How do I remove my lower control arm? or pivot bush.

[VT_sleeper]

So, I am in the middle of replacing the caster bar bush with nolathane, and radius rod and pivot bush in the control arm with new rubber bushes.

Everything wen't well right up to either removing the control arm, or trying to get the f***ing pivot bush out. I made a small jig to try and remove the bushes, worked on the radius rod bush, but it just slips of the pivot bush due to its location. Now im left with just the metal flange in the and no rubber in the pivot bush spot.

How do i get the metal out of this hole or get the control arm out so I can take it someone to get pressed???

Help !!

[Zuicider]

pics?.....

[VT_sleeper]

[Wombles]

Im pretty sure those arms have a lip on them to keep them in there...
I have taken them off a Dihatsu but have forgotten now... I think you hit around it to knock it down?
The control arm? (part you have the rubber out of) is what im refering to. Hit the outside of where the threaded part goes into it.
Make sure you use a soft faced hammer so you dont damage it.

[VT_sleeper]

Yeah.. I've hit it everywhere with a rubber mallet, iv even tried using a huge screw driver to lever that bolt down but it wont budge at all. any other ideas?

[Zuicider]

put a jack under the hub and put sumthing softer than steel ie ally or bronze and hit the ball joint with a hammer on the thread with the soft metal inbetween

[Zuicider]

or get a hack saw and cut the metal part of the old bush length ways and tap in the edges with a chisel. she should come out then

[Zuicider]

Yeah.. I've hit it everywhere with a rubber mallet, iv even tried using a huge screw driver to lever that bolt down but it wont budge at all. any other ideas?

u can get this two pronged wedge used for removing ball joints

[VT_sleeper]

Okay, worked on one one side, one side is still stuck, will have to try again when its not 3am sure my neighbours love me.

[jazza15]

haha, you are a bad neighbour.
It will be a lot easier if you remove the control arm from your car. I have the series 1 ball joint in my series 2, you obviously have the series 2 ball joint in your serires 2.
By memory you have to remove your brake rotor to get clearence to remove the ball joint, not too difficult and you won't be stressing the crap out of your ball joint. If you are going to get the new rubber bushes pressed in have you considered getting the ball joints done as well while you are at it? they are fairly cheap on eBay for aftermarket ones.
Now as for the metal flange, i can see you have got it as far as getting the straight bit flush with the control arm, you are going in the right direction. What we did was use a stone chisel i think it was (a blunt chisel. I wanted to use a screw driver but that would have blunted it) someting that won't tend to bite into the bore of the control arm. We just gradually bent it in on its self, working around the circumference of it until we could fit something in the bore and physically hit it out. Once it goes, it lets go really easy. With any luck you won't have scored the bore, easy.

[Tree cutter]

The ball joint has a pin that is tapered up to the threaded bit you can see so it locks into the stub axle assembly. You can normally get them off by hitting the bit that the pin goes through so it flexes and lets the pin fall out. You need a fairly heavy hammer and give it a good hard hit. If you use a small hammer and only give it fairy taps then you will dent it. It will make a loud bang when it lets go.
To get the bushes out use a cold chisel and hammer to dent one side of the bush in towards the hole in the centre then it will practically fall out.

[VT_sleeper]

Cool, I got the control arms out, had to take the brake calipers off so I could hit in the correct spot and then she let go! I was trying to avoid removing the caliper but just couldn't get it to budge with out removing it.

Now I've got my to control arms minus the radius rod bushes, just wondering if I should even bother trying to get those pivot bushes out or get them pressed somewhere. Is putting the new ones in much harder?

[Tree cutter]

It would be easiest to get the bushes pressed in.

[VT_sleeper]

Chisel technique worked on one of the arms! (used an air chisel to speed things up) Will remove the other pivot bush from the other arm now.

No way these things can be rubber melted in?

[bundy_boy]

Maybe im thinking of the wrong bushes you are trying to replace, but isnt it the ones where you have to jack up the car and then place jack stands under the control arm so the suspension is taking the weight (like when the tyre is on), other wise those bushes and rod dont move one bit.

iv just replaced mine on the VT and had no probs replacing the rods and bushes using the above method