Everyone probably understands how to remove old bushings by burning or pressing the rubber components out (typically with rented ball joint tools), then using a hacksaw to *carefully* remove the remaining aluminum shells that are left behind. This works, but there is a risk of damaging the aluminum control arms if you are careless with your cutting tool - and it takes a pretty decent amount of time. There appear to be no existing ball joint sets that will work on the LCA large bushing, as you need a receiving tube that is at least 3" ID. The UCA are also oddly sized and have a flange, making them more challenging to remove with a typical C-clamp ball joint tool.
Alternatively, you could take your upper and lower control arms to a nearby machine shop and let them do this for your, but of course that will cost you for their time plus the drive, and if you're like me it will take you a few phone calls to even find such a place.
I opted for the "buy another tool" DIY program, so I figure I'd share the results here:
Harbor Freight 12 ton floor press, $106 with a coupon. Not amazing, but it works and will have plenty of uses on down the road. I "rented" a ball joint kit from the local auto store to use their selection of tubes. A selection of larger sockets (36mm worked for me) will be helpful for the various bushing sizes.
I was expecting the Lower Control Arm bushings to be the most challenging due to their sizes; but this was actually easy once I was able to orientate things correctly:
LCA "big" bushing: see photo
LCA "small" bushing: see photo - this one has a rubber lip on both sides, I did not need to cut anything as I had a sleeve from the ball joint kit that fit just fine. This bushing took the most effort and some WD40 to help it slip out.
UCA bushings: these were all the same size, and had a sleeve. Here I again used a sleeve from the ball joint kit with a 36mm socket to press the bushings out.
In my case, I bought brand new suspension arms mostly so I wouldn't have to have my Wagon down for several days (and use a rental to get around) while I putzed around with figuring out the bushing removal. I think this took all of about an hour, taking my time to experiment with angles and whatnot. For me, it was cheaper this way as I will be able to resell the spare suspension pieces and avoid downtime on my DD. I was also able to sell the brand new, unmolested bushings for a few bucks to offset the cost of the press - or around $60 and saving myself several hours with a torch and hacksaw.
This is not the only way, just showing that, for a C-note your bushing swap can be a LOT easier.
As an aside, I will also try to list the bushing sizes for anyone interested in cross-referencing or sourcing their own poly bushings - and I'll double check the OD sizes against the control arm openings over the next few days.
LCA "big" bushing: 2 7/8" OD (of the sleeve), approximately 2.720" long
LCA "little" bushing: ~2.1_" OD, 2.130" long
UCA bushings (both):
Alternatively, you could take your upper and lower control arms to a nearby machine shop and let them do this for your, but of course that will cost you for their time plus the drive, and if you're like me it will take you a few phone calls to even find such a place.
I opted for the "buy another tool" DIY program, so I figure I'd share the results here:
Harbor Freight 12 ton floor press, $106 with a coupon. Not amazing, but it works and will have plenty of uses on down the road. I "rented" a ball joint kit from the local auto store to use their selection of tubes. A selection of larger sockets (36mm worked for me) will be helpful for the various bushing sizes.
I was expecting the Lower Control Arm bushings to be the most challenging due to their sizes; but this was actually easy once I was able to orientate things correctly:
LCA "big" bushing: see photo
LCA "small" bushing: see photo - this one has a rubber lip on both sides, I did not need to cut anything as I had a sleeve from the ball joint kit that fit just fine. This bushing took the most effort and some WD40 to help it slip out.
UCA bushings: these were all the same size, and had a sleeve. Here I again used a sleeve from the ball joint kit with a 36mm socket to press the bushings out.
In my case, I bought brand new suspension arms mostly so I wouldn't have to have my Wagon down for several days (and use a rental to get around) while I putzed around with figuring out the bushing removal. I think this took all of about an hour, taking my time to experiment with angles and whatnot. For me, it was cheaper this way as I will be able to resell the spare suspension pieces and avoid downtime on my DD. I was also able to sell the brand new, unmolested bushings for a few bucks to offset the cost of the press - or around $60 and saving myself several hours with a torch and hacksaw.
This is not the only way, just showing that, for a C-note your bushing swap can be a LOT easier.
As an aside, I will also try to list the bushing sizes for anyone interested in cross-referencing or sourcing their own poly bushings - and I'll double check the OD sizes against the control arm openings over the next few days.
LCA "big" bushing: 2 7/8" OD (of the sleeve), approximately 2.720" long
LCA "little" bushing: ~2.1_" OD, 2.130" long
UCA bushings (both):