So, how the hell do I install 'em?

 

It's zero fun.

I just did the rear half of my car (everything!) last week. You will have to burn most of the old ones out. It's like having a little tire fire going on right in front of you all afternoon. nasty.

Worth it once you're done though.

 

I've got a complete bushing set on the way so I have to do this soon. I'm probably going to hate my RX-7 after...

 

Just in the process of mine also. Alex-7 is right, burned them out after I tried to press them out with a puller. I let the hot rubber fall into a wet trash can. Still very stinky. I am looking forward to the effect. Anybody have a hernia pillow I can borrow?

 

When I did the ones on my CRX Ijust used a nice 20ton hydrolic press. Came out pretty easy. Night and day difference in my handling.

When I get some more money, I think that I am going to do this to the front of the 7. Leave the back the way it is.

 

Where did you order you bushing set from?

I am planning to do this, and I was thinking I would order the various polyurathane pieces from VB. My concern is I will get into this only to find out I am missing something. If you have a source for the complete sets that would be helpful. I assume you went with poly bushihngs.

 

Removing bushings:

Press, Might work, if it does, great, probably wont.

Drill. Drill a hole through the bushing, at the edge the outer steel. If you get lucky, the bit will try to 'walk' around the inside of the steel. If you have a steady enough hand, the bit will walk almost the entire circumferemce of the bushing. Discovered this little trick by accident. 1/4-3/8" bit, must have sharp flutes. The trick here is the flutes bite the steel to get traction to walk around the inside of the bushing holder, at the same time the flutes chew up the rubber in it's way.

Hole saw. Chucked in a drill press or the piece thightly clamped in a vise and a hand drill. Pick a diameter saw that will take most of the rubber and no steel.

Cleanup. Chuck a wire wheel in a drill. I use a die grinder, but most wire wheels have 4-4500 rpm limit. Safety glasses are a must. I have picked wire out of sweatshirts that have been laundered twice. They become little darts when rpm is exceeded or the wheel wears to much. Not fun to pull out of the flesh. A sanding paper flap wheel will work to, but not as well.

I have a 12 ton press, when I did my entire car, the drill bit worked best, once I got the technique down. The press was almost worthless.

 

What about my air hammer on my compressor? Will that work?

 

the drill bit trick works well, wouldn't really bother trying anything else.

 

Well, I took a peak at them, and they are so dried out and disgusting, I can probably cut them out with a very dull pocketknife. I'm glad I haven't tried to drive the car.

 

I bought the complete kit on Ebay from Suspension Techniques. $162 shipped, does the entire suspension, front and rear.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...tem=8029045851

 

Skip the air hammer, too easy to do damage. Not just the parts, but yourself, even the dead rubber will be kicking back at you and will absorb most of the impact of the hammer.

Glad to see some else has discovered the drill bit trick.

 

I picked up a 4 1/2" angle grinder with a cutoff wheel. Had to cut all the bolts on the front A arms then replaced with new ones. Major pain in the ****, but well worth it. I figure by the time they have worn so much that they again need to be replaced, my sons will be old enough to do it themselves.

 

Haha the drill bit trick! hahaha, I just got down to it a few weeks ago, and I decided there was no way I was burning them out so I started with a whole saw which was a bad idea (even at a low speed it smoked like crazy) then I just drilled a bunch of holes all the way around and hammered them out once there wasnt much left, on about the 2nd last one the bit caught on the metal and went around the bushing once and stopped in there prety good. I tried to get the bit out by reversing the drill and it went half way and just pushed it out downwards. Then on the last one I tried it on purpose and it worked like a charm. Definately dont waste the time any other way It worked really slick.

Since were on the topic of bushings (for you guys running the energy suspension ones)
Has anyone ever thought about just making up some softer bushings for the center of the upper controll arms? They seem to be engineered well for a 4 link setup with the 3 piece 2 durometer design but just not for the rx's unequal upper and lower links. I think at work tommorow Im gonna make up some lower durometer middle sections just for fun. If the results are worth posting at some point Ill make my own thread haha.

 

Mike,

Give us a call for a complete kit, $155.00. We are local to you.

-billy