Thanks for that heat tip Dennis. It really helped. For other newbs like me, here's how I removed the bushing with stuck bolt, from the trailing arm. I know this stuff isn't "rocket surgery" but for folks with limited tools, knowledge, shop space or type, I hope this helps Since I wanted to avoid smoke and flames, I hack sawed bushing lips off, drilled lengthwise holes in bushing rubber, used WD-40 on drill bit. Bushing didn't budge. Since my bench vice isn't set up yet, I put arm "end on" to garage floor and stabilized it. With fire extinguisher, small sledge hammer and short piece of pipe nearby, I briefly heated bushing end and arm metal around bushing with a propane torch. When bushing *just* started to smoke and flame I put the pipe on bushing end, chocked up on the hammer, and hit the pipe. Bushing moved a little. I then set up my propane torch on a table to hold heat to arm metal. With two hands free, it was easy to knock out the bushing. There was a small flame and limited amount of smoke. In hindsight, I should have better stabilized the propane torch but i was very careful. i have to wonder if the heat "pulled" the WD-40 between the bushing rubber and arm metal. This method (also works on front lower control arm bushings) image: http://tinyurl.com/nclrw8b worked great to remove other bushing. Chamfering the pipe lip ID allowed pipe it to sit nicely on small shoulder at arm. The bushing *just* fit (loose) into this WD-40 coated pipe. The PN on that Dynomax pipe tells me it's 2" pipe. And yes, that's a radius rod bushing washer. It works great. Neil. On 1/21/15, Dennis Haynes <d23haynes57@hotmail.com> wrote: > Over the years I have dealt with bolts getting stuck inside sleeves quite > often. The control arms and shocks. I get out the oxy-acetylene torch and > water cans. The trick is to burn out the rubber in such a way the flames > stay small. What a mess. Then with the rubber out of the way I burn the bolt > and sleeve on the bolt head side. Of course you need to be careful not to > damage the side flanges. Then the side with the nut removed will fall out. >
-- Neil n Blog: Vanagons, Westfalia, general <http://tubaneil.blogspot.ca> 1988 Westy Images <https://picasaweb.google.com/musomuso/New1988Westy> 1981 Westfalia "Jaco" Images, technical <http://tubaneil.googlepages.com/> Vanagon-Bus VAG Gas Engine Swap Group <http://tinyurl.com/khalbay> |
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