Wits end rear control arm press

[Bambusiero]

Oh, and one more thing...

An adjustable stand of some sort is really, really helpful, for bushings on the end of control arms.
Even this cheap thing.
If you don't have something like this, well, rig something up.
A stepladder and a C-clamp, whatever.
Adjust until damn near perfectly square.

That way, your wife can stand back by the door, like she usually does, and just watch you get mangled.

 

[TYM4FUN]

Speaking of this, wonder what happened to OP and my tools...

Well, hold off returning them anyways, I had 2 kids bdays this month and kinda spent your deposit.

 

[Red Merle]

So, I am gathering tools and the parts to do all of the bushings in the rear end. I bought @NLXTACY 's press kit but I am wondering what people are using as a way to accept the bushings once you press them through? Are you just using pieces of pipe? If so, what size and type works best? I have a stock Harbor Freight 20 Ton press that I have never used(I asked for this for Christmas a couple of years ago to do this job) but I don't have much in the way of machine shop tools. I don't have a lathe or a drill press. I do have a way to cut pipe with a chop saw with a metal cutting blade.

 

[Heckraiser]

I am wondering what people are using as a way to accept the bushings once you press them through? Are you just using pieces of pipe?

Not sure what you mean by this? They just shoot out on the floor between the gap in your arbor plates.

 

[BILT4ME]

So, I am gathering tools and the parts to do all of the bushings in the rear end. I bought @NLXTACY 's press kit but I am wondering what people are using as a way to accept the bushings once you press them through? Are you just using pieces of pipe? If so, what size and type works best? I have a stock Harbor Freight 20 Ton press that I have never used(I asked for this for Christmas a couple of years ago to do this job) but I don't have much in the way of machine shop tools. I don't have a lathe or a drill press. I do have a way to cut pipe with a chop saw with a metal cutting blade.

You let them drop on the floor.

Then you pick them up as well as all the pieces you have stacked to support them after they POP 10 times and you have to chase parts across the garage.

My best advice is safety glasses, good lighting, safety shoes (DON'T do flip-flops on this one!), gloves, and keep the press 15 ft away from anything you don't want broken (think windshields, stored car parts, antiques, keepsakes, or other body panels)

You'll need a medium hammer to get the sleeves to release from the arms after you have placed pressure on them from the press. Go around the outside circle of the arm and tap on it getting progressively harder as you go until it releases. It's a bit of a shock the first time it releases.

Realize, it doesn't just "blow it out the bottom" the first time it pops, but it may move 1/4" all at once.

 

[Red Merle]

So you don't need something on underside like a section of pipe to keep the control arm in the right spot? The arbor plate cut outs don't seem to be the same size as the edge of the arm where the bushing seats.

See post #34 in this thread to see what I am asking about. He has a section of pipe that is exactly 53mm inside diameter. I have no way of making something exactly that size and doesn't sound like everyone else does either. So are people just using "close enough" sections of pipe or just pressing them out with the arbor plate as the base?

Sorry for the newb questions, I just have never done this type of thing and I don't want to shoot my eye out or something else that requires a trip to the ER.

 

[BILT4ME]

So you don't need something on underside like a section of pipe to keep the control arm in the right spot? The arbor plate cut outs don't seem to be the same size as the edge of the arm where the bushing seats.

See post #34 in this thread to see what I am asking about. He has a section of pipe that is exactly 53mm inside diameter. I have no way of making something exactly that size and doesn't sound like everyone else does either. So are people just using "close enough" sections of pipe or just pressing them out with the arbor plate as the base?

Sorry for the newb questions, I just have never done this type of thing and I don't want to shoot my eye out of something.

You take your two arbor plates and set them together so the control arm rests on them with the bushing to be worked on centered over the opening between them. You MUST check to make sure the arbor plates are NOT interfering with the outer edge of the bushing where it will be pushed through. The nice thing about the WE bushing tools is they use the hardware to hold it and align it. This makes it so your crap doesn't fly all over the place. You'll figure out what I mean there.

