[Walter Lansing]

Does someone make a tool for removing and installing upper control arms bushings on a A-body?

[FORSALE]

Easiest way to get them out is buy about three drill bits (they break)and just keep drilling connecting holes in the rubber. At one point or another the drill will actually spin the rubber or most of it out. Simply knock out shell with hammer. Presses usually bend the GM style arms

[Joe]

When I took mine out, I used a small propane torch to ignite the rubber pc. Smelly so I did it outside. When it started to disinigrate a just pushed it out. Then I crushed the metal sleeve towards the center of the hole dia. It dropped right out. The heat from the burning rubber did not distort the arm at all. When installing the new ones, you will need to support between the two bushing arms as to not bend the control arm.

[GoatGlider]

may be this can help you:

http://robert.hasler.com/downloads/guidegmabodyarms.pdf

i made some pics when i removed mine. the upper arm bushings are easy. as tool i took some pieces of metal tubes.

[crkoester]

I just did this last week - front and rear arms.

I experimented a little with different methods on each one, and here's what I found....

You are much better off to knock out the inner metal sleeves and rubber before trying to move the outer sleeve.

You can spray some Kroil along the margins of metal/metal and metal/rubber contact, helps lubricate things a little. I'd let it sit overnight after doing this.

I took an impact-wrench style heavy duty socket wrench that lined up right on the margins of the inner metal sleeve, and a few pops with the 3# hammer knocked it out.

I then took a jigsaw and cut a wedge out of the length of inside of the rubber bushing so that it could collapse and move easily. After this it easily pops out with the same method as the inner sleeve (larger diameter socket, of course).

For the sleeve itself, you may get lucky and knock it out with a few pops of the hammer. However, be forewarned if it doesn't move with a few pops, you are at risk of deforming the lip of the metal sleeve and smashing it outward, so it won't go through the A-arm without being bent back inward. None of mine were this easy. I had to take a chisel and cut/bend one or more spots on the outer sleeve to loosen things up enough to get it to move.

I tried the rubber burning torch method as noted above. It was very messy and very smelly, and the metal got VERY hot. It worked fine, but no better than the above method - I only did it on one bushing before deciding it wasn't worth it. The jigsaw is quicker, easier and less messy.

I found the biggest PITA was finding a way to lock the arms into a vise in a way that was secure and didn't tear up or bend the arm itself. It's like the engineers tried to design arms that could NOT be easily secured in a vise.

You might lock it down and THINK it is secure, but a few love taps with the 3# hammer may change your mind.

If I had it to do over again, I'd use a pneumatic hammer with a chisel to do the dirty work on the outer sleeves, rather than the BFH and hand chisel.

Here's a great article with details and photos, where I got some of my ideas from. I found that cutting the full length of the sleeve and collapsing it inward, as described, is MUCH easier said than done. Again, I'd try to use an air hammer to do this, rather than the manual method. I can still barely move my arm.

http://www.valvoline.com/carcare/art...=res20011101br


Chris

[engineer]

there is a tool made available from tool vendors. supposedly can be used on or off the car, although I never have been successful with it on the car.

[Walter Lansing]

Thanks for all the input. I used the method with a vice and had all of them out in less than ten minutes.
Walter

[Thunderkiss65]

I am in process of doing this.

I used a Sawzall to cut out the big bushings in the lower fronts and the rears. I cut as close to the arm sides as possible. Then I pryed the inner sleaves and rubber out with a screwdriver. all I had then was the outer shells left. I used a chisel and worked them out.

The upper shafts I used an air hammer/chisel to remove by collapsing the shells.