folks, a big hearty thanks to Pinepig and Zenon (and another FAQer whom i've forgotton, who i took the plumbing fitting idea).

anyhow, these bushings have been installed, and with the proper setup and tips offered, this job is very much doable and rather rewarding.

the key was Pinepig's use of bailing wire to wrap the rubber bushing. i used the wire that is made to tie rebar for cement forms; commonly available and cheap.

cut off about 18 inches or so and wrap around the center portion of the bushing. it does not have to be perfect nor necessarily tight (see photo).

i merely clamped a bolt in the benchtop vice. plopped the bushing on it and wrapped the wire around. leave enough wire to grab onto at both ends cuz you'll be unwrapping it as the bushing goes into the hole.

i used a Q-tip to swab the hole and bushing with glycerin (soap would work too, but i used what was nearby). i did not have to drench it either. just enough to be wet.

the other key is to assemble a nice pulling tool. i saw a fellow FAQer's use of galvanized pipe and copied it. i ground to small scallops for clearance as shown (see photo). these allow it to seat squarely on the Control Arm (don't want an akward angle to add to the effort). buy a handful of hardened washers and a couple spare nuts.

i took Zenon's comment to heart, not to apply load to the rubber. i accomplished this by salvaging the center tube from the old bushing. use a hacksaw to slice it lengthwise in 2 places. you will still need to pry it off. as Zenon said earlier, these things are tough and can take the abuse. you'll notice that i still have residual rubber on my tube.

the setup should be self evident from the photos. as the bushing is pulled into the hole merely pull the wire one wrap at a time to clear it.

IT WORKS and the effort is minimal. i was able to use my wimpy all-thread rod without fear of pulling the threads apart or mashing the washers. this was tremendous difference from my earlier effort.

pull the bushing past the spot you think it needs to go so that you can properly seat the outer flange. you can adjust the final position of the bushing by reversing the tool and pulling in the opposite direction till it aligns as you want it.

That's all there is to it. Very rewarding and a much less costly alternative to replaceing the entire control arm.

bushing 005.jpg
Description:	i copied this from a fellow enthusiast after mashing my PVC version. this is much improved and easy to make. merely drill a 1/2 hole in the endpiece and grind two scallops for clearance. a bigger version can be made with 2in diameter pipe for the front
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bushing 008.jpg
Description:	fixture with the scallops to allow proper seating on control arm.
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bushing 004.jpg
Description:	wrapping the bushing with wire. note that it does not have to "look" perfect or be necessarily tight.
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bushing 001.jpg
Description:	photo showint the wire as the bushing is installed. it doesn't not have to be wound perfectly as can be seen.
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bushing 009.jpg
Description:	bushing installed beyond final point, to seat the other flange. note the use of metal tube from old bushing. this avoids mashing the rubber during insertion.
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Last edited by jerry on 12-6-06 09:16; edited 1 time in total