Holy hell…43 year old bushings (1 Viewer)

[Last Flight Out]

Doing a lift kit this weekend and so far, everything has been going smoothly until I ran into these buggers. Are there any tips or tricks for getting out these original shackles with rockhard bushings off - that I believe are all factory. I’ve been hammering on the shackle and using crowbar, but still not budging very much although it looks like some minor progress. Just need that top one off as well as the fixed and towards the front… And then I have an entire other side to do. And the fronts! Argh….

These are the rear springs and they’re basically loose and hanging down and I think all the bushings are gonna give me this kind of headache.

Not sure if heat gun will help soften but have been spraying penetrating fluid into the cracks.

 

[brian]

Open flame.
Get them burning.
You can pound on them all day, but you're still trying to hammer rubber.

 

[Living in the Past]

Ratchet straps and a Port-A-Power are your friend. I've put 2" ratchet strap around the frame and springs. Then press the them out with a Port-A-Power. Used other variations to get the job done. Just have be sure you not bending anything doing it. I would heat the metal around the bushing but burning the bushing. Hate the smell and mess after.

 

[charliemeyer007]

Straight antifreeze makes a good lubricant. Use a needle and try to inject it between the bushing and the bolt. Hydraulic power is the ticket. Changing engine mounts on old helicopters like a Hiller 12E it would sound like a cannon when it would finally brake loose. I should start squirting mine down now.

 

[roadstr6]

Shackle bushings are cake. Just wait 'till you get to the spring pins on the frame!

The way i do them is to drill holes into the rubber and then smack with a BFH. Burning them out is a last resort for me due to the smell.

 

[WildernessRimFab]

Air hammer. I bought a 20 dollar one from Harbor Freight a number of years ago for this job. It somehow still works.
They come with a couple chisel attachments, you can just chop those one of those off flush so you now have a 90 psi cylindrical hammer.

 

[Blue77FJ40]

As above, drill out/remove as much rubber as you can. Keep at it and also try to press out bollts with clamp or such. The bolts are most likely rusted in. Kroil.

 

[fjc-man]

If you’re not reusing that stuff get a carbide tipped (Diablo brand) blade for your sawsall and just cut the pins off.

 

[peesalot]

Dremmel with a wood rasp tip, messy but eats thru it.

 

[Last Flight Out]

Thanks guys for the advice. The drill methods I started and promptly injected some of the expensive stuff. My lord…the rubber dust is radioactive.

I’m grabbing a buddy’s air hammer and that may work, but I am going to cut the shackle in half tonight and just work out the top one and clean up the fixed mounting point.

For the pin side…have no idea but read about that ultra thin Diablo cutting wheel…if I can get a mil or two from that flange, I’ll cut the f’er off. Then will toss the entire spring into the fire and not look back.

It was all going to well….these old bushings are the devil.

 

[Last Flight Out]

Straight antifreeze makes a good lubricant. Use a needle and try to inject it between the bushing and the bolt. Hydraulic power is the ticket. Changing engine mounts on old helicopters like a Hiller 12E it would sound like a cannon when it would finally brake loose. I should start squirting mine down now.

Good lord man! I don’t even want to see those things break loose…I had one u bolt that made a loud pop and freaked me out!

 

[DeskJock]

Shackle bushings are cake. Just wait 'till you get to the spring pins on the frame!

The way i do them is to drill holes into the rubber and then smack with a BFH. Burning them out is a last resort for me due to the smell.

I was just going to suggest the small drill holes. the more you can deform that rubber .. it'll be looser. I was just dealing the the cotter pin on the driver side transmission mount. Exhaust was moved into a better place, but, no can see and can barely reach .. 65 mins later I had the cotter pin out.

I suspect your project will take longer ...

 

[Last Flight Out]

I was just going to suggest the small drill holes. the more you can deform that rubber .. it'll be looser. I was just dealing the the cotter pin on the driver side transmission mount. Exhaust was moved into a better place, but, no can see and can barely reach .. 65 mins later I had the cotter pin out.

I suspect your project will take longer ...

Great….hoping not.

 

[DSRTRDR]

the best spring pins I have found are from @Cruiseroutfitters

I buy bushings from them as well for the frame-side, and for the spring-side, I buy from Skyjacker - which happens to be the manufacturer of the springs on my 40; if your springs are by a different manufacturer, buy the bushings from them

 

[Pitter Patter]

I had the same issue. Tried almost everything including drilling out the rubber, sawsall was worthless. Finally broke out the 6” cutoff wheel on the angle grinder and that did the trick. Don’t mess around, they won’t be reusable because the pins will have rotted and expanded. Use a cut off wheel for the ones that won’t budge.

I went with OEM replacements because if they lasted this long and were this tough then I want them again.

 

[sogncab]

I death wheeled everything off just to get it out of the way. Think I cut the spring right at the loop


I don't remember How I got the actual bushings out. I don't remember it being that difficult once I got everything out of the way.

 

[Last Flight Out]

Mother of god…progress in 15 mins with some drilled holes, filled with kryoil

Just need to get these tops, pushed out and hanging down and then I’ll start on the pins upfront, which is giving me a bit of heartburn to think how difficult those are going to be.

 

[sogncab]

Are you trying to save the tired springs for a reason?

 

[Last Flight Out]

Are you trying to save the tired springs for a reason?

No - I mentioned above that everything is going in trash. I have an entire new lift kit.

 

[Blue77FJ40]

You also have the option of using new shackles. I went with the OME, greasable ones. I bought poly bushings and only lube with silicone grease on them. Regular grease for all other fittings (driveshafts, etc.). The OME shackles come in various lengths, but you probably want closest to stock length.

If you go with new shackles (my recommendation), just put a cutoff wheel on your grinder like I did and cut the pins. Done in seconds. Then just press out the old cut pins/bushings after much hole drilling.