stickypatch

Has anybody done this job without a vice to hold the control arms steady while punching and sawing the old fittings out?

Toto111

It is certainly possible......ask me how I know!!
You will require another set of hands or a clamp however.

I removed the old bushings on one side with some assistance. The second side was removed on a friend's vice. Certainly easier!!!

deekay911

Pressing the new bushings in squarly is a LOT easier with a bench vice. It's not like it's the most expensive or exotic tool out there

davePorsche

or the easier way out....i talked with FD Motorsports and they will sell you a new control arm with bushings already installed and you send them your old one. this is the route i plan to go .. i didnt like the idea of somehow mishandling the new part while messing with it for what i have heard is quite a struggle..

P-daddy

Good idea!

EMBPilot

my understanding is to do it this way its $300 vs $100. im on the fence as well, which route to take...

NineMeister

Surely you could buy a bench vise for a lot less than $200?

Texas993

Chris Walrod will also do the exchange for you. That is what I did even though my shop had the necessary tools. It worked out to be cheaper in the end.

TMc993

This isn't a technically difficult job, but it is a nasty one. You can R&R the control arms in about 90 minutes, including placing jack stands and clean-up. Add a minimum of another 2 hours and a lot of cussing for R&R of the bushings. Do you enjoy DIY? What is your time worth? How much are you going to have to spend to get the right tools to do the job? DIY is not always the best way to go.

axl911

I did it without a vise. Just do according to instruction to remove the old bushing. To press a new one in, go to Harbor Freight and buy a big C-clamp for $5.

Vorsicht

I did it without a vice. I used some clamps on a table and then a c-clamp to press in new bushings as mentioned above. It was sorta a PITA getting the old ones out though but it's certainly doable. A vice makes the job much easier IMHO.

hkspwrsche

While youre at harbor frieght buy a vice for $50!

coreseller

I did mine last year, I did indeed use a large vise. Speaking from experience and as a cheap b*stard, if I were to do it again I would have spent the extra money on "preloaded" control arms and sent the cores back.

996scott

So how do you tell if your bushings are in need of replacing? I had my front wheels off the other day and took a look. I didn't see any signs of the old bushing deteriorating. Any tell tale signs to look for? I assume mine are original.

stickypatch

The core replacement deal is out of the question for me due to the cost of air freight between NZ and the US. Also my 993 is a daily driver - I wouldn't want it off the road for that long.

Getting a bench vice is no biggie - but where to put it is - as we're in the middle of selling our house at the moment. I'm planning for the car to be off the road for three days for the shocks/springs job and control arm bushings as a worst case (I'm pretty slow at DIY...)