Rear Subframe Bushings.

[HarryPotter]

I went with stock rubber bushings from turner because they are only 50 bucks. Hopefully they get here quickly. Can't wait to get these things in and the old rotted ones out.

[bpmack16]

wtf you live in FL it cant be that cold. ya ya 30 out not a big deal.

[2002maniac]

[QUOTE=HarryPotter;1844698]
It's been colder here at night than in new york and the other night than in alaska. So... QUOTE]

bull shit. grow a pair you pansy.

[DJB]

So here is a potential disaster.




In this case the top of the subframe bushing was stuck into the body with corrosion. One side came free with the usual technique of threading in a bolt and pounding from the top with a drift and sledge. This side broke internally rather than coming free.

Luckily I had the tool that allowed solving this problem.

I had been working on a subframe bushing extraction tool that used a hydraulic bottle jack as the power source. I finally gave up on that approach, in part because the tool ends up being too long to do the job on normal jack stands.

My latest design uses one of the pieces I made for the hydraulic version -- a Pitman arm puller cut to fit exactly in the notches of the subframe bushing so that it pushes against the subframe tube. On top of that you use a standard two jaw puller that grips the bushing flanges.

I set out to design a better tool because the usual design destroyed the threads of the pulling rod. That's because the rod is limited to the diameter that would fit through the bushing. All-thread and stock nuts might be destroyed before finishing the first job. The commercial tools might last a dozen pulls, but then would need a special-order replacement.

Of course a two jaw puller still uses a threaded section, but it is not limited by the bushing inner diameter. And pullers have hardened Acme threads for long life and greater strength. It still won't be as smooth and low friction as a hydraulic tool, but a large Acme thread puller is much faster and easier than a tool with a small threaded rod. And it generates plenty of force when needed.

Enough force, for instance, to extract the bushing while tearing (!) the rubber off the remaining half of a shattered bushing. This one was so tenacious that it pulled the bushing 1.5" back into subframe when the pressure was released. That means the tool had to be 2x the strength needed for a normal extraction. (We finally got the rubber to release by using a pen torch in the bushing hole.)

Another advantage of this tool design is that allows extracting the bushing from the subframe without removing the center bolt. That's a plus on the convertible, where the top of the bolt is harder to reach. You just have to hope that the bushing isn't rusted into the body.

[HarryPotter]

Well I finally got em in today from turner. I can't believe they are 60 bucks. Seems like they should be 20 at the max. It's solid rubber molded around a steel pole, tehehe.

[Naplm00]

mine did this too, i just cut it flush with a cut off wheel then use a dereme with a rotozip bit to notch it from the inside out making it into 2 half moon shapes...then i just knocked em out with a chisel and a hammer

took about 20 min

So here is a potential disaster.




In this case the top of the subframe bushing was stuck into the body with corrosion. One side came free with the usual technique of threading in a bolt and pounding from the top with a drift and sledge. This side broke internally rather than coming free.

Luckily I had the tool that allowed solving this problem.

I had been working on a subframe bushing extraction tool that used a hydraulic bottle jack as the power source. I finally gave up on that approach, in part because the tool ends up being too long to do the job on normal jack stands.

My latest design uses one of the pieces I made for the hydraulic version -- a Pitman arm puller cut to fit exactly in the notches of the subframe bushing so that it pushes against the subframe tube. On top of that you use a standard two jaw puller that grips the bushing flanges.

I set out to design a better tool because the usual design destroyed the threads of the pulling rod. That's because the rod is limited to the diameter that would fit through the bushing. All-thread and stock nuts might be destroyed before finishing the first job. The commercial tools might last a dozen pulls, but then would need a special-order replacement.

Of course a two jaw puller still uses a threaded section, but it is not limited by the bushing inner diameter. And pullers have hardened Acme threads for long life and greater strength. It still won't be as smooth and low friction as a hydraulic tool, but a large Acme thread puller is much faster and easier than a tool with a small threaded rod. And it generates plenty of force when needed.

Enough force, for instance, to extract the bushing while tearing (!) the rubber off the remaining half of a shattered bushing. This one was so tenacious that it pulled the bushing 1.5" back into subframe when the pressure was released. That means the tool had to be 2x the strength needed for a normal extraction. (We finally got the rubber to release by using a pen torch in the bushing hole.)

Another advantage of this tool design is that allows extracting the bushing from the subframe without removing the center bolt. That's a plus on the convertible, where the top of the bolt is harder to reach. You just have to hope that the bushing isn't rusted into the body.