I used the camera on my phone to take pics of the bottom of the arbor plates to make sure everything was aligned before I gave it the beans. I would snug it up to hold all the pieces in place, check it, adjust, check it, adjust, check it, adjust, THEN get after it.

The two pics attached are from the BOTTOM of the arbor plates, checking for alignment when I was doing the panhard bars, but the same method.

I didn't really like the first setup, but I went with the second one.

 

[BILT4ME]

More pics for reference.

I also marked EVERY arm when I took it off as to which end was front, right or left.

I would take one off, rebuild it, install it, then move to the next one.

This way, I didn't have to worry about parts not lining back up.

I did not tighten anything until I was completely done. The truck was fully on the ground the entire time.

Note the change in the holes orientation in the lower control arms from the old ones to the new ones. This is according to the Service Bulletin CDan posted a long time ago about a change.

 

[MoCoNative]

BILT4ME, funny you mention the holes. When I did this on our 97, I had the FSM pages printed off for the job. The holes were 90 degress to what the FSM said when I took out the arms. I put them back the same as I found them. By 97 they must have been rotating them at the factory. I was not aware of the bulletin on the matter, but assumed that was probably the case.

As for supporting the arms while pressing, I used the arbor plates too, but, be very careful about lining them up. I think I mentioned it earlier in this thread that we broke the 12 ton HF press twice. The most cataclysmic failure was probably due to the bushing be on the arbor plate and I kept pushing, blew the press up. Hard to tell as they are so hard to get moving.

Speaking of loud pops and bangs when something lets loose, replacing the rear wheel bearings on my T100 made the biggest bang I have ever had on the press, worse than any bushing on the 80. That job took building a pretty hefty tool to hold the backing plate in the press. To buy that tool was pretty expensive. My first attempt was too light and ripped apart.

 

[NLXTACY]

Keep in mind, the recesses on the tools were designed for the associated bolt to be slid into the top of the tool into the bushing. That for when pressing the bushing out, the tool is mechanically secured to the bushing.

 

[Heckraiser]

Shop press in the front yard... nice

 

[flintknapper]

Getting ready to do my panhard bushings in the front soon. But I don't see me fighting with the press, exact alignments, waiting for things to pop, hit with hammer etc....

I'll definitely spend my time removing the center of the bushings first, cutting a slot in the metal housing and THEN removing them. Should press out easily, probably tap out with a hammer and punch at that point. Use my to press to INSTALL the new ones, which shouldn't be too difficult with some lube and the bushings being in the freezer for a few hours.

Guess I'll see.

 

[ZackR]

Getting ready to do my panhard bushings in the front soon. But I don't see me fighting with the press, exact alignments, waiting for things to pop, hit with hammer etc....

I'll definitely spend my time removing the center of the bushings first, cutting a slot in the metal housing and THEN removing them. Should press out easily, probably tap out with a hammer and punch at that point. Use my to press to INSTALL the new ones, which shouldn't be too difficult with some lube and the bushings being in the freezer for a few hours.

Guess I'll see.

@flintknapper - hopefully you can do a nice write up of this process like you did recently with the head gasket work. On my list of things to do is bushing replacement and I'd be interested in a less dramatic removal approach if possible.

 

[Red Merle]

More pics for reference.

I also marked EVERY arm when I took it off as to which end was front, right or left.

I would take one off, rebuild it, install it, then move to the next one.

This way, I didn't have to worry about parts not lining back up.

I did not tighten anything until I was completely done. The truck was fully on the ground the entire time.

Note the change in the holes orientation in the lower control arms from the old ones to the new ones. This is according to the Service Bulletin CDan posted a long time ago about a change.
View attachment 2372601
View attachment 2372602

View attachment 2372603

View attachment 2372604

This is EXACTLY what I was asking about.

Thanks again to you and everyone else that chimed in. I think I can do this.

