Hey all --

Well, the bushings in the rear of my 79 are shot, and I now have replacements for them (Watts links, upper and lower control links). However, I am curious as to the best/easiest way to remove the old bushings. I have heard they are quite a pain.

From what I remember from way back when, people suggested usually pounding them out or burning them out.

Has anyone replaced their rear bushings, and if so, how did you do it and how bad did it suck?

Thanks

 

Usually the easist way tog et them out is with a press or to burn them out. Theya re a PITA, theya re not reusable, so jsut crack open the tanks on your oxy-acetylene torch and let them have it.

 

I’ve had great success so far just using a couple of old sockets and my vice to press them out. Then I’ve just cleaned up the area where the new bushing goes and have pressed the new ones in place. I’ve been using energy suspension bits on the P.O.S. Racer, which go in nice & easy once you lube the snot out of them with the supplied grease.

 

Ken,

We always burn them out with a torch. I highly recommend doing this outside.

Chuck

 

Press them out, I recently replaced all my bushings underneath with the Energy Suspension poly ones. The easiest way to do it is with a hydraulic press and a few different sizes of pipe and/or sockets. Then clean the old stuck on rubber pieces left with an air grinder that has a "brillo pad" attachment or with a sharp knife and some sand paper...after that, it's a piece of cake to reinstall. Anyone ever heard of lowering the car with 1" lowering springs and the watts linkage being affected as far as binding and the likes?

 

Thanks for the input guys, it's much appreciated. Hopefully I can get to it this weekend.

Saint --

I have Racing Beat springs w/Tokico blues and the springs are supposed to lower the car close to an inch (I'm not certain it lowered her quite that far, but she's deffinately lower now). At any rate, I haven't noticed any binding problems. I have been running this setup about 5 months or so now.

 

Sounds like you've pre loaded all the links since lowering it.

You need to raise the back of the car with either blocks under the wheels or axle stands, loosen all the watts link bolts as well as all the trailing arm bolts. then give the back of the car a bit of a bounce (with no one under it) and re tighten all those bolts and nuts.

 

i did it with a propane torch and a large flat head screw driver.

 

 

Check the date on threads not on the first page, since this thread was 2 months old and supposedly resolved

 

I know I'm late to this thing, but the diagram is no longer working. I did a similiar project combining heating up the housing (safer and environmentally friendly) and using a homemade bushing puller.

I have pictures and a diagram in my article:
How-To Burn out Suspension Bushings: The Right Way - AftermarketSuspensionParts.com

I found the method easy and safe. Did anyone have issues over the years with heating up the arm?

 

NICE DREW~! thanks for link and info!!!
Goes into my RX7 Tech folder...

Stu Aull
80GS
Alaska

 

welcome to the board.

great first post. really nice work.