How hard to install Urethane bushing kit?

[Guest racingfanscjww]

Gonna help a friend put in a complete kit in a 260Z, how difficult or what is the most difficult thing to do and do we need any special tools? Thanks, Chris.............

[Tim240z]

In my experience the outer bushings of the rear control arms were the toughest.

The mustache bar ones are a PITA too from what I hear, but I haven't done those yet. I believe you have to burn out the old bushings (leaving the steel sleeve behind).

Tim

[BRAD D]

It is a pain when you have to get the old steel shells out, I used a press where i could.

 

As for the mustache bar, it is easy just to burn it out... just light it then sit back and enjoy.

 

I would sand blast and POR 15 it after too.

[Guest 240hybrid]

Just a option to burning out the bushings on the mustache bar. I drilled out most of the rubber around the center sleeve till you can pull the center sleeve out. Then I ran a wire wheel through the opening to clean out the rest of the junk.

 

Another way to get those sleeves out of the control arms if you dont have a press or $ to pay someone, is it to take the blade off a hacksaw, and insert it through the sleeve. Reassemble the hack saw and cut a groove into the sleeve, but be careful not to cut into the control arm. Now all you have to do it chisel one side of the sleeve up and curl the sleeve in on itself. Will drop right out, I had all the sleeves out of my control arms that were necessary for removal to fit the bushings.

[Guest 240hybrid]

Removal of the sleeves only took me about 45 mins.

[Tim240z]

Just a option to burning out the bushings on the mustache bar. I drilled out most of the rubber around the center sleeve till you can pull the center sleeve out. Then I ran a wire wheel through the opening to clean out the rest of the junk.

 

Another way to get those sleeves out of the control arms if you dont have a press or $ to pay someone' date=' is it to take the blade off a hacksaw, and insert it through the sleeve. Reassemble the hack saw and cut a groove into the sleeve, but be careful not to cut into the control arm. Now all you have to do it chisel one side of the sleeve up and curl the sleeve in on itself. Will drop right out, I had all the sleeves out of my control arms that were necessary for removal to fit the bushings.[/quote']

 

Yeah, that's the way I did it. A lot of work, but the stink of burning rubber wasn't there!

Tim

[Drax240z]

Yup, worked well for me too. I did burn everything out before hand though.

[Savage42]

Propane torch and make a mess......then I used to do the old hacksaw trick until I just decided to use a sawsall (slowly) with the piece in the vise and do basically the same thing..... but with power. Took less than 5 minutes to do the pair. Just thought I'd pass that along.

[Guest 240hybrid]

Just curious, did you guys take the outter sleeve out of the mustache bar?? After removing all of the bushing, my new urethane bushings jumped right in with 1 or 2 taps from a hammr, and this was with the outter sleeve still in the bar.

 

I have read a sportZ mag. article that said they removed the outter sleeve from the mustache bar. They found that after removing it that the new bushing was too loose. They ended up using some kind of press to curl the bar around just a bit more and thus closing up the hole so that there was no more slop in the bushing. Anyone ever had to do that, seems like alot of BS from jumping the gun and not test fitting the bushing before cutting

[QWKDTSN]

Let me tell you, rebuilding the suspension with urethane is a huge PITA but anyone can do it (it was the first project I ever did on my Z, which is my first car... i did it at 16 with little experience)... it just took a few weeks, with my school schedule and all that. I think I could do the whole thing in 3-4 days if I had to do it again (not that I'd want to).

[Drax240z]

You are supposed to leave the metal sleeve in the mustache bar, but not in the front control arms.

 

If sport Z is telling you to take the sleeves out of the moustache bar, they are contradicting how energy suspensions directs the bushings be installed, as well as the experience of hundreds here. I'd suspect that sport Z is a bit wrong in this case. (and by a bit, I mean totally)

[Forrest]

I keep reading all these posts about burning the bushings out, and not for the first time on this thread or even this forum. Are you guys serious? I hope not - you can easily heat up the rubber enough to pull the inner sleeve out with a pair of vice grips by using a torch on the outside of the housing. It took us about 3 minutes, and there was no mess or stink.

 

Maybe I've misunderstood and this is what is being recommended?

[Guest 240hybrid]

Yeah I suspected they didnt know what the heck they were doing. I have already installed a complete bushing set about a year ago, and read the article in sportZ mag about 6 months ago.

I just wanted to see if anyone else had heard about it and see what they thought. Anyone ever seen or used teflon mustache bar bushings??