I was planning on putting both ends up on jack stands under each axle. Is that going to be OK as far as replicating the amount of force that would normally be resting with the wheels on the ground? I would like to have the extra room to work if I can have it without hosing myself down the road when I go to put each one back in.

 

[BILT4ME]

This is EXACTLY what I was asking about.

Thanks again to you and everyone else that chimed in. I think I can do this.

I was planning on putting both ends up on jack stands under each axle. Is that going to be OK as far as replicating the amount of force that would normally be resting with the wheels on the ground? I would like to have the extra room to work if I can have it without hosing myself down the road when I go to put each one back in.

Yes, you can do jack stands as long as they're not in your way for removal of the hardware. This may be a bigger deal on the rear than the front.

I planned WAAAY ahead for this and made sure I installed my lift before I ever considered my bushings. Three reasons.
1) because I knew the bushings were shot and I didn't care if they tore more between lift install and new bushings.
2) because I'd have more room to slide my fat ass under the truck to work on it.
3) because I'd need to have the weight of the truck on the suspension before tightening all the bushings. This way it was all in place before I tightened it up and everything in perfect alignment.

 

[Bambusiero]

So you don't need something on underside like a section of pipe to keep the control arm in the right spot? The arbor plate cut outs don't seem to be the same size as the edge of the arm where the bushing seats.

See post #34 in this thread to see what I am asking about. He has a section of pipe that is exactly 53mm inside diameter. I have no way of making something exactly that size and doesn't sound like everyone else does either. So are people just using "close enough" sections of pipe or just pressing them out with the arbor plate as the base?

Sorry for the newb questions, I just have never done this type of thing and I don't want to shoot my eye out of something.

Well, yes, you MUST have something solid underneath your workpiece, solidly supporting it, but, it can be anything, really. Be creative, be a scrounger.
I just went out to the box 'o press pieces to look. I don't recognize the type of pipe I used for that, it's got funny dimensions, doesn't match any of the usual "inch" sizes. Maybe it's "pipe", maybe "tube"? Something I found, scrounged up and saved. I quite litererally prowl around with a vernier caliper in hand...

Your fear of "shooting your eye out" is healthy caution.
In some cases, when I couldn't find something that would work, I made/cobbled something, maybe from some "not quite right" size tubing?

p.s. Personally, I'm not feeling totally safe and happy using the arbor plate "half holes" because they are shoddily made out of genuine "chinesium cast iron", not quite flat/square...but - have done it - before I found other ways. Much prefer stuff that fails by bending - which you can see.

 

[Bambusiero]

Getting ready to do my panhard bushings in the front soon...I'll definitely spend my time removing the center of the bushings first...

A caution, 'cause I tried this once - If the rubber has not totally failed yet, then, if you press out the metal core 1st, it will still be attached with an enormously strong "rubber band", which you will be energizing. When it finally let's go...the stored potential energy turns into kinetic energy...
No big deal if the rubber is already pretty much sheared.

Tried drilling out the rubber too - that was a fail.

 

[Bambusiero]

Here's another one - others have offhandedly suggested - "just burn 'em out"...Not nearly as much fun as it sounds.
Sort of like making S'mores out camping? Takes lots of propane, lots of time, lots of very black smoke...

 

[flintknapper]

Here's another one - others have offhandedly suggested - "just burn 'em out"...Not nearly as much fun as it sounds.
Sort of like making S'mores out camping? Takes lots of propane, lots of time, lots of very black smoke...

View attachment 2373375

View attachment 2373377

View attachment 2373379

Not a problem.....if I choose to go that route....but burning them out is will probably be a last ditch effort for me. Going to try a few other things first.

 

[Red Merle]

Here's another one - others have offhandedly suggested - "just burn 'em out"...Not nearly as much fun as it sounds.
Sort of like making S'mores out camping? Takes lots of propane, lots of time, lots of very black smoke...

View attachment 2373375

View attachment 2373377

View attachment 2373379

Yeah, I ain't goin' that route. Jebus.