Lower control arm bushings

[MrobsMan]

I’m working on my 1994 Chevy k1500 I’m doing a full front end rebuild and I’m about to replace the lower control arm bushings but it looks like it’s gonna be tricky. So how has everyone else done it? Post pics of tools you made or used thanks!

 

[alpinecrick]

I'd post picks of sticks of dynamite but I'm plumb out--used my last sticks on lower control arm bushings.

Heat the C-arm but don't let the rubber get so hot that it starts popping and spitting--my buddy has the burn scar to prove it.

A ball joint press in conjunction with heat is usually the best bet.

 

[MrobsMan]

I'd post picks of sticks of dynamite but I'm plumb out--used my last sticks on lower control arm bushings.

Heat the C-arm but don't let the rubber get so hot that it starts popping and spitting--my buddy has the burn scar to prove it.

A ball joint press in conjunction with heat is usually the best bet.

I was able to get the sleeve to pop loose but I’m not sure what to use to get it the rest of the way out it’s so thin there’s nothing to grab…

 

[scott2093]

I was able to get the sleeve to pop loose but I’m not sure what to use to get it the rest of the way out it’s so thin there’s nothing to grab…

I saw a video where a guy cut it down the middle and tapped the sides out...looked pretty doable..here it is

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[MrobsMan]

I saw a video where a guy cut it down the middle and tapped the 2 sides out...looked pretty doable..here it is

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I just watched that video haha I think that’ll work just fine I’m gonna try it.

 

[scott2093]

I just watched that video haha I think that’ll work just fine I’m gonna try it.

Awesome. Please update how it goes. I have a set sitting and waiting to do. Was debating doing the poly bushings like how Schurkey did them...

 

[Schurkey]

Was debating doing the poly bushings like how Schurkey did them...

I'll never install OEM-style bonded-rubber control arm bushings if I can source Polyurethane inserts for the vehicle. The labor involved in removing/replacing rubber bushings is so much greater than just cramming in Poly inserts. Not to mention that I avoid the whole business of torquing the bolts at normal ride-height, because Poly bushings aren't sensitive to that the way bonded-rubber bushings are.

I didn't even pull the torsion bars from the control arms on my '88 K1500. Slapped Poly inserts in place with the control arms hanging from the torsion bars.

Used red-handled pry bar to move the control arm down enough to get the rear bushing out.

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Heat the outer shell until the rubber gets just melty-enough that it's no longer bonded to the shell. A plain ol' propane torch is hot enough; oxy-acetelyne would be too hot--you'd have smokin' and spittin' rubber, and probably flames. When it's me, I keep a garden hose handy just in case things get more "involved" than I'd prefer. (Hard to see the propane flame in this photo...but it's there.)

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If you keep the heat on the outer shell nice 'n' even end-to-end, and all the way around as best you can access, eventually the rubber bushing will poop out with minimal effort. Sometimes I need to encourage it with a push from a metal punch. Once released from the outer shell, the rubber swells larger in diameter, but shorter in length.

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There'll be melted rubber inside when the bushing pops out. Then you need to clean-up and grease the inside of the outer shell so that the greased Poly insert will slide in nicely. I use sandpaper/emery cloth, and then Scotchbrite pads. The Poly inserts should come with "special" grease.

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Point is, you don't have to cut the bushing shell, you don't need to press another shell into the arm. No press, no special tooling. The Poly bushings last longer than the OEM rubber; but if you ever did need to replace them...they're greased instead of bonded so they come right out.

 

[Schurkey]

The downside to the Poly bushing kits for these trucks, is that they include the steel sleeves for the lower control arms, but NOT for the upper arms. The steel sleeves on the upper arms are 'bout guaranteed to be rusted to death. I had to fabricate new steel sleeves since neither Energy Suspension nor Prothane include the sleeves for the upper bushings.

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[scott2093]

The downside to the Poly bushing kits for these trucks, is that they include the steel sleeves for the lower control arms, but NOT for the upper arms. The steel sleeves on the upper arms are 'bout guaranteed to be rusted to death. I had to fabricate new steel sleeves since neither Energy Suspension nor Prothane include the sleeves for the upper bushings.

Maybe Cunningham Machine would take something like this on?

 

[someotherguy]

Maybe Cunningham Machine would take something like this on?

An excellent suggestion, as many won't have the tools or materials ready-at-hand to make what is a pretty simple item, but necessary in this situation.

Richard