1990 - new control arm bushing installation question

[KTEDSEL]

Has anyone installed this type of control arm bushing? Every manufacturer only sells this style bushing. The steel insert on the new bushing is exactly the same length as the original, but the length of the rubber is not as wide as the originals before I pressed them out. The rubber "ears" on the originals were the same width as the steel insert, so that when the control arm is installed in the car, the rubber ears are insulators that prevent metal-to metal contact between the control arm and frame. I guess the rubber on the new bushings will stretch wider when pressed into the control arm...I hope?

 

My plan is to lube the new bushing and inner bore of the control arm with silicone so they are slippery, then squeeze in the new bushing with my vise. As the new bushing slides into the control arm, I have a large open socket on the other end as a "receiver" so the bushing can slide all the way through and out the other end of the control arm as I tighten the vise.

 

Since the rubber on the new bushing is not as wide as the steel insert, does the rubber stretch as it's pressed through the control arm, such that when it's fully installed, the ears on each end of the bushing fit tight against the control arm as indicated by the red marks in the second photo?

 

I hope someone else has done this job and can confirm.

[Barney Eaton]

looks like you have a plan...........show pictures of the finished job

[KTEDSEL]

1 hour ago, Barney Eaton said:

looks like you have a plan...........show pictures of the finished job

Will post pics. I sure hope the rubber stretches when I press those babies into the control arms!

[2seater]

I think you are in uncharted territory for most of us, but I for one will be interested to see how this turns out. At first blush it certainly appears the center portion between the reduced areas will increase in length putting the sort of "flange" portion of the bushing outside the metal housing. The reduced area perhaps to decrease the resistance to flex off axis?

[KTEDSEL]

Success! Bushings pressed into each control arm.

 

As the earlier photos show, the rubber on the new bushings is shorter than the inner steel shaft. As expected, the rubber stretches when it's fully pressed into the control arm, and the rubber "flanges" or "ears" rest against each outer end of the control arm bore, and the stretched rubber covers the steel shaft from end-to-end.

 

Before the pressing operation, I used 60 grit sandpaper to clean up the inside of the control arm bore, then polished it smooth with 400 grit paper. Then I liberally applied silicone lube to the control arm bore and the rubber bushing. Using my vise, it was challenging to get the bushing started into the arm, because the flange on the bushing is a larger OD than the ID of the control arm bore. But after a few attempts, the flange slid inside the bore, and pressed through easily all the way through. The next tricky part is pressing that rubber flange past the opposite end of the bore. The steel insert needs to protrude past the control arm bore to stretch the rubber and push out the flange. I used the open end of a 1 1/2" socket as the "receiver" and it worked great, mission accomplished. See the photos showing the progression of bushing installation.

 

Something to be aware of with our control arms: the shaft at the end of the brake reaction rod where the large rubber insulators are installed can get corroded and potentially fail. I have heard that the reaction rod can break off due to severe rust. The rubber insulators can trap moisture between the inside of the insulator and the steel rod, causing rust. This is the reason why I had my control arms stripped at a metal stripping shop, to remove deep rust. As the photo shows, the rod is pitted from rust after stripping but acceptable. With new paint and new insulators on the reaction rod, my Reatta control arms should be good to go for many years.

 

This project started because of an annoying front end squeak. The bushings on my control arm were not terrible, and not the cause of the squeak. The culprit was the front sway bar bushings which I replaced...no more squeak.

[KTEDSEL]

On 11/26/2023 at 2:07 PM, 2seater said:

I think you are in uncharted territory for most of us, but I for one will be interested to see how this turns out. At first blush it certainly appears the center portion between the reduced areas will increase in length putting the sort of "flange" portion of the bushing outside the metal housing. The reduced area perhaps to decrease the resistance to flex off axis?

I posted a followup with more photos after completing the job successfully.

[Barney Eaton]

Looks better than new. 

[KTEDSEL]

21 hours ago, Barney Eaton said:

Looks better than new. 

I will settle for good as new