Stock bush removal

[CMF_daily_ricer]

Hi all,

I've just received a whole bunch of polyurethane suspension bush kits for the front and back. My front and rear wishbone bushes are worn due to power steering leaks dissolving the rubber, so I thought I may as well replace the whole lot now the power steering is fixed.

Having never done this before, I googled how to remove the stock rubber bushes.

http://www.timskelton.com/lightning/race_prep/suspension/urethane_bushings.htm

The link above pretty much says my weekend is over and it will take me more than the afternoon I originally planned.

"The whole process took me about 20 hours, evenly divided between the burning, the prep, and the install. Between the messy burning rubber and the gooey urethane grease, the job is most unpleasant."

I had figured the stock rubber stuff would be pressed in there pretty tightly, but wasn't expecting to have to blowtorch may way through it all then repaint bits.

When I search on CMF, I only find posts where people say they have "replaced front suspension bushes", and no hints tips or guides.

So to those who have done it them selves, how have you done it???

 

[CMF_daily_ricer]

Ok so after a bit more reading, it looks like I could fudge it all and push them out with a couple bits of pipe and a vice or something.

I'll give it a shot. lol

 

[CMF_Doom]

Drill them to make it easier to remove?

 

[CMF_asdame]

check page 50 post 2467 of my blog on how i fitted my PU bushes

http://micra.org.uk/threads/pollymobiles-rebuild.35251/page-50#post-509593

 

[CMF_Mike R]

I would avoid the burning out method , the rubber gets quite messy smoky and horrible when it burns and I believe it also releases toxic fumes !!!.
its best to find suitible tubing to make a drift and press the bushes out using a vice or a old bush outer tube and a long bolt , failing that drill out the rubber of the bush , remove the center tube , and then CAREFULLY hacksaw just the outer bush tube along its length so it can be collapsed inwards and pulled out of the suspension arm .

may be worth visiting a hardware shop and picking up some long bolts , nuts and wide washers that can be used to insert the new bushes if you dont have acces to a vice , in the past I used some 10mm bolts to replace 48mm suspension bushes on a old volvo !!!!

 

[CMF_Jorpis]

where did you get the bushes from. I'm looking for all eight bushes for rear trailing arms - can't find (beside upper trailing link - but inly one side).

 

[CMF_daily_ricer]

They were the red strong-flex ones from Ebay. They didn't have the complete set for the rear trailing arms, just the top two. But yeah, I bought one of every red bush they have for the k11

http://www.ebay.com.au/sch/strong-f...&_odkw=&_osacat=0&_trksid=p3911.c0.m270.l1313

To be able to remove the stock ones, I had to drill out a whole lot of the rubber, then used g-clamps and some sockets from my socket set to press them out. To get the new ones in sucked. I needed a HEAP of grease, but then found that when pushing the metal sleeve through the new bushes, the new bushes would get pushed out of the arms. I'm not ever going to do it again by my self. Having never done it before, and not having the proper tools, it took the best part of 3 days to do the front and back of the Micra

I have a couple photos and can do a bit of a diagram of how I finally managed to get it all done. But yeah I strongly recommend that if you haven't got the right tools, get somebody else to do it for you lol.