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Front Subframe Bushing removal question....


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I'm replacing the front bushing on my friend's car.....its shakes, rattles and makes lots of noise when he drives it.

I went through the search function here and was unable to find a procedure or trick to getting the old rubber bushings out of the lower control arms. Wasn't there a long bolt with large and small washers setup that somebody used to get the bushings out?

Any help would be great....I have this weekend to do it since he's out of the country on business.

Also, does somebody have a procedure to tune a Weber 32-36 so that its not so rough at idle?

Thanks

Mike

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To remove the bushings, I found this somewhere on the forum. Heat the metal center tube with a torch for a few minutes. When it is hot enough you should hear a sizzle. Have your vise-grips ready and pre-adjusted. I melted out a small section of the outer rubber so I would have a place to grab the tube. Once it is truly hot enough, you can vise-grip it and twist and pull until it comes out. At that point the rubber will give up and come out easily with a flathead screwdriver.

I tried to melt the rubber itself for a while and it worked great for the front subframe bushings - I don't have a lot of concern for my paint so I just let 'em burn. For the control arms though, once they're off the car you do not have a lot of leverage. Heating the metal tubes worked great for me but it took a little while as I only have a butene soldering iron with a torch tip. It is great for focused heat but it takes a little while to get some real action going. The more wasted the rubber, the quicker the process.

That will get you started, then you can clean up the holes with some sandpaper. What are you using as replacement bushings? Rubber or urethane? I have to say I am super happy with he urethane and it is really easy to install.

Good luck!!!

Andrew

1963 Vespa VNB

1972 BMW 2002 - Sold :-(

1972 Porsche 911T - Sold :-(

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I just wrote and deleted a big post about rebuilding the front end, but I feel I should ask whether you and your friend have investigated any potential problems beyond the bushings? There's a lot of stuff up there that could be old and tired.

-Andrew

1963 Vespa VNB

1972 BMW 2002 - Sold :-(

1972 Porsche 911T - Sold :-(

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fire works great on front control arm bushings.

for the radius arm bushing, just insert the radius arm about half way in and pull down, they'll just pop out :)

For the rear bushings, you will need to make an extraction tool which mostly consists of a long bolt, a couple washers and a pipe that is larger thent he bushing

steve k.

Get your 2002 FAQ merchandise from 2002FAQ Store

 

 

 

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Done...

- front 22mm sway bar with urethane bushings and new links

-new rotors and pads

Doing this weekend...

-new Bilstein sport strut inserts

-new upper strut bearings

-new urethane bushings

Haven't looked at ball joints or tie rod ends.

New engine mounts and steering coupler to follow...

Thanks

02MonsterMike

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