A-arm removal - need help

[ja78911sc]

I have removed my torsion bar. I am attempting to remove the a-arm from the cross member and the bushing is pitching me a fit. I have wiggled it (a-arm), pulled on it, pried between the cross-member and the arm - no success.

Is there a trick to removal? Penetrating oil on the bushing?

P.S. if your wondering everything else has been removed except the shock. It is still attached to the arm but has been dropped from the top shock housing.

Thanks,
Jim

[450knotOffice]

I'm a little unclear about this. I apologize if this sounds like a stupid question, but I have to ask anyway. Did you remove the steel cover and three bolts that hold the front of the A-arm to the suspension pan?

[ja78911sc]

Yes, everything is removed - I am having trouble sliding the a-arm out of the cross-member.
Thanks,
Jim

[450knotOffice]

OK. Sorry. I had to ask.

There is a bolt that goes straight up through the rear A-arm bushing up into the crossmember. Is that out? If you remove that then you'll pull the entire bushing assembly out of the crossmember.

Or you could just remove the A-arm's and crossmember as a single unit and then work on it in your garage. Pulling the crossmember is a piece of cake.

[ja78911sc]

Thanks for the reply Scott. As my last resort, I had planned on removing the cross-member.
Thanks,
Jim

[Breeang]

Bump

[Eric P]

Torch.

(I just did this and fortunately I'm going to move to hard bushings so saving the old didn't matter. Torched the metal just enough to make the old rubber soft and they came right apart. I will say I had the whole assembly, a-arms and crosspiece off the car...)

[450knotOffice]

Here is what I'm talking about. That bolt goes straight up into the crossmember and then up into the chassis itself. If you remove that bolt the bushing carrier will come right out. Note that Muffin Man pulled the A-arm and bushing out of the rear mount. He noted later in his thread that he should have just pulled the mount with the bushing in it.

Your old rubber bushing is what's keeping it in there. When I was in your situation I pulled the big bolt that holds the mount to the crossmember. The mount will pull right out ridiculously easy if you do it that way. Then you can worry about removing the mount from the A-arm while it's sitting on your workbench.

Trust me on this. Try it.

[Eric P]

Yep.

[ja78911sc]

Scott,

I completely understand now! Thanks for posting the pics!!!

Thanks again,
Jim

[boyt911sc]

This is the A-arm with the bushing:

The old bushing will come off easily using a puller.

Tony

[safe]

Or by heating it with a propane torch and twisting it of with a BIG screwdriver.

[Eric P]

More fun with a torch...and I have a nice burn mark on my left forearm to prove it...