UKKid35

If there is a way of removing these bushes without cursing continuously for 30 minutes each, I'd like to know what it is.

With the rack in situ my method has been to use a nut behind the bush to try to press it out. This doesn't work, but it does push the centre section out enough to use mole grips to slowly extract it. Then the outer section can be folded in on itself and removed.

There has to be a better way...

Fogey1

Depends. Do you curse (and for how long) when you write big cheques? ;-)

Garth S

IIRC, ErnestSW posted on doing his in situ by trimming the bottom rolled lip ( of the outer shell) away with a Dremel grinder .... then pushing the whole bushing up from the bottom.

Ah .... a quick search turned up this action packed link .....

toofast928

I did mine with the engine removed. Used a small drill bit and drilled thru the rubber/shell. Couldn't have done it any other way.

I imagine with the engine installed, I would of removing the rack and having them pressed.

SeanTT

I just replaced mine with solid bushings and did all the work on my back under the car without removing the rack. I would not recommend this technique as I was left with a brush burned back from about 14 hours of hard grunt work and sliding back and forth on the ground. The cardboard and padding I had on the ground did not help.
To remove the bushings from the rack, I drilled several holes in the inner rubber portion of the bushing between both metal pieces, till the metal center piece pushed or hammered out. Then I took a hammer and chisel, and hammered (or is it chiseled?) all around the outer edge of the bushing (which is flush against the rack and tapped down to prevent the original bushings from coming out). You should be able to forcefully bend and push the bushing out or break the circular thin outer metal portion and then push it out of the hole.

jon928se

If you dare (usual warnings apply) burn out the rubber with a blow torch, carefully avoiding the dripping burning rubber. then grab the outer casing with molegrips, twist and out it comes.

On second thoughts - I did it this way with the rack in pieces out of the car , I am pretty certain I wouldn't do it this way with the rack full of ATF under the car.

Landseer

I removed the rack. Used a cheap HF shop press.

Lizard928

I took and angle grinder and quickly removed just enough of the bottom of the bushing to let that lip fold pretty much fall off, then I pushed out the top of the rack.

UKKid35

In some ways I'm quite relieved no one's got an easier way, apart from removing the rack and using a press (not an option for me). But I still have one left to extract, and I've already given myself a black eye while fighting with the other three.

Guess I might have a rest this evening and watch a movie instead...

928nut

Don't feel bad, this a real PITA job, any way you do it or look at it. I removed one bushing on my old rack, from underneath, after much, much cursing, only to decide it wasn't worth the pain. I went with the "shimming" option and left the old bushings in place. End result should be the same - solidly mounted rack. Good luck

928nut
'79-auto

dr bob

IIRC, we used a small flat chisel and a hammer to un-swage one end of each old bushing, then used a vise-grip style locking plier to fram the rolled edge and twist it enough to make it shrink slightly in the hole. It was pretty easy to drive out after that. We spent a few extra minutes working on the method and finding the chisel, but the actual bushing removal was pretty quick.

Victim on that was Rob Edwards' GT, as part of a MM, pan gasket, cleanup project a couple years ago now. I need to do my own one of these days, and will surely take a few pictures to illustrate the method better than my description does.

Rob Edwards

With Bob's help, I had the rack disconnected from the steering column and it was hanging from the tie rods. Bob used a socket just smaller than the rubber insert on one side, a bigger socket on the opposite side, and a c-clamp to press out the old rubber. (They were oil-soaked and degraded, so they came out pretty easily) Then he used one of the smaller cold chisels (from this set: http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...emnumber=39940) and a hammer to deform the lip on the metal insert, then pulled it out with big channellocks.

I spent the entire time running back and forth grabbing tools, Bob did all the hard work, but with the rack down it couldn't have taken more that 30-40 minutes. With the rack in situ, as long as there's a way to get the rubber out (blowtorch, sawzall, slide hammer, ????) the chisel makes pretty quick work of the sleeve. At least if Bob is doing it for you......

Bob, I've got 2 bachelor weekends coming up (April 5-6, this weekend, and May 17-18), consider me completely at your disposal if you need a pair of hands/liftbars/photodocumentation help/whatever. Give me a call (or PM) anytime.