What to use when pressing out/in new rear subframe/trailing arm bushings?

[Jand3rson]

I have a friend locally who I just discovered has a press in his garage, so we're going to use today to do my rear subframe and trailing arm bushings.



A quick question to those of you that have done these yourself using a press like this, what did you use to press the old bushings out, and the new ones in? I was planning on just using a socket for the trailing arm bushings, the same size as the bushing/holes, and the same for the subframe bushings.

The biggest socket I have though is a 36mm, and it's still a bit smaller than the subframe bushing itself, will it still work?

[gp.plus]

I used the same press with sockets, a torch works too, burn em out.

[george graves]

I almost wonder if you can use the new bushing to push the old bushing out. Kill two birds with one stone? Maybe homodepot has something in the plumbing section? I used bearing puller to get the old ones out - and a vice and a huge socket to put the new ones in.

[gp.plus]

Sorry forgot to mention I also used a 36mm socket. And put the new ones in the freezer helps em go in easier.

[KenC]

You can press the subframe bushings in and out with that, but you'll have trouble with getting the trailing arms to sit flush enough to use the press.

Darin and I made a tool for the TABs from a pipe, a piece of allthread and a few washers and nuts. Took like five min each.

[Jand3rson]

Where did you get the pipe at? I can measure it, I just don't want to drive all over hell looking for the right size.

[george graves]

You can use a pipe or a plastic end cap. Take a subframe bushing with you when you go to the store.

[Jand3rson]

So in that pic, it looks like you're pulling the new one in. How do you get the old one out? You can't get a piece of pipe up against the metal rim of where the bushing goes on that side, the bushing flares over it.

[Matt-B]

when i got new T arms bushings from AKG, they sent me a tool, you pull them in instead of pushing, worked great. Similar to Ken and Darin's

[bimmerteck]

dammit I could have mailed those tools at the same time. Although some of the bits and pieces I shipped you may work for that as well, I figured as long as your forking for a flat rate box I should give you some options. The bearing support plates from my hub tamer set IS what I use for other bushings with a press. ;)

[Jand3rson]

I ended up making the same thing that Darin and Ken made for the trailing arm bushings, it's been working fine. For the first one of four.

The second one on the first trailing arm is almost all the way in, but the material is bunching up right before where it goes into the sleeve, and for some stupid fucking reason, one of the nuts has completely destroyed the threads and frozen itself onto the piece of allthread. Now I have to cut the whole thing apart, go buy new allthread and nuts, and start over.

[GDA]

I went to HD and picked up an assortment of metal plumbing pipe from 1" to 4" to use as receivers/pushers

[KenC]

We had good luck shooting them with white lithium grease first. Let it sit for a few min, then press them in. Seemed to work well... no bunching or anything.

[StereoInstaller1]

For installing rubber bushings, use normal dish soap as lubricant.

I did my E34 subframe bushings in about 30 minutes total.

[Jand3rson]

I ended up using just some Dial handsoap, the last 2 went in absolutely flawlessly. Don't know why I didn't think of that before, that's what we always used to use when we would put new grips on our BMX handlebars when we were kids.

Thanks for all the tips, that tool that Ken and Darin made worked perfectly, and I'm going over to my buddy's house later to use his press for the subframe bushings.