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Old 05 May 2006, 11:48 pm
Elle
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Default Bushing Press (Portable & Home-made) Input Sought

I came across this detailed description of pressing bushings
out of suspension control arms using sockets, high strength
bolts and nuts, washers, and muscle:

http://www.maxcooper.com/rx7/how-to/...lls/index.html

Evidently, sometimes the bolt breaks during this process. I
ran some numbers to get an idea of how likely this might be,
and I'm seeing around a factor of safety of 1.5 to 2
(assuming about four to six tons of force is placed on a
roughly 3/8-inch diameter, grade 8 bolt). People say a 2-ton
shop press isn't enough; a 12-ton should be plenty. Hence
I'm guesstimating six tons of force on the bolt should be
enough.

Has anyone tried this method on his/her Honda's control arm
bushings? Please report if you have.

I am particularly interested in the socket sizes used. If I
can get the right sizes the first time, that would be great.
Otherwise, it's not all that convenient to run (um, bicycle)
back and forth between the several stores I would use for
sockets while my car is out of commission.

I might also call around to some of the salvage yards and
see if they have a bent control arm I could buy very
cheaply. Then I could drive around town with this "spare"
control arm, get the dimensions of the "home-made press"
right, and practice.

My ball joint separator is now on order via Ebay: $35 total
for the two-stage version to which Ryan posted a link
earlier (JTC Auto tools, #1727). This one was available via
bidding as opposed to "buy it now," so it seems I saved a
few bucks.

I do think my new front springs have eliminated some mild
clunkiness (when going over bumps) I heard before.

TIA for helping with my project.


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