SUSP: Rear Lower Control Arm Bushing Installation

[Tnwagn]

There are a number of threads that speak to the installation of polyurethane rear bushings, but few provide all the options or any kind of decent pictures to step you though the operation. So, this DIY is a compilation of my work which followed the steps found in these other threads.

King James' BFM method to bushing removal
Susp: Bushing Removal

GreenMadness' Flaming balls of rubber method

Flaming balls of rubber

Basic Bushing removal

Bushing removal, tips?

I am very glad these guys posted these threads and they helped out considerably with the installation process.

Also, if you are installing OEM bushings instead of Polyurethane ones then just follow all the same steps, but don't worry about disassembling the bushings, as the OEM pieces are all one piece. Press out the old ones and press in the new, bada-bing bada-boom.

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Parts/Tool List:

1. The Bushings

You have two options for the bushings, both come from Prothane. Prothane P/N: 8-312 is the red version of the bushings while Prothane P/N: 8-312-BL is the black version. Now, some of you may be under the impression that there is a difference between the colors, however, Prothane's colors have no difference in physical composition. In the F.A.Q.'S on Prothane website they state

Is there a difference between colors?
No. In most cases the color of the part has no relation to the hardness or other physical characteristic. The pigment used to color our urethane components is a paste-like product that is mixed into the urethane in quantities of about 2-4%. You have your choice between red or black colors.

There should be eight total bushings, each with an outer sleeve, an inner sleeve, and two identical bushing pieces that slide in from either side of the outer sleeve. There should also be two small tubes of assembly lube in the box.



2. Jacks/Jackstands

3. Ratchet/Metric Sockets

NOTE: Deep sockets are not needed for this job and in a few places are actually useless due to clearance issues with other suspension and body parts.

4. Vise Grip Pliers

5. Breaker Bar

6. PB Blaster

7. Hammer/Deadblow

8. Balljoint Press (also called a C-Clamp Press)

This tool can be rented for FREE from your local auto parts store (Advanced Auto Parts seems to always have one). Don't worry if the three pieces indicated in the picture are missing, the aren't needed for this job.



9. Hacksaw w/Metal cutting blade

10. Torque Wrench

11. Large sockets (Around 1" or so)

[Tnwagn]

Installation

1. Take apart the bushings. If you are having trouble disassembling them either apply a little heat or throw them in the freezer for a while and you should be able to pull everything apart just fine.

2. Spray down both inner bolts and the through bolt for the arms on both sides with PB Blaster the day before to loosen everything up.

3. Remove the wheels/jack the rear end of the car up. You can do one side at a time or do both at once.

4. With the car jacked up and supported you can remove the arms. The fist bolt to remove is the through bolt that attaches both arms to the knuckle. Use a 17mm on both ends (or a 17mm and pliers) to disconnect. Make sure to make note of the way the washers are positioned on the arm, with cups going outward (So something like this for you visual folks [-)------------(-]





Once you have removed the through bolt you can move to the inner bolts. For the front arm, you have to once again use two ratchets (one 17mm and one 14mm) or a ratchet and some pliers to remove the bolt and nut. Make sure to take note of the position of the cam on the bolt as well as the washer on the backside of the bolt when removing. The rear arm only has a single, 17mm bolt to remove.



If you have decided to both sides at once make sure to label each arm so you don't get mixed up. If you do get mixed up, here are the arms: Top Left - Passenger Rear, Bottom Left - Passenger Front, Top Right - Driver Front, Bottom Right - Driver Rear.



5. Bushing removal time! Now, before you get ahead of yourself, take note of the directions that come with the kit. You need to measure how far out the bushings stick from the edge of the arm at each bushing in order to know how far to push in the new ones. Once you have all the measurements you are free to proceed.



NOTE: From here you have a few ways to get the old bushings out. I will describe the different methods and the pros/cons of each as well as offer my opinion on which I think works best.

Real Press Method

If you have access to a real press, then by all means use it. It allows you to have total control over the pressure you apply and it lets you make sure everything is 100% aligned and pressed in at the exact right depth. Then again, we all know the number of tuners that have access to a real press are few and far between. If you want to pay someone to do it for you then expect to pay anywhere from $40-$100.

Balljoint Press/C-Clamp Press Method

For the majority of us, the Balljoint Press is the best compromise. The clamp is rentable for free from a number of auto part stores. Using this method takes some time, but saves you the money you would have spent getting a shop to press the joints for you. Then again, it takes a bit longer and requires you to some mild strenuous activity.

To press out the old bushings, you will want to use the setup seen below. You want to have a sleeve that is large enough to accept the bushing being pushed out below but small enough to contact the edges of the arm. I found the smallest sleeve in the kit to be the perfect size. Above the arm, you want to use a socket that is large enough to contact the edges of the metal sleeve of the bushings but small enough to not hit the edges of the arm. I used a 1" socket with good results but experiment with whatever works best for you.





Once it's all setup start cranking away



Until the bushing pops out on the other side.



Flaming balls of Rubber/Hacksaw Method

So what happens if you can't get a Balljoint press? Well, more often than you grab the first blowtorch withing reach and start burning stuff. So GreenMadness has suggested that you can burn out the rubber from the bushing and then hacksaw the metal sleeve and knock it out with some brute force. I didn't try this, but here are some example pics

The arm after removing the inner rubber



Hacksawing the outter ring out. Be careful not to saw too much and go through the edge of the actual arm.





