Upper control arm bushings

[budsaipan]

How do you remove this bushings?? I want to take the shaft off to paint them and replace bushings but just dont know how to go about it...Anyone?

[yello620]

What are you working on, you dont even have a vehicle in your profile.

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[budsaipan]

Oops my bad. I have a 79 datsun 620 with the disc brakes. Let me update my profile.

[yello620]

The easiest, non-enviro friendly way is to use a torch. Take all the hardware off the end of the shafts and warm up the metal around the bushing. Once warm enough, the bushing slides right out. These are not re-useable bushing now.

 

Re-installing them is whole different deal. Basically need pressed(or beat) in. Guanteed to mess up the new paint that you just applied. Consider using polyurethane bushings?

 

Energy suspension does not list the kit to fit the 78/79 truck though. However, the upper bushings share the same aftermarket part numbers from 78-90's. and the lower bushing is the same from 78 through the 720 series.

 

And the urethane is much easier to install.

[budsaipan]

Would the urethane bushing crack the control arms cause of its stiffness?

[yello620]

Should not be a problem at all, completely different type of motion/stress than the cracking problem found in the 510 TC rods.

[datzenmike]

I doubt it but they are stiffer. Rubber holds onto both surfaces and is pliable enough to twist back and forth whereas poly tend to be almost too stiff and will chafe and wear out. They will often squeak as well. Rubber is also a good isolator of noise and vibration where poly will transmit it.

 

Most people don't drive a vehicle enough or hard enough to feel any benefits to changing to poly suspension parts. Then there is the vehicle itself. A car is likely more to be driven in a 'performance' manner than a truck and generally a truck has a stiffer suspension to begin with. Replacing old rubber with new will make a noticeable improvement itself.

[budsaipan]

I think it will all come down to the cost and I'm sure poly is more expensive. So stock rubber it is for now! Later down the line though, I'll switch over to poly to try out which better suits me.

 

By the way, Is it really hard to press out the bushings? Local machine shop is asking $50 to press out each bushing. I was expecting no more than 5 bucks!! Fckn Rip offs.

[yello620]

They suck to press out, so $50 might be a little high. They just priced it to make it worth their hassle. $50 for each arm would be a little closer to appropriate.

 

Realize that these suck to do, and that freshly painted shaft will get clamped in a vise when you get the bushings pressed back in.

 

And reconsider the polyurethane. Yes the urethane costs more, but you dont have to pay to have them pressed in either. Should be cheaper in the long run.

 

Budsaipan-Where are you located?

[budsaipan]

True. So I should paint til they press in the bushings before paint and I think I might check out the poly ones.

 

I'm residing in Kansas City but my home is back in the islands.

[motavated]

Wth.... I just cut the top of one bushing off. And then I used a pipe and pushed both off them off in one try. Using a press. But you can figure something out. it not hard...

[motavated]

I froze the bushings to shrink them then I used spit to put them on using the washer and bolt from the arm shaft... YEP!

 

Spin the bolt and they will press in..

[budsaipan]

I was looking at your old post but didnt find anything about the upper arm bushing. Good to know though. Thanks I'll try it out. The parts been sitting in the vinegar for couple weeks. Looks brand new! No more rust at all. Anyway, I'll try it today.