Control Arm Bushing Press-Out/Press-In

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theophile

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I have my rear lower control arms out of the car, and I have used an Autozone loaner ball joint press set to press out the two ball-joint-style bushings. I intend to replace them with the Jaguar bushings from Racing Green. Here are some side-by-side pics of the old and new bushings:
20150516_173221.jpg

20150516_173315.jpg

20150516_173325.jpg

I have been operating under the assumption that the correct way to press in the new bushing is to use a driver that will fit over the rubber "boot" and mate against the rim of the outer sleeve, while being just narrow enough that it will fit into the control arm. In other words, I've been assuming that I do not want to press in the new bushing by applying the force to the inner sleeve.

So far, I have not been able to find a suitable "tube" to use for pressing in the new bushings in the manner described above. But because I am not as concerned about damaging the old bushings, I went ahead and pressed them out using the Autozone tool by applying the force to the inner sleeve. This is the ball joint press I'm using (though this is not my picture):

picture.php?albumid=796&pictureid=10202.jpg

For the first one, I used one of the plates in the kit that has a somewhat rounded bottom. As you can see in the pictures above, this rounded off the end of the inner sleeve on the first bushing I pressed out. For the second one I just put the flat part of the driver screw against the inner sleeve of the bushing and it worked fine and did not deform the inner sleeve as happened with the first one.

For both bushings I pressed out, I had to load a pretty substantial amount of force into the press before the bushing broke free from whatever bond was keeping them in the control arms. In both cases, when that bond broke, it was a loud cracking sound, after which it was comparatively easier to continue pressing the bushing out. The first time this happened I was scared I had cracked the aluminum control arm, but thankfully that was not the case.

So now I am wondering the best way to get the new bushings in. As mentioned above, I had been assuming I did not want to press on the inner sleeve of the new bushing and risk damaging it. But the old bushings (which are obviously very badly worn) do not seem to have suffered any deformity or other damage as a result of all that force having been applied to the inner sleeve. This is emboldening me to try to press the new bushings in in the same manner I pressed the old ones out, but I wanted to bounce it off the group before I give it a try.

My second question is whether I should put some type of lubricant on the outer sleeves before pressing them in. It seems like this could make the process a little smoother and require a little less force to press the new ones in, which in turn could reduce the risk of damage to the new bushings. On the other hand, it did seem as though there was something bonding the old bushings to the control arms. I supposed it could have just been the result of 12+ years of slight expansion and contraction of the metal, but I wanted to make sure I'm not supposed to use some sort of loctite-like adhesive substance.

I'd appreciate any thoughts you might have about this project. Thanks!

20150516_173221.jpg


20150516_173315.jpg


20150516_173325.jpg


picture.php?albumid=796&pictureid=10202.jpg
 
Loctite makes a product for cylindrical applications, perhaps that's worth looking into. It would provide lubrication and bonding. Depending on strength, you may not get it back out. Isopropyl alcohol would work well as lubrication then dry up.

That said, it doesn't seem like a good idea to push on the middle of the bushing. I'd wait until you find or make something to fit the sleeve like you first intended.

You could also heat the arm up a bit and freeze the bushing but don't put too much heat on the arm. Could have a negative effect on the strength. You'd also have to work fast pressing it in.
 
I noticed online that Autozone lends a variety of adapter sets designed to be used with the ball joint press, so back I went to the store to see if one would fit the outer sleeve of the bushing. Fortunately, one did! It registered perfectly against the chamfered rim of the bushing and is several micrometers smaller in diameter so it should not catch on the lip of the control arm.

Unfortunately, my attempt to use it was a disaster. All the components of the press lined up well and seemed flush, and the bushing started to go in as I slowly turned the press. But after about half a centimeter, something gave. It was the adapter I had just borrowed and was using to press the bushing. It had flared out under the pressure and sheared a tiny ring of aluminum off the edge of the bushing.

Then, when I backed the press off and removed the apparatus, I could see that the bushing had actually been going in slightly crookedly. The only way to get it out was the way I had gotten the old ones out: by pressing against the inner sleeve. Fortunately, it wasn't in far and it only took a few turns to get it out.

Then I discovered that when the bushing went in crookedly, it plowed a little ridge into the control arm itself.

So now I've deformed the tool that looked to be the correct one to press in there bushing, and I'm concerned that even if I had the right adapter, I would not be able to be certain that the bushing was going in straight.

