1st Generation Specific (1979-1985) 1979-1985 Discussion including performance modifications and technical support sections

bushing replacement!

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Old May 2, 2008 | 07:04 AM
  #1  
ZeikHunter's Avatar
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The Baxter
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From: San Antonio, TX
bushing replacement!

ok, about a year ago i bought some poly bushings. then the military intervened and everything just kinda went south.

so now i need to know how/where to replace these bushings. if there isnt a pictorial walkthrough, then maybe ill go ahead and make one. IIRC, i bought the 'complete kit' or somesuch, so i need to know where the follwing go:

2x Sway bar end link bushing kit
2X Tie rod end kit
2x Sway bar bushing kit
Watt's link kit
Control arm bushings
4-link C.A.B.
strut rod bushings

i did a cursory search for "bushing kit install", didnt turn up anything worthwhile.
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Old May 2, 2008 | 07:32 AM
  #2  
Glazedham42's Avatar
Resurrecting Gus
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Climb under there with your new parts in hand and start looking around. You'll easily find all of the parts that you will be replacing. The new energy suspension parts will look identical to the old ones, minus the dirt. The only items that are really kinda tricky are the old bushings on the control arms, front and rear. They are stubborn sometimes. You'll need to either press them out, or burn them out with a torch. Installing the new bushings really is a breeze.

Good luck! Let us know if you need help with the specifics when you get going.
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Old May 2, 2008 | 07:55 AM
  #3  
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The Baxter
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From: San Antonio, TX
Originally Posted by Glazedham42
Climb under there with your new parts in hand and start looking around. You'll easily find all of the parts that you will be replacing. The new energy suspension parts will look identical to the old ones, minus the dirt. The only items that are really kinda tricky are the old bushings on the control arms, front and rear. They are stubborn sometimes. You'll need to either press them out, or burn them out with a torch. Installing the new bushings really is a breeze.

Good luck! Let us know if you need help with the specifics when you get going.
i was hoping itd be something that simple, and im well aware of those corntol arm issues. ill see if i can take some pics of the process so that other noobs like me wont be so lost.
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Old May 2, 2008 | 12:20 PM
  #4  
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Resurrecting Gus
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From: Indiana
If you have any problems at all let me know. I just finished mine up about a month ago, so it's all still fresh in my mind.

Good luck,
Jamie
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Old May 2, 2008 | 01:16 PM
  #5  
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The Baxter
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From: San Antonio, TX
ok buddy, been fighting this thing all day and only managed to get halfway through the front sway bar bushings. the long metal washer thing is pretty much welded to the bolt, keeping me from removing the whole thing. tell me you have some magic thatll work on it, or ami just gonna have to cut the head off the bolt and remove it that way?
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Old May 2, 2008 | 04:18 PM
  #6  
Fatman513's Avatar
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From: Cincinnati, OH
If you're talking about the front swaybar endlinks passing through the control arm, just cut the long bolt.
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Old May 3, 2008 | 12:31 PM
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From: tewksbury, ma
yeah my sway bar end links where rusted and bent so i wound up just cutting them. i go my kit from billy before he started selling he "re-speed kit". since i bought his front sway bar, i have a extra set of endlink's. i was going to give them to a member on this site. i sent them out but i wrote the wrong address and they got sent back to me.

i found its so much easyer to just put the part that has the old bushings in them on the ground and lay a map gas bottle next to them and watch them burn away. once there really on fire and boiling ect just use a screw driver to push them out.

i used a vise to press the new ones is. the control arms where so hard to put back on i had to shave the bushing down a bit with some 80 grit paper and used a wooden block and hammer to get them in to place.

o yeah this only happened once when i was burning the bushings out(this happened at night thank god). one half of the bushing and the metal tube shot out of the rear control arms it looked like a tracer round flying from my drive way. thank good it was night time so i could see where it went and put the fire out.
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Old May 3, 2008 | 08:59 PM
  #8  
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Resurrecting Gus
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From: Indiana
Yeah, the end links in the front sway bar are a pain. They are always rusted together so bad that you can't get them apart. I couldn't get the bolt out of the sleeve on mine either. I ended up cutting the head off of the bolt with my angle grinder. As long as you don't damage you front control arms, you can do whatever you want to that endlink. You've got a new one to replace it with anyway...

Jamie
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