.com/image/view/DqhJYcpK2RLfTnjg)

http://thumb.phyrefile.com/t/th/thedguy/2011/03/09/300/IMAG0849.jpg (http://www.phyrefile.com/image/view/BSp8miMVGzFpwaAR)

http://thumb.phyrefile.com/t/th/thedguy/2011/03/09/300/IMAG0850.jpg (http://www.phyrefile.com/image/view/VdZSXs31q2BtJ7WQ)

Now spend the next hour or 2 (depending on using power tools or a ratchet) on the rest of your arms and you'll be done.

Bushings in the rear upright:

Remember how I said the 36mm socket will come in handy later? Yeah this is the spot.

Assemble the tool again, with the 36mm socket as the spacer and wrench it down. Once the bushing comes half way out, you can wiggle it out by hand pretty easily.

Here's it assembled on my upright with the ES poly bushings in place (so ignore the fact that it's obviously the wrong size).
http://thumb.phyrefile.com/t/th/thedguy/2011/03/09/300/IMAG0837.jpg (http://www.phyrefile.com/image/view/c0mJrVHiS8u6KNjI)

Once done you end up with this

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v391/EmMi_SoN/_DSC0214-31.jpg

Nice thing about this technique is you can sit in front of the TV and watch a movie while doing it. It doesn't leave any residue behind like burning the old ones out and doesn't heat stress the metal either.

My ES poly bushings went in with no more effort than pushing them in with my hands on all the arms I had done with this tool. I had 2 arms that had them burned out and those were a fight.

kung fu jesus
01-06-2012, 12:29 PM
This is a cool write up. Dustin did a great job documenting this and I stuck it at the top. I saw him do it and it's really impressive.

jux
01-07-2012, 10:06 PM
Awesome! Thank you for the tutorial with all the pictures. I'm sure many of us will find these tips quite handy...in the near future, even. :)

f86sabjf
01-08-2012, 12:13 PM
Love this . Who says you cant build a better mouse trap :eagerness:

blenderblast
01-08-2012, 12:37 PM
This is really an awesome idea. I'm planning on replacing mine within the next 4 or 5 months, I will use this redneck way.

thedguy
03-12-2012, 02:05 PM
I should mention, do NOT do this with an impact gun. I've seen these shafts snap from the heat and friction.

I've done this before sitting in my room watching a movie with just a couple of wrenches.


This is a cool write up. Dustin did a great job documenting this and I stuck it at the top. I saw him do it and it's really impressive.

Thank you for the kind complements sir!

phrenetiK
03-12-2012, 04:08 PM
why dont 3/4 of the pictures load? :[

bedheadben
03-19-2012, 08:38 PM
They appear to be gone.

Agent☣Orange
03-19-2012, 09:59 PM
Some of his post had URL instead of IMG tags and I tried to edit them to put [img] tags but the picts still don't show up. If he gives me the proper stuff, I can edit again and put valid img tags in there.

nubskillz
04-25-2012, 12:29 AM
This writeup is amazing. im (not)looking forward to my first bushing job soon and this seems like the way to go. Any luck on getting the missing pics back?

moerdogg
04-25-2012, 09:50 AM
Thanks for sharing! My buddy used the shop press at work when he did his bushings, but this looks way easier.

kung fu jesus
04-25-2012, 10:06 AM
Dustin's method works great. You have to be careful doing this with a press, you can bend or warp the control arms if you aren't careful.

iKhanh
08-05-2012, 05:19 PM
for real though, what happened to the pictures? i've been thinking about replacing all my bushings one day and seeing how it's done before hand may or may not make me want to do it even sooner.

Blueiii
10-21-2012, 12:47 PM
+1 for pics. I'm planning on doing shocks over the winter, and might as well do bushings at the same time.

kevinharrop
10-05-2017, 05:34 AM
Again with the lost pictures. What is the point of pinning a post if the pictures are lost? I can't make heads or tails of this.

kung fu jesus
10-05-2017, 07:37 AM
Again, here you go:

https://www.google.com/search?q=photobucket+fix%2C+chrome&oq=photobucket+fi&aqs=chrome.2.0j69i57j69i59j0l3.7811j0j8&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8&hotlinkfix=1507206421411

Roadster7
10-05-2017, 10:24 AM
Again, here you go:

https://www.google.com/search?q=photobucket+fix%2C+chrome&oq=photobucket+fi&aqs=chrome.2.0j69i57j69i59j0l3.7811j0j8&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8&hotlinkfix=1507206421411

That's what I was going to suggest, but I can only see two photos with this add-in enabled. The rest of the photos are missing.

If anyone is interested in a DIY tool, check out page 5 of my build thread. There are pictures and diagrams and descriptions and everything. :roll:
http://mazdaroadster.net/showthread.php?14694-Project-Moby

kevinharrop
10-05-2017, 10:22 PM
Thanks to the link to your Moby thread. Nice car....

And only a few photos and I get it! Pressing bushings looks easy enough with your photos.

Have not yet got my 2000 SE, but with 137k on the clock I'm inclined to believe that the bushings are shot.

Much work to do....