I'm wary of driving from machine shop to machine shop hoping one of them will have the perfect setup to do the job right. Particularly so because the only time these places are typically open is when I'm supposed to be at my own work. I'd take the time if I knew a place could and would do it right, but I just don't know how to adequately describe this over the phone, and like I said, I'm really not excited about the idea of driving around the industrial section hoping to find a place that can do it.

I may have to cut my losses and buy the whole dang control arm.
 
Sounds like you are a brave soul like me. Ford highly discourages attempting to replace those bushings on the rear end LCA's, but what do they know!?
I tried to install those bushings as well, and had similar results (metal being removed no matter how precise I got my setup), thing is I do have a machine shop at my disposal. After I set up the 6 ton arbor press to install the bushings, I made it all of 300 yards before they popped out of the control arm housing causing metal on metal contact and causing the entire wheel to pivot back. Nothing about installing the aftermarket bushings instills confidence, in fact it's downright scary.

I came up with a solution and have been looking for other individuals with the same problem that may be interested. I machined some polyurethane bushings for my car and accompanying stainless steel backing washers. They have been on my car for the last 10K and run great. Quite, maintain oem ride quality, and best yet, you never have to worry about replacing them, ever.

The only draw back with this modification is that it eliminates your passive rear wheel steering, but I haven't noticed any difference in tracking with my 01 LS at highway speeds and beyond. In order to complete this mod I recommend welding your Tow link (control arm link) bars up to eliminate the rubber bushing that allows the wheels to compress and turn a little. I used 9/16" thick washers and had a friend weld them to the shaft, and the outer casing. This is really if you're on a budget. The other option is to just purchase the S Type Jaguar links, which are readily available and lack the rubber bushing all together (the S Type didn't offer passive rear wheel steering). RockAuto carries these for the Jag's http://www.rockauto.com/catalog/moreinfo.php?pk=2786460&cc=1373576&jnid=418&jpid=0

Message me if you are interested in the Poly bushings and I will send you a quote, they are super easy to install and you will never have to think about them again.
 
Have you given any consideration to using Delrin pressed into the arm with a piece of steel (maybe stainless steel?) tubing used as a liner for the bolt to ride on? Or copy the 'Del-alum' control arms available that use a combination of aluminum and Delrin to provide deflectionless suspension pieces.

KS
 
I believe my Rear Bushings are toast also as I hear some clunking back there. My research also indicated that FoMoCo does not recommend replacing the Bushings, instead, replace the entire Control Arm(s) with Bushings pre-installed. Seems extreme but hey, they need to sell parts and make money right?
 
FoMoCo also only offers main bearings for the 3.9 already installed in a new block. Bean counters often do strange things. I, personally, will use the Delrin approach.

KS
 
Ragged2Riches said:
Sounds like you are a brave soul like me. Ford highly discourages attempting to replace those bushings on the rear end LCA's, but what do they know!?
I tried to install those bushings as well, and had similar results (metal being removed no matter how precise I got my setup), thing is I do have a machine shop at my disposal. After I set up the 6 ton arbor press to install the bushings, I made it all of 300 yards before they popped out of the control arm housing causing metal on metal contact and causing the entire wheel to pivot back. Nothing about installing the aftermarket bushings instills confidence, in fact it's downright scary.

I came up with a solution and have been looking for other individuals with the same problem that may be interested. I machined some polyurethane bushings for my car and accompanying stainless steel backing washers. They have been on my car for the last 10K and run great. Quite, maintain oem ride quality, and best yet, you never have to worry about replacing them, ever.

The only draw back with this modification is that it eliminates your passive rear wheel steering, but I haven't noticed any difference in tracking with my 01 LS at highway speeds and beyond. In order to complete this mod I recommend welding your Tow link (control arm link) bars up to eliminate the rubber bushing that allows the wheels to compress and turn a little. I used 9/16" thick washers and had a friend weld them to the shaft, and the outer casing. This is really if you're on a budget. The other option is to just purchase the S Type Jaguar links, which are readily available and lack the rubber bushing all together (the S Type didn't offer passive rear wheel steering). RockAuto carries these for the Jag's http://www.rockauto.com/catalog/moreinfo.php?pk=2786460&cc=1373576&jnid=418&jpid=0

Message me if you are interested in the Poly bushings and I will send you a quote, they are super easy to install and you will never have to think about them again.
Click to expand...
This is what happens when you get high on Tea and Crumpets then, try to outthink Ford engineers.
https://youtu.be/lNoTnfpj_3Y

There's a reason the system was designed like it was. That passive rear steering allows the LS to rotate especially during quick direction changes. Hmmm, don't LSes handle better than S-Types? Uh, yes. I wonder why that is? They messed with the front suspension too after the 1st gen.

