Bottom A-Arm bushes

[tealz83]

I'm replacing the bottom A-Arm in the front of my UBS69 Bighorn. Some people might might call it the Lower control arm.
After removing the arm and torsion bar etc.. I now have to press out the bushes that are in the mounts connected/welded to the chassis.
Bloody tight!!!!
Making up a puller by machining down a 1" 3/8 socket to suit. The front and rear bushes are different sizes if anyone needs to know.
Anyone else changed these?

Reason for changing bushes is because my drivers side front wheel moves up and down as per normal, BUT is moving backward a fair bit too.
Tyre rubs on inner gaurd sometimes and the left side isn't as bad.
I've had someone else driving it a hill while I was watching and backward movment is very noticeable

[isuzurob]

i have done the top arm and bottom arm bushes in my ubs55 did them in my press with a socket and different size exhaust pipe cut to fit, a few bad words were said, good luck

[geeves]

these get tested every wof. I would of said hydrolic press required and take the arms to your local garage. Nitedemon did his upper bushes at home and used a 12mm plate on top of the socket to pull it through with a fine thread 14mm bolt. plate looked like a tin can that had been hit with a sledge hammer afterwards

[tealz83]

Started with the bottom rear bush first. So bloody tight it was bending 12mm plate steel I used as part of my puller.
It hasn't moved even a little bit
Using the gas plant I burnt out the inner rubber bush and now just have the outter steel casing to remove.
Plan is to cut the outter with a hacksaw in 3 places and knock it out.
Doing it after work at night so its taking a few days to do it.Wishing I had taken it to a suspension shop now haha.

[slightlydodgy]

Not to late to go to a shop just don't go to your local - go at least an hour away and wear a disguise. I did my own once ---never again!!!

[NateDog]

I know the feeling ...I did my lower left hand a arm bushes at home in the garage and it was a tuff old battle. I used a gas burner to melt the center bushes out first. Then used a hacksaw to make two cuts the outer shell. The bushes dropped out with a hammer and punch. That was the easy bit. I then made a home made threaded rod puller out of a standard scissor car jack (google it there bloody handy). But I managed to break the threaded rod due to the new style nylon bushings being very tight and it basically binded up 3/4 way in So i removed the bushing trying not to damage it and then took a grinder and flap wheel to the outer shell very lightly removing a few thou of metal so as to not melt the bushing material. I also thoroughly cleaned and buffed the bores of the bushing housings again. After making a new threaded rod puller out of high tensile rod and welded 2 extra long rod joiner nuts together to increase the surface area on the rod (one nut will strip out to easy). Lubed everything up and they both pulled in easier the second time round. I had a mate with a lathe skim the right hand side bushes up for me, knocking off a few thou and they still were tight to get in.....but there in and working a treat. Just on Nolathane bushes they dont flex as good as rubber and tend to squeak when the assembly lube wears off. But they do last longer. If you could get a hollow centre porta power you might get them in with out having to remove some bushing outer shell material?? but they are expensive to buy and hire. Good luck to those who give it a go! Cheers

[tealz83]

Last saturday I finished off replacing that bootm back a arm bush. Never again!!!
I did what NateDog did also, gas out rubber centre, cut out outer steel section with air hacksaw. Pressed in new bush with made up puller. Bloody tight after
it got about 1/2 way in.
Its done now and with new 33" Slivertone 117 xtreams on the truck goes anywhere

[damo667]

I've just failed a warrant on my lower control arm bushes
I've done the upper ones, took the arms off and used my mates 15t press just had to cut a few spacers if I remember so I didn't bend the arm.

the lowers look like more fun.. the bushes aren't in the arm so that method wont work, I'll have to get under there with a puller I guess.
I presume the torsion bars have to come off? is there a knack to it to get them off and back on with the same tension?
I dont want to stuff my tracking up?

Cheers Guys

Damo

[stardog]

I remember when I done the mu a while back top and bottom what a fun job it was to do.
What a nightmare doing them the bottom ones I ended up drilling the rubber out then had to cut the metal sleeve and used drill punch and hammer them to get them out very fine wet and dry sand paper to clean the holes up and they pressed in very easy then.
The top arms was worst to do I nearly bent them out of shape but I got them in the end.
But now im about to do the same on the wizard but this time I have a bush removing kit for GM- Isuzu I got sent over from the states to do them so should be pretty easy this time round.
Im cheating doing the top bushes I bought new top control arms complete with bushes and ball joints already installed I think they was about $ 130 each delivered.

[damo667]

Yeah its a great way to spend a weekend
I already did the top ones, using a hydraulic press helped, I had to put a bit of angle iron between the two bushes to stop the arm from bending.
But 130 each isn't bad when you consider all the labour its going to save you!

I was thinking about getting a bush/bearing press for the job but cant find a good one, where did you get your GM/ Isuzu one from? was it expensive?