"cutting out" trailing arm bushing sleaves...

[einreb]

I'm being a stubborn s.o.b. and dont want to remove the trailing arm to get the trailing arm bushing 'sleeves' out (installing monoballs).

I heated and punched and the damn things havent moved. Any suggestions before i pull the arms off? I'm thinking that i could 'lightly' cut them out with a hacksaw blade (doing my best to not cut the arms). I saw one post that referenced this... anyone ever actually do it?

F!@#$ suspension work sucks.

-bernie

(edited for spelling... sleaves != sleeves)

[arrivederci]

I had the trailing arms on a bench in a vise. Even then, it took some major pounding to get the factory sleeves out. I can't imagine that you'd get them out without removing the arms or hacking up your trailing arms.

For installation, I put the monoballs in the freezer for a few hours and heated up the trailing arm with a torch. They slipped right in. But I did have a tough time getting the snap rings to seat.

On my '72, I also had to drop the engine/tranny to get to the trailing arm bolts...

[Dan J]

Bernie,
It's at least 6 times harder trying to do it without removing the arm from the car maybe 16 times. Stop being stubborn, take it out ,clean it up nice, replace the bushing whilst standing upright it'll make it suck alot less
Good Luck,
Dan J

[cowtown]

Without pulling the arms, how did you even get the trailing arm bushings out of the "box" that holds them (the one that the bolt runs through, by the torsion tube) to begin with?

I did this job on my '75, and can't imagine changing these bushings without the arms on the workbench. Just another vote to pull the arms off...maybe the '88 is different, but I can't imagine it would be any easier.

[einreb]

Originally posted by cowtown
Without pulling the arms, how did you even get the trailing arm bushings out of the "box" that holds them (the one that the bolt runs through, by the torsion tube) to begin with?

I unbolted everything and supported the trailing arm with a jack and a jackstand.

There's lots of references to this being done... but its a pain in the ars to get the bushing sleaves off laying on your back (on a cold concrete floor).

I might just have to suck it up pull them off.

[einreb]

Noah, I may try giving it another shot... but the punch just drilled through the sleeve. I may need to shop for a curved chisel to get a better bite on the damn thing.

Anyone else got any thoughts on the 'cutting' method?

[Mike Bonkalski]

Bernie,

Just take them out. It will make you life so much easier. I did them this summer and I can imagine trying to do the job the the trailing arms still on the car.

Just remove the CV and shock bolts and undo the brake lines (block the pedal down first) and remove the calipers/disks. Why spend time lying on a cold concrete floor with room to work?

(edit)
The sleeve is two pieces. Just use the punch and hammer to get out the one half and use a socket and hammer combo to remove the other half. When I took mine out, I noticed that there is a hollow are behind a portion of the sleeve. This is probably why you punched through it. You will be able to work all the way around the sleeve if you take the arm out.

[Jim2]

Bernie, I just did the same procedure only on a work bench. Like others, I too noticed that a punch mearly removes small chuncks but will not unseat the bushings. Instead, I used a die grinder to thin out the bushing wall in a line along the length of the bushings, and at the flange (similar to scoring with a hack saw), then with the punch I simply folded the bushings inwards at the newly created thin point. This relieved the radial tension retaining the bushings, and they came out easily. There was not so much as even a mark on the eye of trailing arms when done.

Regards
Jim