With all that being said, if you don't drive like that, no need to worry I guess.
 
Ford/Jaguar or whomever had to press the original bushings in somehow. As mentioned above, heat works really well to ease removal of the original bushing. Heated control arm and frozen bushing would ease assembly. Aluminum expands more due to heat than steel. At room temp the removal of the original bushing may cause slight damage to the control arm and may lead to more damage during the new bearing install if also at room temp.

As for the above video, what does that have to do with price of tea in China? Do we know why the vehicle crashed? no. Most drivers can control vehicle rotation using the throttle pedal. Look at the steering wheel movement and his position on the track. He did have a lot of speed going in but he also kept turning the wheel more and more and kept going straight. Why? At that point he had no front traction at all. He kept turning the wheel and the car didn't follow his inputs. Did the electronic nannies cut the power while he was requesting more? I don't know. Did he just overpower the tires? I don't know. He should have been able to loosen the rear end with throttle but he ploughed right off the track. I do know that all vehicles handle better and are more stable in a turn with (some) power applied. I do know that the LS nannies take over very abruptly and cut the power at the worst possible instant. With the power cut the weight transfers forward. If the front tires are close to the limit of traction before the electronics cut the power, the front tires may loose traction during the electronics' intervention. At that point the vehicle is out of control and at the mercy of the laws of physics. Also, most vehicles with passive rear steering increase understeer not oversteer. Most US drivers couldn't handle an oversteering car and are also very liable to sue for damages. Look at the Corvair. Look at the old Porsches. For most drivers in these vehicles a lift of throttle in a turn means that they will end up facing the way they came from at best.
 
MIdsm said:
Ford/Jaguar or whomever had to press the original bushings in somehow. As mentioned above, heat works really well to ease removal of the original bushing. Heated control arm and frozen bushing would ease assembly. Aluminum expands more due to heat than steel. At room temp the removal of the original bushing may cause slight damage to the control arm and may lead to more damage during the new bearing install if also at room temp.

As for the above video, what does that have to do with price of tea in China? Do we know why the vehicle crashed? no. Most drivers can control vehicle rotation using the throttle pedal. Look at the steering wheel movement and his position on the track. He did have a lot of speed going in but he also kept turning the wheel more and more and kept going straight. Why? At that point he had no front traction at all. He kept turning the wheel and the car didn't follow his inputs. Did the electronic nannies cut the power while he was requesting more? I don't know. Did he just overpower the tires? I don't know. He should have been able to loosen the rear end with throttle but he ploughed right off the track. I do know that all vehicles handle better and are more stable in a turn with (some) power applied. I do know that the LS nannies take over very abruptly and cut the power at the worst possible instant. With the power cut the weight transfers forward. If the front tires are close to the limit of traction before the electronics cut the power, the front tires may loose traction during the electronics' intervention. At that point the vehicle is out of control and at the mercy of the laws of physics. Also, most vehicles with passive rear steering increase understeer not oversteer. Most US drivers couldn't handle an oversteering car and are also very liable to sue for damages. Look at the Corvair. Look at the old Porsches. For most drivers in these vehicles a lift of throttle in a turn means that they will end up facing the way they came from at best.
Click to expand...

Really? Look at that video again. I know exactly why the vehicle crashed. It was a failure to rotate. Clearly, you can see the front end of the vehicle bounce with the weight transfer. An LS in good condition does not do this. This may have been caused by the adjustable suspension being set incorrectly so, I'll give you that. However, the rear end should have come around but didn't. The combination of the wider tires and the lack of passive rear steering lead to that situation.
 
I don't want to start a fight on here and go off topic too much . I watched the video again and saw the speed in the middle portion of the video. The needle was at almost three o'clock when he started braking right before the curve. He started braking too late. Too much speed going in. Laws of physics at work. I also went to youtube and saw that it stated that he was going 155mph at some point. I guess that a jag road car doesn't brake as well as an F1 car.
 
