Which is the easiest way to install the bushings on a 12bolt housing? It's where the upper trailing arms connect to. I tried doing it myself, but had no luck. I put a flat piece of metal and block of wood over the bushing and tried to drive it in. Is this a one man job, a two man job, or am I just a wimp? All suggestions/experiences much appreciated and welcome. http://www.chevelles.com/forum/redface.gif

What I did is use a dremel tool to enlarge the openings on the housing ever so slightly (maybe .003-.005) and put the new bushings in a freezer for a couple days (to contract them). I put some white grease on the bushings and drove them in with a block of wood and hammer. You don't want them to be able to move once they're in.

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von '69 300 Dlx SS TC #15 ACES #1575

Steve,

I find a good way to this is to make your own tool. You need to buy a piece of pipe from a plumbing supply. The inside diameter of the pipe will be a little large then the outside diameter of the bushing. The length of the pipe should be at least the length of the bushing approx 2 - 3". You will also need a bolt(with a nut) long enough to go trough the bushing and the pipe - could be around 6 - 7". Use the same thickness bolt as the ones used in assembling the control arm to the rear. The last thing you will need are four washers large enough to cover the hole of the pipe and the diameter of the bushing.

Put the pipe on the side of the flange where the bushing will slide in, place the bushing in the recieving side,(coat the bushing with a small amount of lubricant) take the bolt put two washers towards the head and place it through the bushing, through the pipe. Place the other two washers on the end of the bolt and secure with a nut. Now tighten the bolt, the bushing should press into the ear of the housing.

The hardest thing with this tool is finding the washers, you may have to improvise with different sizes or have a machine shop make something for you. This method beats hammerring them in which could damage the rear.

Good luck

Rich

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70 SS - L34
Member # 442
www.chevelles.com/showroom/richr1 (http://www.chevelles.com/showroom/richr1)

von,

When I perfromed this task, I basically used the same method as richr. Instead of using washers as he mentioned, I used a piece of iron stock (1/4 " thick and long & wide enough to go over the pipe diameter) with a hole drilled in the middle so the bolt (use a grade 8 bolt if possible) will pass through it. This piece of metal can tolerate quite a bit of pressure on it w/o any "give" like washers might experience. Using a little grease (supplied by PST)in the "ears" of the rear end housing and slowly tturning the bolt, the bushings slipped in with relative ease. Did not have to hammer anything which could have possibly broken the "ears" off. BTW, I did not attempt to use this method on the control arms (ff & rr) - I took them to a machine shop to have them pressed in. The machinist mentioned the grease supplied in PST suspension kit was some of the best stuff he has ever used. Good luck!!

I just finished replacing the rear upper control arm bushings in my chevelle. The trick to getting those bushings into the 12-bolt ears is to dis-assemble the bushings. Squeeze the rubber flange ever so slightly so you can support the shell in a vise and tap out the rubber/urethane insert. Clean up the differential mounting ears, lube the shell up with some whale snot, and tap them in with a small sledge hammer. You dont need a tremendous blow, just a couple of carefully aimed 1-2 foot swings if you have a good heavy sledge. The momentum from a heavy hammer works quickly, and a sledge has a big face that covers the whole bushing, so no hammer marks. The ears on the 12-bolt have a lot of meat; they are nearly 3/4 of an inch thick. As long as you dont strike the ear directly, they wont break off. After they are seated, grease up the rubber/urethane inserts and tap them into the shell. A regular ball peen hammer should be enough.

It's getting the old ones out that I found difficult ! Hope this helps.

P.S. Forgot to mention, I put the separated bushing shells and inserts in the freezer overnight.

I'm in favor of making a tool to install those bushings, just never taken the time! What I do is take my brake hone to the housing and bore it out till is looks machined all the way around, put the bushings in the freezer overnight, place the bushing into position, place a piece of 4x4 lumber against the bushing, and smack that that thing home with my trusty hammer. You can't tell I did it that way...

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69 SS396 69 Malibu Ragtop
70 Monte 72 El Camino
Team Chevelle Gold #33
ACES Member #02913
Chevelle Club of Michigan
Rode shotgun in the ONLY Z16 convertible made.

Thanks for all the replies so far. They are much appreciated. I went to the hardware store the other day and purchased some heavy duty washers, a 1/2" x 7" bolt/nut, and a piece of pipe like the kind used for fence posts to recieve the bushing. I'm going to give it a try. I have left the bushings in the freezer overnight and going to attempt the procedure on Saturday. I will let everyone here know how it turned out. Thanks.

STEVO-70

Either method works although I did not want to possibly break off the ears on my 12-bolt rearend. Others have used the hammer method with apparently no problems, but the tool I used was recommended by the machinist. We will await your word on final results. Be patient and take your time doing the job - you will be impressed how well the press-in method works. http://www.chevelles.com/forum/smile.gif

I would like to extend my gratitude to all who replied to this thread to give me advice. A big thank you to Richr and Super70 for sharing their knowledge and experience with installing the bushings on a 12 bolt housing. The "press-in" method using a home made tool worked out great! http://www.chevelles.com/forum/biggrin.gif At first, I did not have any luck getting them in by pressing them. I thought, "How strange. The guys from TC said it worked real good." It turned out that I had the wrong size bushings. I bought them from N*PA and will never go there again. Frustrated and confused, I went straight to the dealer. Yeah, they did cost more, but it was worth it. I knew I was getting the right part from those guys(dealer). I installed the bushings last night. I was amazed at how easy they went in. It took me a little over an hour to complete the job and that's only because my dad kept calling me inside the house to watch "Who wants to be a Millionaire." Anyway, a big thanks to everyone. It was a success! http://www.chevelles.com/forum/biggrin.gif http://www.chevelles.com/forum/biggrin.gif http://www.chevelles.com/forum/biggrin.gif ...

Rent a ball joint press for under $10 http://www.chevelles.com/forum/biggrin.gif They have the correct size press in the kit.
Freeze the bushings, lube them prior to install. You can heat the ears up just enough with a heat gun also. If you use a torch be carefull so you don't soften the ears http://www.chevelles.com/forum/biggrin.gif http://www.chevelles.com/forum/biggrin.gif http://www.chevelles.com/forum/biggrin.gif

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Dale
Lowered '67 Elcamino
ZZ430HP / 4L60 http://www.chevelles.com/forum/eek.gif
"Canyon Carver"
www.chevelles.com/showroom/elkydriveway1.jpeg (http://www.chevelles.com/showroom/elkydriveway1.jpeg)

[This message has been edited by Cardiac (edited 03-24-2000).]