new control arms and m3 offset bushings

[A_325i]

how hard are they to replace? seems pretty straight forward...but what about the bushings will i need a machine shop to get htem out and press ther new ones in? i hope not cause god damnit i cant afford that right now

is there any special way i could do it at home i got plenty of tools at my disposal

[Schniddy]

Re: new control arms and m3 offset bushings

how hard are they to replace? seems pretty straight forward...but what about the bushings will i need a machine shop to get htem out and press ther new ones in? i hope not cause god damnit i cant afford that right now

is there any special way i could do it at home i got plenty of tools at my disposal

Totally replacing everything is the easiest!! To take off the outer most ball-joint just hit the shit out of the top with a BFH and it should drop. Doing the middle ball-joint is going to be the hardest. Make sure you spray a lot of penetrating oil up in there, good luck with that. Then just take out the two bolts for the CAB and it should come right out.

If you cant pull the bushing right off then just take a hacksaw or torch to it. I prefer fire :)

If your going with rubber bushings then you can take it to a press shop and have it done for about $20, so it really isn't that much!!

Good luck

[A_325i]

well i have balljoint seperators so the inner and outer balljoints shouldnt be much of a problem i also have lots of big hammersi was just wondering about the bushing (i bought the solid rubber m3 offset bushing) i was told i'd have to get it pulled out and then pressed in by a machine shop....btw do i have to replace the bracket while replacing the bushing or can i reuse that if so where do i buy one? i've looked everywhere and cant find one

[Schniddy]

You can re-use your old bracket. you dont need your old bushings pull out by a shop, you can just cut/pull/melt them off.

you can get creative and push the new ones in yourself. I've seen two articles, only could find one

http://cesium.cs.jmu.edu/huntwc/

someone else could chim in with other ways

[A_325i]

alright so looks like i will end up having to go to a machine shop...alright thats cool at least its cheap..

[Schniddy]

alright so looks like i will end up having to go to a machine shop...alright thats cool at least its cheap..

There is another method that involves using a block of wood and hammering it in, if you want to do that

[KenC]

You'll most likely have to take it to a machine shop. I wasn't able to get close to pressing my new ones in with a vice.

[A_325i]

lol i just found out that my control arms that are ont he car now have m3 offset CAB's lol i never knew that...could that be a contributor to the harshness going over bumps and train tracks? or was that just from my crappy stock suspension it only really happened to the front of the car...

[Digitalwave]

The offset of the CABs don't have to do with harshness, its the material used. It'll be harsher if you buy urethane CABs, which you should if you are replacing them. You will have to have them pressed in by a shop.

[A_325i]

well i already purchased the solid m3 offset cab's so eh

[uflnuceng]

You'll most likely have to take it to a machine shop. I wasn't able to get close to pressing my new ones in with a vice.

Same here... unless you have a hydraulic press lying around you need to take it to a machine shop. A local guy did it during his lunch break for me and charged me $10.

[nando]

There is another method that involves using a block of wood and hammering it in, if you want to do that

that method will never work. it takes something like 15 tons of pressure to get them in. freezing the bushings and heating up the brackets doesn't work either. the brackets are actually not completely round, which is part of the reason they are such a bitch to press on. it's much easier to pay $20 and let the guy at the shop waste 15 minutes of his time instead of wasting a day of your time only to end up bringing it to a shop anyway..

[A_325i]

ok so a vice doesnt work? alright ill just bring it to a shop...btw is it just as hard to put the new bushing and bracket BACK onto the control arm? do i need a machine shop to do that to or can i do that my self with some dish soap and alot of force?

[Digitalwave]

ok so a vice doesnt work?

Fast learner...

[uflnuceng]

ok so a vice doesnt work? alright ill just bring it to a shop...btw is it just as hard to put the new bushing and bracket BACK onto the control arm? do i need a machine shop to do that to or can i do that my self with some dish soap and alot of force?

need a machines shop for both removal and installation... seriously... $20 for both together is all you'll end up paying.