Hey guys,

I finally got to do some work on my car today. Feels like it's been forever. I have replaced all the suspension bushings except for the front control arms, of which I am in the process. The spherical bushings are easily pressed out with a standard bearing puller. That was a quick and easy task, no sockets or bolts needed. Took 5 minutes.

Where I had to think was on the pillow block type bushings. These bushings go around a machined post on the control arm. If they were just rubber, you could just cut them off with a knife, but they have a steel collar in the middle of the bushing, making them more difficult to remove. There have been posts in the past mentioning torching the rubber off, or using an angle grinder. I have found a better method. Home Depot sells a Milwaukee Multi-Tool that works like an electric shaver. I put on the metal blade and it got right through the outer rubber and steel collar with minimal effort. Beats smoking up the garage with burning rubber. You can also use a light hand so you don't cut into the post on the control arm once you cut through the collar. Once you have the collar cut from end to end, you can either pry open the collar to remove the bushing, or make a second cut on the opposite side of the bushing. To me this tool just saved me a bunch of stinking rubber and yelling, so I figured I'd pass it on. The tool is about $100. I picked it up to do a bunch of home improvement work and so far I've got my money's worth out of it.

 

I usually use a bearing separator and a hydraulic press to remove those bushings. Takes less than a minute once the piece is positioned in the press.

 

That would work pretty well too. I still need to get a set of those. Appreciate the post