Rear control arms bushing

[Sparvy]

So I bought the moog spherical control arm bushings awhile back and have been putting off installing them. When I built the car last year I bought new control arm as the stock units were in terrible shape. I know even new stock bushings have a lot of deflection and with my first track day a few weeks away I'd like to get everything tightened down as I can beforehand.

So my real question is if you've done this what press did you use? Is there a minimum ton rating needed to press out the old and press in the new bushings? Id prefer not to spend hundreds on a press but would consider one of the cheaper units. I could also look at having a local shop do it for me but in the end i do like doing as much as i can myself.Looking at it it does appear that they need to be completely removed so no shortcuts on the car. Any insight is appreciated.

 

[Ross]

Probably needed less than 1 ton to press out the old rubber bushings.
I welded up my first press, (a basic box of metal) painted it white. It has the jack free floating, so you can use it on the bottom or the top of the part. Used this press on the rear swingarms.

And then bought a second hand one, with the jack on the top.

 

[k.rollin]

You could probably do the replacement on the car with a loaner ball joint press from AutoZone.

 

[Brett]

RTTOY did mine for me. He used a press, froze the bushing, heated the control arm and still had to fight it a little bit. Your mileage may very.

 

[Vwsaabvt]

You could probably do the replacement on the car with a loaner ball joint press from AutoZone.

I did my ottp bushings with my snap-on balljoint press. The parts store rental press would probably be just as sufficient.

 

[Sparvy]

Thank you all for the feedback. I think I'll try the balljoint press and likely remove the arms completely after taking a better look at them it does appear that would be much easier.

 

[Rttoys]

Yep. Freeze the bushings and heat up the arm area (heat gun works fine). Any regular press will press them in just fine. Moog are much easier to do than the ottp.

 

[baustin]

I'm actually at this exact point but am getting stuck. I've got 2 of the Moog spherical bushings. I've tried using the rental press from Auto Zone (link here) and have an extra box of adapters included (link here).

At room temperature currently I have bushings that are 59.89 / 59.84mm diameter and control arms that are 59.54 / 59.60mm. These are measured with just a caliper. I froze the bushings for a day or 2 in a chest freezer, and used a heat gun on the control arms till they were very warm (no measurement here since I didn't want to waste the heat effort). Of course the heat causes diameter increase on the control arm but not so much that the bushing just falls in. When I set things up in the press, my biggest issued was keeping everything straight and in place. I tried it quite a few times over 2 days and could only accomplish the bushing starting to tip and gouge the control arm at an angle.

The force of turning the wrench, the adapter cup sizes I have sitting around from the rental tools and the C clamp jaw size just don't seem to be working. When I turn the wrench, I caused the press C clamp to angle relative to the control arm. I put the press C clamp in my bench vice and tried again. With the best fitting adapter cups, I need a jaw gap of 6.5" or larger however the rental tool is only a 6" jaw gap. After trying a shorter adapter cup that seemed to be close, I realized it wasn't a parallel surface, it's bottom face is angled... so it repeatedly was tipping the bushing.

Long story short, the rental press (C clamp style) isn't working for me and the adapter cups chewed up the rubber at the edge of the bushing due to having to removing the incorrectly seated new bushings a few times. I need to use a larger floor press setup but don't have one nor the room to buy one for my garage. I'll be looking to get someone else to install the bushings.

I've got a pair of new bushings delivering tomorrow so I don't have to install bushings with damaged rubber seals. I then plan on looking for a shop that has a press and correct size adapters so they can do the press for me, unless there's someone decently local to Raleigh, NC that has this already.



Below are the bushings I got from Rock Auto. Both are silver, I've seen a mix from others that some were gold colored and some were silver. Due to cost I'm, actually getting the next set delivered from Home Depot. I'm not sure how legitimate they will be but at least the return will be easy if needed, I hadn't realized that Home Depot started selling suspension parts... I'm getting a second set since I think I've damaged the rubber seals on the lower side of these beyond what I feel comfortable having installed.

 

[Gtstorey]

I have in the past used a bottle jack and a tall, heavy vehicle as a press.

Another option is if you have a basement, using a main beam in your house and a 4x4 post with the bottle jack. Of course you have to be careful with the amount of load you apply.

 

[Waterdriver]

To remove: air body saw and air hammer. (Could use a hacksaw, hammer and punch.

Carl's Track Goblin - 05 SS SC donor, Chassis # 39

To avoid putting extra side load on the bearings, I ordered a short length of .750 OD x .125 wall round 6061/T6 tube on eBay and cut spacers to fit gaps. That was probably just an overabundance of caution. I like that idea. I think I'm going to make spacers as well. To me, that much...

dfkitcar.com

To install: Used a bench vice and short piece of steel pipe that fit the shoulder of the bushing to press it in.