While we are on the subject, can you measure the OD of the bushings you replaced? When I get to doing this job it'd be a blessing to know what diameter Delrin rod to order. I'd expect to cut the rod to length, center-drill it to the pivot-bolt diameter, and turn the outside to a slight press-fit.

KS
 
MIdsm said:
I don't want to start a fight on here and go off topic too much . I watched the video again and saw the speed in the middle portion of the video. The needle was at almost three o'clock when he started braking right before the curve. He started braking too late. Too much speed going in. Laws of physics at work. I also went to youtube and saw that it stated that he was going 155mph at some point. I guess that a jag road car doesn't brake as well as an F1 car.
Click to expand...
I saw the needle sweep too. It has the same arc as our cars. He was going about 135 mph. Had they been going 155 mph they might be dead. There's no argument here as the discussion involves a component the LS has and the Jag doesn't quite have. I've looked and those parts are very scarce which really scares me because I'm in tune with my car. If I have to change my driving techniques for lack of that part, I'm not sure I can learn to do it safely. I think I might check the junk yards and try to find some in real good shape.
 
Robot said:
This is what happens when you get high on Tea and Crumpets then, try to outthink Ford engineers.
https://youtu.be/lNoTnfpj_3Y

There's a reason the system was designed like it was. That passive rear steering allows the LS to rotate especially during quick direction changes. Hmmm, don't LSes handle better than S-Types? Uh, yes. I wonder why that is? They messed with the front suspension too after the 1st gen.

With all that being said, if you don't drive like that, no need to worry I guess.
Click to expand...

No Tea and Crumpets here, Just good ole fashioned ingenuity. The passive rear steering was a great idea, and over all probably enhances the high speed cornering performance of an LS. However, a worn out rear suspension in an LS doesn't help in the slightest. When you can't keep the car from dog tracking in a straight line at 80MPH, chances are you aren't going to tack into that corner the way you thought you were. A lot of guys out there aren't going to be into putting anything but an oem (cough*Jaguar*cough) control arm, back on their car, along with rubber joined toe links back on the car. However, if you're like me, and don't see the need in spending over $1K in parts on a car that cost $4K, just so you can drive in a straight line on the highway, replacing the bushings with fixed bushings is the solution.

Heres some pics of my control arm bushings I made out of Polyurethane, and yes i found the print, and I can make more sets for about $350 to replace the ball-joint style bushings.

https://drive.google.com/folderview...dvS0s3cGYtbjdNUVVqUDc0dDd0WFctOEk&usp=sharing
 
Ragged2Riches.

Have you ran your Polyurethane bushings yet? I am curious as to how thay work out. I tried Polyflex bushings in my rear Jaguar STR control arms and they were a disaster! Compound was too soft! I hope that you are using the highest durometer compound available! I paid for rear toe alignment and I still had horrible tire scrub. At about 40mph, the car was uncontrolable and fish-tailed all over the road.

If you think about hydra-bushings, they are a mono-ball bushing held very rigidly inside their shell. No flexing! Since the LS suspension is a semi-trailing design, 2 of the 3 bushings need to have zero flex or else the arms wont travelling in the the proper arc.
 
Getting the right durometer is key, mine are hard, but not very hard. I imagine you could get a harder compound, however I fear that alignment may become an issue due to lack of deflection (the adjusting toe links may not handle the additional force, I know for a fact you don't want to keep the passive links on). However a compound too soft will definitely be all over the road. I remember there was one company out of the UK selling the bushings for the rear end out of poly, but the only reviews on the jag forums were about how garbage they were, and were too soft. The cars weaving about the highway, very similar to what you're talking about tijoe. That was how my car felt all the time with the bad rear hydra-bushings, the difference in what i've tried to achieve is a trapped bushing, of a moderately hard material that can move, but won't displace under heavy load. The other company was also using a barrel type bushing, while mine are 2 piece allowing for more shoulder. I've installed a poly suspension on just about every car I've ever built, and poly gets a win in my book. I was wondering about the idea of using a delrin, but I've never seen delrin used in an impact or compression application. Usually polyurethane or NBR is used in those scenarios, Delrin works really well as a bearing material.

