Are the bushings on the rear end housing for the upper control arms pressed in? Any tricks for changing without removing the rear end from the car? Thanks for your help o No:
yes they are pressed in. u can remove the upper control arm without removing the rear assembly. personally, i did it for one upper but decided to remove the whole assembly and paint it.
I replaced mine with the rear still installed in the car. Not an easy job but was able to get it done. To remove the old ones, I used a drill to drill out the rubber bushing enough so that I could punch out the center sleeve that guides the control arm bolt. Then I pulled out the remaining rubber. Then I very carefully used a sawzall to score the outer sleeve from inside, almost through to the ear. Finally using a cold chissel, I hammered on the outer sleeve at a 90deg angle to crush it in alittle so it released from the pressed fit. Pulled out the old, cleaned up the ears and installed the new ones. I made a tool to install the new ones. You can read about that and other options in this thread: http://www.v8buick.com/showthread.php?t=212124
HR Parts n Stuff makes a tool to remove and install those bushings. http://www.hrpartsandstuff.com/ This is the description from their site: " This Bushing Tool (Part #0599) is designed to remove AND install the bushings into the top ears on the rearend housing. This tool is made to fit GM housings, and may fit others as well. The design includes a roller bearing thrust washer for ease of use and long life. The Bushing Tool is also plated for rust prevention and appearance. The Tool PULLS the bushing out and also PULLS it into the ears, and does this in under 2 minutes with an air ratchet. Ask anyone that has done this the hard way, and they will tell you this tool is a life saver. Hours of aggravation can be avoided with this new tool. Some generic pullers with adapters to fit (hopefully) your application are over $400! Our tool is designed specifically to work on GM rearend housings for sure, and possibly others as well."
I've done mine the way Randy in post #3 did his. It is a pain but is workable. I would suggest getting the tool that H.R. Parts sells, it makes the job much easier. Just my .02. Peace, Mike D.
I used a chisel to collapse one side of the bushing casing inward and then used a BFH, some wood and a piece of the the right sized pipe to drive it the rest of the way out of the housing.
Or, get someone with the tool to mail it to you. Then mail it back when you are done with it. You pay shipping both ways of course.
That tool is the greatest, best money you will ever spend. In fact I used it yesterday for a 66 Lesabre I am working on.
Jim, If you want to borrow the tool, let me know. I just sent it out to Irby this morning. He will have it Monday. When he is done with it, he can ship it back to me, or ship it to you, and you can return it to me.
