Control Arm Bushing Install Made Easy !!

[drola]

I looked and looked for a method to install the control arm bushings on my 87 coupe and could not find any. there were plenty of write ups on how to remove them but not on actual installation. two different local shops flat out told me they didn't feel like doing it. so i was on my own.
so i got to thinking - i remember having made a puller for the install of my rear wheel bearing and figured hmmm, there might be a solution there.
so i got out the puller and had a eureka moment. i went to home depot and bought a 36" x 5/8" threaded rod, a 2" x 1 1/4" pvc reducer, some 3" square washers and nuts to fit. actually i accidentally bought one nut so i had to improvise with a vise grip.
i used oem rubber bushings since my car is for street. the instructions say to heat the bushings in boiling water and i used liquid soap to lube them.
these are the parts:


bushings before they went on:


i tried to slip both ends at once but that became a hassle so i ended up doing one end at a time



the pvc slips over one end as one of the washers holds the other (yes, i should have used another nut but it was late and h.d. was closed)


you need to be quick about it because once the rubber cools off it will stick and become difficult, which is exactly what i was trying to avoid.

and viola. here is the end result. really pretty easy and quick to do


i really hope this helps at least one pelican out there

[Jonny042]

Are these the URO parts bushings?

[shrtshck]

Wish I had seen your method before I installed mine this past spring, prefer your method to the one I used below. The threaded rod idea will keep the load naturally centered as the bushing is pressed on.

[drola]

Are these the URO parts bushings?

Yes those are uro's

[Craig_D]

That's brilliant!! I'm about to do this exact same thing with Elephant Racing rubber bushings and this is perfect!

Great idea and thanks for posting!

Cheers,

- Craig_D

[Flat Six]

Originally Posted by drola

you need to be quick about it because once the rubber cools off it will stick and become difficult, which is exactly what i was trying to avoid.

Use a deep-well socket and an impact wrench at its lowest setting and brrrrrrrpppppppppp -- installed before cooled off.

[88911coupe]

Just to clarify...you put the rubber bushing in bracket and then put both on the A Arm as a single unit? I bought the stuff to do it with clamps but this looks better. How did you account for the angles? Isn't it critical to get them on at the correct angle...or does this fix itself. Obviously no need to glue the A Arm bushing on, correct? Just ready to do this myself after working for weeks to get the darned balljoints loose. What a major PITA....

[drola]

+1 on the ball joints.
Yes, i put the bushing in the bracket but only half way. Used lots of liquid dish soap for lube. I guestimated the angle of the brackets. Regardless they do still spin on the control arm if enough force is applied so i figured i'll make final adjustments at installation time. No glue required.
Just remember to be quick or the bushing will stick to the control arm as it cools off causing the bracket to slip past the lip. I had to take one of them back off and reheat it. But that was the first one. After that they all went on easy. When it was all said and done i felt kinda foolish for stressing over it when i couldn't get a shop to do it for me. For less than 20 bucks i made made own press and did it myself which seems to always get me the best results.

Just to clarify...you put the rubber bushing in bracket and then put both on the A Arm as a single unit? I bought the stuff to do it with clamps but this looks better. How did you account for the angles? Isn't it critical to get them on at the correct angle...or does this fix itself. Obviously no need to glue the A Arm bushing on, correct? Just ready to do this myself after working for weeks to get the darned balljoints loose. What a major PITA....

[al lkosmal]

Nice job....I did this a couple of years ago on my 71E, using DIY clamp, etc..............your way is much easier. excellent.

regards,
Al

[psychogecko]

Thanks drola and Flat Six...great write up. Everything went somewhat smooth. I think I made some of the same mistakes, but I kept reading and was able to adjust properly.

[Driven97]

That's way smarter than the 2x4 / large hammer method I used.

[rusnak]

I used a hydraulic press when I installed my ER rubber bushings.

I found that although the instructions say to let the parts dry overnight, it's better to go ahead and install the a-arms immediately onto the car, and let the parts sit overnight without the struts installed. This is so that you can go ahead and align the mounting tabs while the parts are still soft.

[Url]

I used the same technique to install my bushings, thanks for that!

[pops911s]

Drola,
thank you for this method. Found everything at home depot. Install went fairly smooth.

[gtc]

If you know someone with the Elephant installation tools, you can just whack the mounts onto the control arm with a dead blow hammer.

[ChrisP911]

great write up, does anyone have the specs for the angle

[RD911T]

If you look at the rubber bushings they have an installation video where he uses a digital level to set the angles. I believe it's 15-16 degrees on the rear mount and 20 degrees on the front, but check me on that.

[ChrisP911]

OK thanks RD911T

[Tidybuoy]

That looks like a great way to do it. I used a pipe clamp when I did mine and it was very difficult to keep everything together with everything soaped up.

By the way, I saw this post after I had done mine but I remembered it and used your method this weekend when I did my rear trailing arm bushings. Thanks!

[wrxnofx]

So, this method seems like a really good way to go. However, I can't put a threaded rod through the control arm because I still have the caps on the front end of my control arms. Gonna have to use the pipe clamps...