My poly bushings journal update 8-21-08

[Jutboy]

Thanks a lot for this post...I need to do this as well as mine are all pretty shot.

Did the front bushing control arm bushing work out?
I don't understand how you would refill the liquid filled ones? What did you put in them....

thanks a lot again =- Justin

[n2x4]

Thanks a lot for this post...I need to do this as well as mine are all pretty shot.

Did the front bushing control arm bushing work out?
I don't understand how you would refill the liquid filled ones? What did you put in them....

thanks a lot again =- Justin

I haven't put the front bushing in on the control arm, it should work out, just needs to be trimmed down to be a little bit shorter. When I do get motivated to replace it though, I will update.

The stock rear bushing on the control arm is filled with some goo liquid. There's nothing to refill on it, it's just that if when you beat the snot out of it to replace it, if you bust it, you'll get sticky goo all over you.

The replacement poly bushing for the control arm is just like all the others. The thing about the liquid filled stuff was just a caution.

[BAC5.2]

The bushings are goo-filled on my Forester too. I noticed when I looked under the car and the brackets were SOAKED with goo. Looks like they failed.

[EtchyLives]

I just got a 94SS and... it's 13 years old. I want to do the bushings and will have plenty of time to work on them in August.

What tools will I need to do the larger (Control Arms, lateral links, trailing arms) bushings. Can you make a consolidated list, perhaps with links to examples, to do the job right?

I'll basically have a little less than a month to do this in my garage with a second car to use as a daily driver will the leggy is up on jackstands.

Also, where is a good place to get ancillary bushings not found in the primary kit posted earlier in this thread(steering rack, subframe, diff mounts, etc.)?

[n2x4]

I just got a 94SS and... it's 13 years old. I want to do the bushings and will have plenty of time to work on them in August.

What tools will I need to do the larger (Control Arms, lateral links, trailing arms) bushings. Can you make a consolidated list, perhaps with links to examples, to do the job right?

I'll basically have a little less than a month to do this in my garage with a second car to use as a daily driver will the leggy is up on jackstands.

Also, where is a good place to get ancillary bushings not found in the primary kit posted earlier in this thread(steering rack, subframe, diff mounts, etc.)?

The only "real" tools I used were the ball joint press from autozone, a bench vise, some misc. C clamps and the air hammer:

I actually used the tip pictured in the hammer to get the trailing arm bushing out. Everything else was custom I made from stuff lying around. A nice long bolt with washers works wonders to pull a new bushing in place. A bench vise is also useful for really big stubborn bushings. You may just have to get creative.

I always keep an eye out on ebay for bushings, you'll get the best deal there. You can get hard rubber STI bushings from the dealer or www.genuinesubaruparts.com too. I like to buy stuff from these guys :
http://subaruwrxparts.com/gc8-suspension.html . They have STI, Kartboy, and Whiteline pieces. Their prices are usually pretty good, and they have some hard to find stuff.
EDIT: Keep in mind that there's nothing advertised legacy specific, as the kit I got is listed for a WRX. That being said, most suspension pieces will still fit, just don't assume it's all good, search around first.

[EtchyLives]

Thanks.

Is there a use for the subframe locking kit on the SS, or is that an Impreza-specific application?

[IronMonkeyL255]

Kind of an update.

I got all the rear bushings from my Superpro kit installed.

It wasn't really all that bad. The front trailing arm bushing gave me the biggest problem, but the hydraulic press took care of it fairly easily.

The real MVP of the whole installation process was the balljoint press. I used it in conjunction with the bench vise for removing the lateral link bushings, and used it for removing the rear trailing arm bushing.

I installed the rear lateral link bushings in a set of new style links, but I still need to order the 'C' style endlinks so I can install them.


Now I just need to change out the front bushings and align it.

[Arctic Assassian]

so how does it feel?

[IronMonkeyL255]

It feels good.

I can't fully describe it, but the ass end feels more connected now.

It should be phenomenal once I do the fronts.

I may even do them tomorrow, depending on what all I have to do.....

[n2x4]

Here's an update on the install of the rear lateral link bushings. This was actually done on my Impreza wagon, but they're both the same.

Parts I used were SuperPro WRX Rear Control Arm Inner & Outer Bushings part # SPF1463K purchased from Rally Sport Direct for about $140 bucks. Even though they're called "control arm" bushings, these ARE for the rear lateral links. Install wasn't bad:

Only had a few holdups. The first one started when I was pressing out the old bushings from the lateral links. I ended up with this:


Not happy about that, but the junkyard had a spare I managed to pull in the rain. I learned my lesson and did it right this time and pushed out all 8 lateral link bushings:


Now the Details:

1. There are 3 kinds of crush tubes that come in the package. I only thought there were 2 kinds and had to take them back off the car because of this, so pay close attention. The huge ones are for the inner side of the rear arms. The other 6 are the same size, but the hole in two of them is 2mm smaller for the front inner arms. The directions say this, but who pays close attention to the directions?!
2. The rear inner bushings (the two with the big holes) can be pushed into the lateral link by hand. A screwdriver and a channel lock/adjustable wrench are also helpful. Just squeeze the end of the bushing together to get it started.
3. Have fun with the other 6 bushings. They're a PITA. I found an arbor press and some 32mm sockets to be helpful. I've also used the balljoint press rented for free from AutoZone (as seen earlier in this thread) and it does a decent job as well.
4. You have to press in the crush tubes as well. I stuck them in a bench vise and they will slowly slide in.


I'd say the hardest part of the whole job was taking the old links out of the car. My lateral link bolt was seized. If you don't have that problem then you'll be ok.
Plan for about 30 minutes to press out the old bushings. Once you get it figured out it's cake and kinda fun. The real key is to use a 32mm deepwell to press the old bushing out into. Just watch you don't press too far or you'll get the bushing stuck in the socket (did this the first time, was all retarded and had to get it in a vise and twist it out )

Pressing in the new ones takes a little bit longer. It's a HUGE help if you have a second person working with you on this. Like I mentioned before, the two rear bushings are easy since they can go in by hand. I'd say my dad and I pulled it off in about 45 minutes. The hardest part is figuring out the best way to get them in place. If you start to press it, and it's slightly off center, it'll start to go in crooked and then pop out. We had a system down where we got the bushing to start to go in with part of the lip inside of the arm. Then we used a screwdriver to jam the rest of the lip in. Once you have all of the lip inside the control arm, you can finish pressing it down. Once the bushings are in, then I pressed in the crush tubes.