2G Preferred bushing method

[pauleyman]

I've done bushings before but I'm a little stuck and trying to avoid work. I'm working on this 2g fwd in the rear. I've got a knuckle off the car but it's a little crusty. I didn't want to remove the hub and bearing if I don't have to. Do you guys have a favorite method for bushing removal and reassembly? Hub in or out?Clearance is tight but looks doable with hub in place.
Basically...im lazy. I typically cut out the rubber and then cut the sleeve and beat it out. Push new bushing with the most convenient method, vice, press, clamp etc. Whatever is necessary.
Help me perpetuate my laziness.
It's been some years since I've done this.

 

[CrackedDSM]

Burn them out. As a bonus the metal sleeve should be nice and brittle afterwords. Could take a sawzall and just cut the sleeve directly opposite each other afterwords (in half basically) and should come out. Did that on a friends car recently and it was much easier. We chilled and ate pizza while waiting for the bushings to finish burning off/away. Afterwords they came out with a hammer and chisel easy AF.

 

[jdxnc]

I made a video on it a while back, burning is nasty, hole saw is faster/easier.

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[jakelandry]

I second the hole saw. Air hammer the sleeve out by hitting the lip at a 45* angle if it has one.

 

[pauleyman]

I second the hole saw. Air hammer the sleeve out by hitting the lip at a 45* angle if it has one.

Yeah I'm already through 2 of them just wish I could remove the hub easily rather than working around it. No way I'm trying unless I have to. Reinstalling the parking brake will suck also.

 

[92AWDHX40]

I just burned them out took a bit

 

[danl]

If you don’t have a hole saw, I drill the bushing with a drill bit to weaken it enough to cut out or press out the inner sleeve. Then string the blade of a hack saw into it and slice the outer shell. Finally use a chisel to lift an edge inward and it nearly falls out. Maybe a couple light swings with a hammer at most.

 

[Bigmike4g63t]

I recently changed out the bushings on my control arm. I used a small propane torch and heated it for about 5 minutes. 2 whacks with a 3# hammer and it popped right out.

 

[pauleyman]

I'm not having any trouble with it. Just wasn't 100% sure if I needed to remove the hub. Although i haven't gotten to the parking brake yet. With the hub in the way that's gonna be fun. I'll report back once I'm on putting it back in.
Btw for any body reading the hole saw really does work extremely well. I had forgotten about it until I found my own damn post 4 years ago. Make sure it's long enough to go all the way through.

 

[pauleyman]

DSMs were built to just piss people off. I don't remember this before but I got to the last bushing on the knuckle, same size as the other two. I didn't notice it under the dirt and just started the holesaw and it wasn't going. Turns out this shell is barrel shaped where the other two are straight cylinders. Smaller holesaw got it but jeez...why?

 

[FIBA M - EC17PSE]

Removal of suspension bushes for poly bushes (or any other bushes)

While this subject is widely known its not always easy so i wanted to share away i did mine today which took no time at all and zero burning of the rubber or fire hazard!This is not limited to suspension bushes but subframe bushes or engine mounts etc etc. This will help most situations out...

www.dsmtuners.com

 

[CrackedDSM]

DSMs were built to just puss people off. I don't remember this befire but I got to the last bushing on the knuckle, same size as the other two. I didn't notice it under the dirt and just started the holesaw and it wasn't going. Turns out this shell is barrel shaped where the other two are straight cylinders. Smaller holesaw got it but jeez...why?

Not laughing at your suffering, I'm laughing because I've 100% been there with mine. Laugh through the tears.

 

[pauleyman]

Removal of suspension bushes for poly bushes (or any other bushes)

While this subject is widely known its not always easy so i wanted to share away i did mine today which took no time at all and zero burning of the rubber or fire hazard!This is not limited to suspension bushes but subframe bushes or engine mounts etc etc. This will help most situations out...

www.dsmtuners.com

It's funny, don't know if you noticed I posted in that thread and I had forgotten what troubles I had last time. Don't remember running into the different shaped shells though.

 

[FIBA M - EC17PSE]

It's funny, don't know if you noticed I posted in that thread and I had forgotten what troubles I had last time. Don't remember running into the different shaped shells though.

I don't remember who posts where these days I post so many places and i try to check back once in a while to see if any new questions arise.

i think the lower shells are smaller then the upper shell. only from memory though but i got the other knuckle to do at some point so will update the sizes when i do that

 

[pauleyman]

Alright. Screw this. Revoke my wiseman status. How on earth do you get the knuckle bushing that is closest to the hub in? I can't see a way to do it without removing the hub and backing plate. i was really trying to avoid that. Would have probably been easier with the knuckle still on the car and a slide hammer. I'm giving up for the evening. I can't put the knuckle in the press. doesn't really fit without fabbing up a bunch of crap. Really doesn't get close enough with the vise with the backing plate there. Brian did it on the car, never removed the knuckle. I vote him super wiseman status. I'll probably remove the damn hub tomorrow.

 

[FIBA M - EC17PSE]

Alright. Screw this. Revoke my wiseman status. How on earth do you get the knuckle bushing that is closest to the hub in? I can't see a way to do it without removing the hub and backing plate. i was really trying to avoid that. Would have probably been easier with the knuckle still on the car and a slide hammer. I'm giving up for the evening. I can't put the knuckle in the press. doesn't really fit without fabbing up a bunch of crap. Really doesn't get close enough with the vise with the backing plate there. Brian did it on the car, never removed the knuckle. I vote him super wiseman status. I'll probably remove the damn hub tomorrow.

What style bush you trying to install? Prothane slip in, ES are a cotton reel so require a studded bar and washers to force it in with LOTS OF LUBE. Its why i hate ES bushes. Its annoying to do.

Oem type metal sleeves are require a bar and washers and a very clean bore. Those are bigger in OD so they squish in to not spin

 

[19Eclipse90]

What style bush you trying to install? Prothane slip in, ES are a cotton reel so require a studded bar and washers to force it in with LOTS OF LUBE. Its why i hate ES bushes. Its annoying to do.

I thought about it and arrived at this same conclusion overnight. I did this 7 years ago on the FWD 2G and can verify I used the Prothane kit. If memory serves, it was for just this reason.

 

[pauleyman]

I'm going after the threaded rod method later today. I specifically didn't choose prothane as I've heard too much about the durometer differences vs energy suspension. I'm also tempted to cut this damn thing in half.

 

[FIBA M - EC17PSE]

I thought about it and arrived at this same conclusion overnight. I did this 7 years ago on the FWD 2G and can verify I used the Prothane kit. If memory serves, it was for just this reason.

I dont know why ES swap and change as the 1G kit is all slip in as i used them recently on a restoration but the 2G ones in the rear at least are not! And it baffles me why they did that

I'm going after the threaded rod method later today. I specifically didn't choose prothane as I've heard too much about the durometer differences vs energy suspension. I'm also tempted to cut this damn thing in half.

Prothane is a tad softer but not alot, a guess of about 80A rated, ES is almost a stiff 90A rating and has little to zero flex. Personally having used both now prothanes quality is better. They both work of course and will do the job

 

[DogWhistle]

This thread is proof that there’s always more to learn about DSMs. Thanks @pauleyman for bringing this topic back up. Bushing replacement is is the near future for our 2G, so we’re reading this with interest.

What style bush you trying to install? Prothane slip in, ES are a cotton reel so require a studded bar and washers to force it in with LOTS OF LUBE. Its why i hate ES bushes. Its annoying to do.

Oem type metal sleeves are require a bar and washers and a very clean bore. Those are bigger in OD so they squish in to not spin

@EC17PSE, does the compression of the Prothane bushings keep the bushings “pressed” into the arms and stop any rotation?

Prothane is a tad softer but not alot, a guess of about 80A rated, ES is almost a stiff 90A rating and has little to zero flex. Personally having used both now prothanes quality is better. They both work of course and will do the job

This is great information. Always thought the hardness was the other way around. For comparison, what is the approximate hardness of a new rubber bushing?

Any member that has had experience with Prothane and/or ES, we would like to hear your evaluation of the ride quality afterwards.

 

[FIBA M - EC17PSE]

This thread is proof that there’s always more to learn about DSMs. Thanks @pauleyman for bringing this topic back up. Bushing replacement is is the near future for our 2G, so we’re reading this with interest.

@EC17PSE, does the compression of the Prothane bushings keep the bushings “pressed” into the arms and stop any rotation? The OD of the smaller part of the top had is bigger so its tighter vs a slip fit. Once you do the arm bolt up it grips the sleeve and rotates on that as it should by design.

This is great information. Always thought the hardness was the other way around. For comparison, what is the approximate hardness of a new rubber bushing? They may change depending on chassis possible for ES. Ones i fitted into a 1G you could not squish them at all or put your nail into them. The prothanes you can. As for rubber im unsure on oem ratings. A softer PU is 60A so rubber might be about 40-50 as a guess. Also depends on location as some rubber is tougher for say shock mounts vs arms so naturally its stiffer rubber bland

Any member that has had experience with Prothane and/or ES, we would like to hear your evaluation of the ride quality afterwards.

 

[pauleyman]

This thread is proof that there’s always more to learn about DSMs. Thanks @pauleyman for bringing this topic back up. Bushing replacement is is the near future for our 2G, so we’re reading this with interest.

@EC17PSE, does the compression of the Prothane bushings keep the bushings “pressed” into the arms and stop any rotation?

This is great information. Always thought the hardness was the other way around. For comparison, what is the approximate hardness of a new rubber bushing?

I've heard the same. Prothane being very stiff compared to ES

Any member that has had experience with Prothane and/or ES, we would like to hear your evaluation of the ride quality afterwards.

 

[athlete3344]

I ended up using a ball joint press to press in the bushing and a 1/2"-3/4" thick piece of wood to help guide it in since it never wanted to press in straight. Not sure how much space you have, but the stick of wood helped a ton and didnt damage the bushing. I went from fighting them for 15min to getting them easily pressed in within about 2 or 3.

 

[curt-s]

I made a video on it a while back, burning is nasty, hole saw is faster/easier.

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I'm fairly certain I wouldn't have thought about that even as I looked around my tool kit and moved my box of hole saws around to see what I had not in that box.

 

[pauleyman]

Well....I just found the other half of my bushing kit that I didn't install 7 years ago. No wonder I don't remember because I didn't do it. Car has been down 6 years and this new one has taken precedence short term. The one bushing on the spindle would not go. I had it in and the lip folded on the backside preventing full install. Only lacked about 1/16",Center sleeve would not go in no matter what. I spent an hour. I finally destroyed it, cut another one in half and put it in. I will not do another es bushing kit. I did 2 1gs no problem. This just baffles me. I used so much lube you could've called me P Diddy. Too soon???