Control Arms Bushings: Can I get them out?

I got the Energy Suspension Bushing Kit, and the last thing I've gotta put on is the Control Arm Bushings. My question is, can I put these on, or do I need to get a shop to press them in (or out) :eek7:

Yes (with the right tools) you can do it. I took the arms right off the car (not necessary), drilled holes all the way around the edge of the old bushing, and used a hand scroll saw to cut between the holes to remove the majority of the rubber. I cleaned the remaining rubber out with a drill and wire wheel. We used a hand press to get the new ones in but the directions included work too. Let me know if you need them. GL

get a propane torch and light the bushings on fire to make them really brittle. then just punch them out with a chisel or a sharpened screw driver and then use a dremel or another similar tool to clean the holes the remainder

ok well i have a back up car, curious how much a place would charge me to press the new bushing in cause i dont have a hydrolic press....friend said he get it done for me but i know when it comes time he wont come through...and how many hours you say press all bushing in 45 min -1 hr?

A torch takes about 10 mins for both sides just heat them up till they start to melt and push them out its really easy.

what about the trailing arms?....also do i need a hydralic press? or can i just push them all in with tools lying around the house?

If you want you can just bring the parts to a garage, they will charge a minimal amount to do the press work. GL

ya i didnt know caus ei know for them to take them out and put them in they want over 400 bucks...i was like damnn

You can melt those out too. What I did was melt the rubber and the cut the outer ring you will see once you get the rubber out what I mean. Ya spend a few bucks and get a butane torch and do it your self it really easy just kinda smelly.

shop shouldnt charge you more than $40 to do that, you can buy a hydrolic press for less than 200 and do it yourself for that much.

where would they sell hydrolic press at?

freight harbor sells them, shipping is expensive,. You should have a wholesale tool store in your area, every town has a one or two. Generally sell really low quality shit for real cheep, kinda like a flea market, you can usually find them at those places for $100-$150.

When people say it's "easy" to use the torch and saw method. Dont let them fool you. It is not easy. It is a pain in the ass, and time consuming. Most machine shops will charge you $20-$30 an hour to press them out.

There is a small part of the inner metal sleeve that sticks out, put it in a vise and work the control arm in a circle to break the inner sleeve loose and pull it out. use a hacksaw blade to cut through the outer metal sleeve, then use a flat head or chisle to get it out. Be careful not to cut to far with the hacksaw. This is if you are like me and have more time than money, but not hard to do.

Found a company that makes aluminum bushings, accually there bearings insted of bushings, supposed to great. I'll have to find the name of the place, they make them for 4th gens though.

after burning it out or whatever, it looks like you ought to be able to just push it right in. i was thinking of changing mine out sometime soon and didn't think it looked difficult enough to need a special tool to put it in. if i ran into trouble, i was going to try putting the new ones in the freezer for a few hours before installation to make them contract slightly, and maybe heat up the area they insert into to expand the hole a bit to allow a little extra room to play with.

if that doesn't let them slide in easily i'd try something else before going to a shop. i was thinking about it and the best i could come up with was to use a vice clamp of some type and 4 pieces of wood. i can't remember if the insert sticks out when it's all the way in or not. i'd use one piece on one side of the vice to push the insert into the hole, i'd use the other 3 on the other side. put two down next to the opening, and one over those to bridge the gap (hold all these in place somehow with tape i guess until i get the clamp on) the little bridge i'm thinking of will allow the insert to stick out on the other side when it's all the way in, if it needs to. put the vice on and tighten it down as if it were a press of some type.

anyway, i'll eventually get to this project. i've got a brake line or two to change, and some other more pressing issues with my dad's 87 crx's suspension (sister ran it into a ditch and bent the mess out of the lower control arm, and i need to find one in a junkyard)

I know the energy suspension ones go in pretty easy, and make a hell of a difference