Removing a stubborn front wishbone bush

[DPJ]

I was changing my front wishbone bushes to Powerflex.

With the wishbones off the car, I used a press to remove the big rear bushes, but I couldn't get the wishbone into the press to remove the front bushes.

I faffed about with a vice and some bits of tube for a while before giving it up as being too dangerous. A lot of hammering also produced no movement.

I then thought of drilling round the rubber and as I was getting my drill out, I spotted my holesaw set.......

25mm holesaw

Easy

 

[The MoffMeister]

yeeee haaaaa cowboy

 

[ibizacupra]

press works for me ....

 

[DPJ]

press works for me ....

How do you get that end of the wishbone into a press Bill? I tried a load of different angles (and unsafe methods of support)

 

[UncleFester]

I quite like the holesaw method .... a bit shanks' pony but great lateral thinking If it's out and you did no damage then i can't see the problem.

 

[DPJ]

I quite like the holesaw method .... a bit shanks' pony but great lateral thinking If it's out and you did no damage then i can't see the problem.

Cheers! The holesaw just fitted round the outside of the metal insert of the bush - no damage to the teeth or even a mark on waste insert. Pilot drill didn't touch anything down the middle either.

 

[UncleFester]

Gotta be quicker than a press and way more satisfying, you get to indulge in that child like feeling of destruction Last time i did anything like that was on a Metro Turbo, i hit a painted stone in the road - looked like a plastic bag at the time. Bent a lower arm in half! Only found out once i'd got the ARB out to remove the lower arm that it was all held under tension ... ended up using a block and tackle with the rope jammed in the utility room door to hold it before i could 'persuade' it to go back in. These days i'd rather pay someone and save my knuckles

 

[The MoffMeister]

all cowboys in this thread lol

 

[probee]

Gotta be quicker than a press and way more satisfying, you get to indulge in that child like feeling of destruction Last time i did anything like that was on a Metro Turbo, i hit a painted stone in the road - looked like a plastic bag at the time. Bent a lower arm in half! Only found out once i'd got the ARB out to remove the lower arm that it was all held under tension ... ended up using a block and tackle with the rope jammed in the utility room door to hold it before i could 'persuade' it to go back in. These days i'd rather pay someone and save my knuckles

not sure the missus would like me using our doors for that... but it worked.. top job with the holesaw too.. thats been safely filed incase needed another day

 

[DPJ]

all cowboys in this thread lol

Well, as one of the Cowboys.....

*Always drink upstream from the herd.
*There are three kinds of men: The ones that learn by reading. The few who learn by observation. The rest of them have to pee on the electric fence.
*If you're riding' ahead of the herd, take a look back every now and then to make sure it's still there.
*Don't squat with your spurs on.
*Never approach a bull from the front, a horse from the rear, or a fool from any direction.

 

[ibizacupra]

How do you get that end of the wishbone into a press Bill? I tried a load of different angles (and unsafe methods of support)

Just supported the wishbone on a tube slightly larger than the bush OD, and pressed it out from the outside - in

 

[DPJ]

Just supported the wishbone on a tube slightly larger than the bush OD, and pressed it out from the outside - in

Your press must have a small table; the one I used had an adjustable wide I beam below and was about 200 mm from front to press centre. L

 

[jpcibiza90]

with your powerflex bushes did you get a little tube of somthing? is that just lube?

 

[Willie]

The lube you get is like copper slip, this is the best for this yes

 

[jpcibiza90]

oh cool cheers i just got some arb bushes for my ibiza mk4 n wondered what it was, didnt think it would want lube on it because that could give it movement? dont know much about suspenssion lol

 

[jpcibiza90]

ah yeah just oppened it it is like copper grease, were do i put this then? around the back of the bush were the bracket is or on my arb itself or just on the bolts for the bracket when i put them back in?

 

[Willie]

Yup it does say that on the ELSAWIN but to get these bushes in it takes a huge amount of pressing which will displace the grease pretty quickly