Lower controll arm bushings!!

[eckoplayr]

So i got my springs installed my self with new struts and shocks, well i got it all put back together last week or something and i went to get it alinged yesterday and he told me my lower controll arm bushings were bad and i asked for a price quote he told me $270 for one side and alignment so i thought screw that im not going to pay 220 for them to replace one side of the bushings so i went to my auto part store picked up both side bushings (driver and pass side) for $38 now after i get the control arms off how do u get the bushings out and the new ones in?? do u have to have a press or can u beat them in?? and has anyone ever done this job themself? i figured i could do it myself jus curious what im gettin my self into!?!!

[JoeyK]

Your better off pressing them in. With a little inginuity you can do this with a good sized bench vice & a long socket similar to the diameter of your bushing.

I'm unsure of the a arm design for pre 99's but if they are of the same design you should go with urethane. The rear mount on 99 & up's are verticle, which is a very pathetic design concept as far as I'm conscrened. It wears the rear verticle bushing. Urethane would last longer in this case so if yours has that same design, you may want to consider urethane before you put them in or you just might be doing it all over again in as little as 50,000 miles.

[tenspeed]

I don't think you have to worry about getting the old bushings out. They are about the size of hockey pucks with a bolt through the center. You may have to get the new ones pressed in. That shouldn't be that expensive at a major repair shop.

I never had mine done but both control arms were bad on my '96 Achieva. I looked around for lower control arms but never found any. You may want to install a couple of ball joints while it's apart if you have a lot of miles on them.

[bp's97GAGT]

I did it. It's a pita....they make special fittings to remove and install them for GM mechanics...I used a hydralic press and then ended up having to cut the metal ring from the old bushing out of the arm with a torch to get it out then hammered the edges of the new one in.....I tightened something wrong tho and now i need to do it all over again:s......my manual says to tighten the pivotal bolt when the car is at ride height or pre-mature bearing failure could occur. Thats what happend to me. Good luck

[eckoplayr]

ehh so i got it done today by a mechanic ended up paying $280 for an alignment ... bushings, installing them,... and taking apart the tie rods and cleaning them ... so i dunno if i got screwed or not but now i need to fork out money for tires... ugghhh