At the joint, you cant hit with a chisel or just a hammer to deform the sleeve and it should pop right out.

BFH Method

OK, BFH = Big Fucking Hammer and you've guessed it, this basically involves grabbing your biggest, baddest hammer of death and smashing the ever loving crap out of the bushings until they pop out. Like the Press method, you need a sleeve or something to support the arm that will let the bushing pop out, otherwise you will just be hammering away in futility until you get tired or your neighbor comes over to kick your ass for being loud, whichever comes first. I wouldn't recommend this method due to the risk of breaking one of the arms and the fact that Balljoint presses are just so damn easy/cheap to use. Anyway, here's a pic

[Tnwagn]

6. Ok, so hopefully by now you have the old bushings out of there and haven't burned down you house or had your ass kicked by a noise-sensitive neighbor. If this is the case, you can proceed to install your new bushings. Now, as I said before you should have already disassembled your bushings like so



As with the removal of the old bushings, you have a number of methods for installing the new bushings.

BFH Method

Once again, Mr.BFH rears his ugly head ready to pound the fuck out of some sleeves. While this may be the easiest/quickest option, you will most likely either get a sleeve misaligned and frozen in place or crush the relatively weak metal on the sleeve. I've heard of people having success with this method but I'm not going to suggest it as a good way to install the new sleeves. It's just not worth ruining your parts to save some time.

Balljoint Press/C-Clamp Press Method

Same exact setup as the removal of the old bushing, only this time you need to press in the new sleeve. Make sure to push in only to the depth you've recorded for each bushing on each arm.



Real Press Method

For people with more money than time or willingness to perform manual labor.

Any way you press them in, you should wind up with something similar to this. Just a suggestion, but this is a good time to clean the arms up a bit.



7. The next step involves applying the assembly lube and pressing in the bushings and inner sleeve to the arms.

First, apply a generous amount of lube to the outer sleeve in the arm. Don't be shy with it, remember you aren't going to hurt anything by using too much lube. However, if you use too little you run the risk or having squeaky suspension.



Then, push in the two pieces of poly into the sleeve



Next, apply lube to the inside of the poly and the outside of the inner sleeve



And push the inner sleeve into the poly to complete the bushing



Voila! A completed bushing



8. Once you have all the bushings completed and in their arms you can replace the arms on the vehicle. When I was assembling I found it much easier to start with the through bolt and then moving to the individual inner mounts of each arm. The Poly bushings stick out a bit further than the OEM pieces and make clearances a bit tight. I had to bang the crap out of the inner mounts to get the arms in place. Just take your time and be patient with it and you'll eventually get everything in place.

9. Once you have everything bolted down you need to torque the bolts to spec. Now, when it comes to these bolts you are supposed to torque them down with the car on the ground. Well, you know as well as I do that there is no way in hell you're going to be able to get under there with a torque wrench with the car on the ground with the wheel on. So, I suggest you do as I did and use a jack to bring the suspension up to the level where no weight is on your jackstand or front jack. I jack at the bottom of the kunckle and bring it up just until all the weight is on the suspension.



Once you are at this point you can torque down everything to spec.

Front Lower Arm Inner Pivot Bolt/Nut: 40 Ft-lbs
Front/Rear Lower Arm to knuckle through Bolt: 47 Ft-lbs
Rear Lower Arm Inner Pivot Bolt: 47 Ft-lbs

10. After everything is torqued to spec you can take the jack off of the suspension, put the wheel back on, and lower the car back to the ground. Don't forget to torque the lugs down to 80 Ft-lbs.

11. Once you have the car back together take the car for an easy test drive to make sure everything is in order and nothing's in danger of falling apart. Once you feel that the car is road worthy, get to the nearest alignment shop and have the rear end aligned. If you don't say goodbye to whatever tires you have on there and say hello to terrible shakiness.

And that's it! A bit overkill for a not too complicated job, but maybe it'll help some people. Who knows, but if there's anything you'd like to add go ahead and post it up! Hope this helps!

[excalibur02]

Great diy! Awesome man. Been wanting to look into this mod.

Btw what was the cost on the bushings and where?

Thanks

[zack_odom]

Great! Now that I know how to do this! Hardrace here I come!

[Tnwagn]

Great diy! Awesome man. Been wanting to look into this mod.

Btw what was the cost on the bushings and where?

Thanks

Ah, should have put that in the first post.

I bought mine from Summit Racing as part of Prothane's Complete Suspension kit 8-2006 which is $160 plus shipping. However, you can purchase the rear lower control arm bushings alone in the 8-312 kit for $76.39 plus shipping. You can also get the Rear Upper and Lower Control Arm Bushings as part of the 8-313 kit, which is $112.69 plus shipping.

Great! Now that I know how to do this! Hardrace here I come!

Glad it helped

[Tippey764]

This is exactly how my brother did it on my car ( the press method ) except we used a hydraulic press. I used the prothane red kit and i have every bushing but the rear upper control arms installed.

[nate'sCB7]

Freakin amazing DIY!
Full of information! Completely idiot proof
Great Job!

[GunRunner]

excellent write up

[JunyAccord]

i used the pyro method but ill use the press method next time. Great write up