 

[Rauq]

I pressed mine in with a bench vice as well.

 

[Indy Lonnie]

I went to Harbor Freight and bought an air chisel, ball joint press and the separate adapters. It was a complete pain. That coupled with a lot of cussing and big hammers - I have spherical bushings.

 

[Dsteinhorst]

It sucks that Moog doesn't make the arms with bushings for all suspension types.

*actually, I just looked and rock auto doesn't have them for any trims. That sucks. They were $113 for each arm when I built mine, and worth every penny. Can still get them, but at higher prices.

 

[Chubbs]

I just did these on my goblin, and bought a press specifically for the job.

JEGS 81515: 12 Ton Hydraulic Shop Press - JEGS High Performance

Purchase a 12 ton hydraulic shop press online. This 12 ton shop press is made from yellow powder-coated steel. The 12-ton hydraulic press is durable and easy to use. Shop for a new 12-ton hydraulic shop press today at JEGS High Performance!

www.jegs.com

$150 and worth every penny. The first one still took maybe 20 minutes for me to figure out the right combo of tubes and sockets to smash it without damaging the bushing (i ended up using a crescent wrench straddling the bushing), but the 2nd one took 2 minutes tops. I can't believe I've been pressing in bearings, bushings, and smashing beer cans with a vice and/or hammer all these years. Do you know how flat you can make a beer can with 12 tons of force between two steel plates? Very flat. Worth it.

 

[Whidbey Goblin]

To remove: air body saw and air hammer. (Could use a hacksaw, hammer and punch.

Carl's Track Goblin - 05 SS SC donor, Chassis # 39

To avoid putting extra side load on the bearings, I ordered a short length of .750 OD x .125 wall round 6061/T6 tube on eBay and cut spacers to fit gaps. That was probably just an overabundance of caution. I like that idea. I think I'm going to make spacers as well. To me, that much...

dfkitcar.com

To install: Used a bench vice and short piece of steel pipe that fit the shoulder of the bushing to press it in.

I have a friend with a press, he helped with mine. Have you or anyone else done the bushing forward of the spherical bearing in the control arm. Stock it is rubber. Anyone think a urethane bushing would be a big improvement? Could this help with how darty the car is at high speeds on the track?

 

[k.rollin]

I have a friend with a press, he helped with mine. Have you or anyone else done the bushing forward of the spherical bearing in the control arm. Stock it is rubber. Anyone think a urethane bushing would be a big improvement? Could this help with how darty the car is at high speeds on the track?

I replaced mine with the delrin ones from OTTP.

Karl's Track Goblin No. 40 - 2008 LT ***REGISTERED***

Added some vinyl to the underside of my wáng today

dfkitcar.com

 

[Whidbey Goblin]

I replaced mine with the delrin ones from OTTP.

Karl's Track Goblin No. 40 - 2008 LT ***REGISTERED***

Added some vinyl to the underside of my wáng today

dfkitcar.com

Looks like it was quite the struggle to get them on. Is there a reason you didn’t use the stock control arms?

 

[k.rollin]

Looks like it was quite the struggle to get them on. Is there a reason you didn’t use the stock control arms?

Yeah, take your pick. Weight, aesthetics, crash damage...

Karl's Track Goblin No. 40 - 2008 LT ***REGISTERED***

I've been following the progression of the Goblin for quite a while, and weighing it against something like a Midlana. In the end, I decided to build a Goblin first, because it seemed like the option more likely to be completed, as they seem to go together quickly and I already have enough other...

dfkitcar.com

 

[Waterdriver]

I have a friend with a press, he helped with mine. Have you or anyone else done the bushing forward of the spherical bearing in the control arm. Stock it is rubber. Anyone think a urethane bushing would be a big improvement? Could this help with how darty the car is at high speeds on the track?

I had put new rubber in mine with the mindset that the Goblin is so much lighter than the Cobalt, there should be a lot less deflection when loaded on that bushing.
And if that thought process didn't work out, those are easy enough to change to poly or derlin.

 

[Gtstorey]

Goblin Rear Control Arms | Page 2 | DF Kit Car Forum

I have a friend with a press, he helped with mine. Have you or anyone else done the bushing forward of the spherical bearing in the control arm. Stock it is rubber. Anyone think a urethane bushing would be a big improvement? Could this help with how darty the car is at high speeds on the track?

Goblin Rear Control Arms | Page 2 | DF Kit Car Forum