Page 1 of 2 12 LastLast
Results 1 to 15 of 18

Thread: Howto: Bushing swap. DIY tool for $5

  1. #1
    2,000 rpm - light wheelspin, no bog here! thedguy's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2012
    Posts
    129
    Thanks Given
    0
    Thanked 1 Time in 1 Post

    Howto: Bushing swap. DIY tool for $5

    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.



    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


    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:


    now start wrenching on it:



    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.





    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.







    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).


    Once done you end up with this



    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.
    Last edited by Agent☣Orange; 03-19-2012 at 10:00 PM.

  2. The Following User Says Thank You to thedguy For This Useful Post:

    Slampen (08-08-2014)

  3. #2
    Ninja Messiah kung fu jesus's Avatar
    Drives
    1999 White
    Location
    Atlanta, GA
    Join Date
    Dec 2011
    Posts
    15,852
    Thanks Given
    2,791
    Thanked 7,202 Times in 3,433 Posts
    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.

  4. #3
    2,000 rpm - light wheelspin, no bog here! jux's Avatar
    Drives
    '90 White A-pkg, '08.5 CWP MS3
    Location
    DFW, TX (I don't own horses, dammit)
    Join Date
    Jan 2012
    Posts
    404
    Thanks Given
    273
    Thanked 70 Times in 44 Posts
    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.
    '90 "LE" with red bits - 7/6 Flex, FM Front Bar, 14x7 +19 RPF1, PWR, SPAL, Maxim Works, Thermal R&D, HDHCSDM2, Zoom, Anvil II, 330mm mahogany Deep Corn, AC/PS delete, LE interior, attitude
    '08.5 CWP MS3 GT - AST 4100, TriPoint Rear Sway and Links, JBR STS w/ bushings and lockout plate, Moddiction Anvil II

  5. #4
    3,000 rpm - starting to feel the power f86sabjf's Avatar
    Drives
    02nb crystal blue metallic
    Location
    Florida
    Join Date
    Dec 2011
    Posts
    579
    Thanks Given
    6
    Thanked 3 Times in 3 Posts
    Love this . Who says you cant build a better mouse trap

  6. #5
    2,000 rpm - light wheelspin, no bog here! blenderblast's Avatar
    Drives
    97 BRG Miata (Turbo)
    Location
    Tampa, FL
    Join Date
    Jan 2012
    Posts
    263
    Thanks Given
    0
    Thanked 3 Times in 3 Posts
    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.
    "You can't believe most of the qoutes you read on the internet." Abraham Lincoln
    "Eighty percent of success is showing up" - Woody Allen

    1990 Red Miata - Stock Slammed. (3/16/2011 - 8/19/2012)
    1997 BRG Miata - Turbo-ed. 189.9rwhp @ 8psi. (11/29/2011 - 3/??/2014) -Oil line clogged- -Parted out-
    1996 White Miata - Stock. (7/13/2012 - 1/07/2013)
    1996 White Miata - Stock. (4/??/2014 - 8/14/2014)
    On the hunt '96-'97 - Stock - (11/1/2014 - Present)

  7. #6
    2,000 rpm - light wheelspin, no bog here! thedguy's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2012
    Posts
    129
    Thanks Given
    0
    Thanked 1 Time in 1 Post
    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.

    Quote Originally Posted by kung fu jesus View Post
    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!

  8. #7
    2,000 rpm - light wheelspin, no bog here! phrenetiK's Avatar
    Location
    Houston, TX
    Join Date
    Jan 2012
    Posts
    180
    Thanks Given
    0
    Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts
    why dont 3/4 of the pictures load? :[

  9. #8
    Rest in Peace Ben bedheadben's Avatar
    Drives
    90 NA6
    Location
    Washington
    Join Date
    Dec 2011
    Posts
    1,092
    Thanks Given
    0
    Thanked 6 Times in 5 Posts
    They appear to be gone.
    Boss Performance Shift Knobs!

    [SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]

    adamvanxxx: I just realized the S in your logo is a header.
    hippari: my mind is so blown right now.

  10. #9
    Individual-1 ☚ ☻ ☛ Agent☣Orange's Avatar
    Location
    🍊SWFL🏝
    Join Date
    Apr 2010
    Posts
    21,588
    Thanks Given
    4,763
    Thanked 4,318 Times in 2,543 Posts
    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.

  11. #10
    1,000 rpm - releasing the clutch nubskillz's Avatar
    Drives
    '97 Black NA
    Location
    SoCal, Between GMR and ACH
    Join Date
    Jan 2012
    Posts
    57
    Thanks Given
    0
    Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts
    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?

  12. #11
    2,000 rpm - light wheelspin, no bog here! moerdogg's Avatar
    Drives
    1992 Smurf
    Location
    Salem, MA
    Join Date
    Jan 2012
    Posts
    116
    Thanks Given
    0
    Thanked 1 Time in 1 Post
    Thanks for sharing! My buddy used the shop press at work when he did his bushings, but this looks way easier.

  13. #12
    Ninja Messiah kung fu jesus's Avatar
    Drives
    1999 White
    Location
    Atlanta, GA
    Join Date
    Dec 2011
    Posts
    15,852
    Thanks Given
    2,791
    Thanked 7,202 Times in 3,433 Posts
    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.

  14. #13
    2,000 rpm - light wheelspin, no bog here! iKhanh's Avatar
    Drives
    Red 1990 NA6
    Location
    Seattle, WA
    Join Date
    Jan 2012
    Posts
    292
    Thanks Given
    42
    Thanked 43 Times in 31 Posts
    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.

  15. #14
    3,000 rpm - starting to feel the power Blueiii's Avatar
    Drives
    '91 Red (aka "Camber")
    Location
    Toledo, Ohio
    Join Date
    Feb 2012
    Posts
    604
    Thanks Given
    5
    Thanked 133 Times in 76 Posts
    +1 for pics. I'm planning on doing shocks over the winter, and might as well do bushings at the same time.
    2012: Purchased Miata, Laid off 3 days later. 4th place overall (default!), NWOR SCCA (RTR)
    2013: Budget RTR build, massive increase in participation, 3rd place overall, NWOR SCCA (RTR)
    2014: Suspension and more active competition in STS. 3rd place overall, NWOR SCCA
    2015: Time for some "form" and vintage styling (while still racing NWOR, of course).


    Check out my Miata Journal: http://mazdaroadster.net/showthread....-miata-journal

  16. #15
    1,000 rpm - releasing the clutch
    Drives
    2000 Special Edition
    Join Date
    Sep 2017
    Posts
    98
    Thanks Given
    21
    Thanked 4 Times in 3 Posts
    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.

Page 1 of 2 12 LastLast

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •