Lower Control Arm Bushing Removal Without a Press

[BCbrad]

Hello,
I am rebuilding the control arms, installing new lowering springs, new shocks and new sway bars. Upper control arm was pretty straight forward. But I am struggle at removing the lower pivot and bushings. Is it possible to remove them with your typical garage tools?

I did a search on the forum and there seems to be a variety of questions and answers, but nothing really clicked for me. Any tips?

I had considered just buying assembled control arms, but I have not had luck getting parts in a timely fashion across the Canada-US border. That and the dollar exchange, and the added cost of shipping four chunks of steel across 1000 miles.

[vandor]

> Is it possible to remove them with your typical garage tools?

Not as far as I know. I've seen some very specialized tools that substituted a press, but it'd be a lot easier to take your arms to a shop and have them press in/out the bushings.

> ... I have not had luck getting parts in a timely fashion across the Canada-US border.

Most of our Canadian customers usually get their parts within a week of placing their order.

[DieselSpider]

Most of the better auto parts stores will loan out the bushing press tool at no charge however many will do it with a sturdy bench vise and a few large wrench sockets or close pipe nipples.

Here is an example using the free loaner tool that most parts stores have available for you to borrow:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aPbL9HTHZg0

[micbrody]

I was able to hammer out first lower bushing by hammering on the end of the pivot rod. First , to protect threads, thread on the end bolt so you don't damage threads on pivot bolt. Brace a-arm on a solid surface (I used the flat part of a table vise). Then hammer away. The force will be transmitted to the inside washer of pivot arm on opposite end of pivot arm. This will push out the bushing from the opposite side of a-arm from your hammer.
Once bushing pops out, then remove nut and slide out pivot arm.
The second pushing can be pressed with vise/ or hammered out by finding a correct diameter hex wrench/ or hex wrench socket that lines up with diameter of out bushing.
I did this for first a-arm. The second a-arm seemed to need more hammer force. I started to get worried that hard hammering might deform a-arm (probably not; and my tennis elbow was bothering me!). So I went to advanced auto, and they had a free loaner bushing press kit. That's how I finished job. But theoretically , I could have done entire job without bushing press tool kit

[BEEK]

I use an air chisel to remove the bushings, i just walk them from side to side a little and they come right out. as for installation, on the lowers i just use a socket or bushing driver that fits on the collar and drive them in with a hammer. The upper bushings i use 2 sockets and a vice. I have a press and press tools available. i just prefer this method. i have replaced 100's of control arm bushings this way over the years. And by doing it this way i can replace the lower bushings without removing the control arm from the car. Much faster in the repair industry. If i am restoring a car i would remove the arms and do it on a bench.

[DieselSpider]

I use an air chisel to remove the bushings, i just walk them from side to side a little and they come right out. as for installation, on the lowers i just use a socket or bushing driver that fits on the collar and drive them in with a hammer. The upper bushings i use 2 sockets and a vice. I have a press and press tools available. i just prefer this method. i have replaced 100's of control arm bushings this way over the years. And by doing it this way i can replace the lower bushings without removing the control arm from the car. Much faster in the repair industry. If i am restoring a car i would remove the arms and do it on a bench.

Yep - Air chisels/hammers are our friends. Had a multi-hp compressor for years that only sprayed paint until I wised up and got some air tools. Even a $10 air hammer from Harbor Freight can be worth its weight in Gold when dealing with stubborn parts. Also works on cement block, concrete, brick, sheet metal, etc.


http://www.harborfreight.com/air-impact ... 92037.html

[v6spider]

I modified my big vise so that I could remove the lower control arm bushings with the greatest of ease. I use no hammers no chisel, no air chisel.. Putting bushings in my method is super easy, and takes just a few minutes to do..

Rob