I've had my car on these bushings for about 12,xxx Miles now. The car feels more nimble now than it ever had on bad hydra-bushings, unfortunately I haven't had the pleasure to drive an LS on good Hydra-bushings. However my pops did just pick up a retro-bird so maybe I will get to drive it soon and see the difference, but I seriously don't see why there would be. The car feels very nimble up to 100 MPH in passing, and quick merging at highway speeds, but my tires really aren't in shape to be going much faster. (looking into some Pirelli P7 Centurado, anyone had a set?)

Only con to poly is, the material is a little expensive. However when compared to the Racing Green bushings, that i've never heard of anyone getting to mount correctly, it still costs less.
Maybe theophile has had different results as of late with the Racing Green bushings?
 
The only part I'm worried about is the rear toe link. I'm going to check availability at the local Ford dealership.

When it comes to having the suspension components with the proper bushings, cost is of little concern when my safety is involved.

One more thing and I will end.

Those of you that remember me going on about the great attributes of the LS will also recall me talking about doing the accelerated bootleg 180s and 90deg turns across traffic. It's just occurred to me that the special rear toe link is more than likely the reason I'm able to do that with so much control. Dang it! I thought I was special. Ha Ha!
 
OK, I went to my local Ford dealership to audit the toe-link. They actually had 2 parts in stock. They are not hurting for these parts at all. The parts guy said they have 81 in the Atlanta warehouse and 67 in the warehouse near Ocala, FL. They want just $200 ea for them. After looking at mine, I think I might buy myself a set for Christmas. Mine look pretty good after 91K miles.

uploadfromtaptalk1441170537987.jpguploadfromtaptalk1441170578557.jpguploadfromtaptalk1441170636187.jpg

I also asked the guy if there were any other Ford products that used a similar part and he said he didn't think so.

Going back through my memory, I recall Saab was using a passive rear steering system called Re Axs or something like that. It did the same thing as this setup does. I wonder what became of that system.

uploadfromtaptalk1441170537987.jpg


uploadfromtaptalk1441170578557.jpg


uploadfromtaptalk1441170636187.jpg
 
Yours look good Robot, the easy check is to apply force to the front and rear of the tire, if they move then you're PRS links are bad. Those toe links should be rock solid, considering they weren't intended to move till 60 MPH or so.

The only other car that ford even built with an IRS would be the Cobra Mustangs, I'm curious as to see how they set that rear end up. They used an 8.8 rear end just like the LS, but don't believe it was a Jag derived suspension.

The lack of passive rear suspension doesn't bother me on my LS, I always felt that for a RWD V8 car that the rear end was a little sloshy, but my links and bushings were bad when I started (my car had a little over 160K when I did the bushings) so that probably isn't the best determination of what one is supposed to feel like. A little oversteer in a RWD car to me is prefered, but I don't think I would go so far as to say that my car oversteers with a hard rear suspension, and is by no means difficult to control.
 
Ragged2Riches said:
The only other car that ford even built with an IRS would be the Cobra Mustangs, I'm curious as to see how they set that rear end up. They used an 8.8 rear end just like the LS, but don't believe it was a Jag derived suspension.
Click to expand...

A: not true at all
A.1 the mark VIII also used IRS (since back in 94) along with just about every FWD car they have made since then (like the taurus since 86)
A.2 while the mustang does use the 8.8" rear end, the LS does not, it uses a 8.0" rear end where SOME of the parts are interchangeable (for 1st gen only)

B: no, not jag derived
 
1LoudLS said:
A: not true at all
A.1 the mark VIII also used IRS (since back in 94) along with just about every FWD car they have made since then (like the taurus since 86)
A.2 while the mustang does use the 8.8" rear end, the LS does not, it uses a 8.0" rear end where SOME of the parts are interchangeable (for 1st gen only)

B: no, not jag derived
Click to expand...

Ah, I forget about the mark VIII (shame on me). Also I wasn't aware that it too had an IRS. I just recall that all of the mustangs and big body cars were straight axle cars, save for those few year models of cobras AND the Mark VIII. Thanks for the info there, so was the Mark VIII using an 8.8"? and are there any links to pictures of one on this site?

I've read where you can pull the posi unit from an older bronco with the 8.8" and through some headaches, get it to fit on the 1st gen LS rear end. I have heard though that we are stuck with the two ratios offered for the rear end from gen 1 to gen 2. something about the ring and pinion being specific to those rear ends, guess that's where the 8" comes in.
 
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