OME Bushings

[LICruiser]

Hey guys. I've had my FJ80 for about a month now and someone already backed into it with an Acura MDX. They are picking up the tab and their car is way worst off. My question is about OME bushings, can any shop with a press install them. I plan on doing a driveway job for everything else but do I need to know anything in regards to who installs them and how difficult it is? Thanks

 

[tucker74]

I had LCS here in town do my caster bushings - pressing the new ones in was easy, getting the old ones out was hard.

Tucker

 

[Junk]

It's pretty straight forward and any shop that has installed bushings with a press should be able to handle it easily enough.

 

[wb1948]

And the MDX hitting your car has what to do with this post?

If he wrecked your bumpers, get an estimate, and then put that money into an arb or slee or hannaqaulity or whatever, depending on front or rear and preferences.

 

[cruiser ken]

As stated, getting the old ones out is the hard part, I know a guy who bent his control arm trying to get them out. I drilled the rubber out and then cut a slit in the sleeve with a hack saw. The OMEs go in easy. If I were to do it again I'm modify the bracket instead of swapping the bushings. IMO the OME bushings flex like crap.

 

[Darwood]

IMO the OME bushings flex like crap.

Last time I checked crap flexed pretty good, but now you're probably asking yourself why I was checking in the first place.

 

[hobbes]

It's pretty simple as it only requires a big press. Just do you best to describe the job you want the shop to do prior to pulling off the arms. There is nothing more frustrating than pulling the arms off only to be told by the shop (after they said they could do the job) that they won't do the job. Ask me how I know... :-(

 

[LICruiser]

I figure I'd just tell you about my MDX accident, not that it had anything to with bushings. I just lke cruiser chat and your all guilty of it. Anyway my bumper wasn't hit. The woman backed in my rear door and proceeded to tear the fender flare off on both the door and rear quater panel. So basically what I'm saying is no new bumpers. Her bumper and rear quater panel folded and her tail light exploded. Thanks for the bushing help. You guys are ball busters

 

[alia176]

Do follow the instruction on how to orient the Caster bushings properly in the hole. This measurment will need to be done by you under your vehicle before heading over to the guy with the press. Do a search on this board on some more ideas on this procedure.

 

[cruiser ken]

I made a jig for placing the new bushing correctly. Took a piece of flat stock and 2 large bolts that matched the ID of the bushing. Put the bolts through the old bushings and welded the heads to the flat stock. Used this as a guide when pressing the second OME bushing into the arms to get the correct center to center spacing.