I wanted to throw this question out to the group, I am in need of doing the front suspension rear bushing of the control arms and wondered if anyone has taken off the housing and brought it with new bushing to a machine shop? if so, what did they charge for the pressing in and out? Also, to speed up the process, I thought it might be interesting to pick up two housings at the local pick and pull and have the new ones pressed in to shorten the 'out of service' time for the 240. Worth it? thanks, in advance, Greg

1993 240 sedan 174K
1992 240 sedan 139k

Look in the archives at the myriad threads on this.

I have a press but I always do these with a hammer. Clean up the inside of the arm, light oil, a few taps.
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240 drivers & parts cars - JH, Ohio

Pressing? Special tools? What is this you speak of?

3lb hammer, big chisel or punch or nasty huge screwdriver, and preferably a concrete curb or step or similar immovable object.

After removing the big bracket from the frame (3x 14mm bolt heads) and the big nut from the control arm end (19mm if I'm remembering right), place the bushing bracket into a corner in the step, or against a similar solid object (the wall of the garage, the basement foundation, whatever.)

Drive the chisel or screwdriver into the bushing shell from the outside, in the back exposed part of the bushing. You want to collapse the bushing steel shell a bit down into the rubber.

Once it collapses even 1/4 of an inch, the bushing should fall out of the bracket with a couple taps from the back side.

As Chilton's says, "Installation is the reverse of the above." Just drive the bushing into the bracket with a hammer, with the bracket resting against the wall or step or immovable object.

I've done at least a dozen cars this way and not had an issue, other than one where the inner steel of the bushing wouldn't come off the control arm pin.

Best of luck and my apologies, Art... your solution is as always, much more elegant.

--Rob Bareiss, New London CT
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~ 92 244 M47 modified ~ 89 244GLT Turbo Conversion ~ 90 745T Auto ~ And a VW Bus~

So far, Greg, it looks like no one (so far) admits to doing it the way you propose. I guess everyone has a way to skin the virtual feline, but do a search here on loose bushings and tack welds before taking vise and hammer to this task. Regardless of how you reach your goal, there's nothing like knowing exactly how it was done.








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Art Benstein near Baltimore

If at first you don't succeed, skydiving is not for you.

I second Art's method - did two bricks awhile ago that way - went to Ace w/ the photos to get the right parts. "Rented" for free a bushing press from Autozone - it's basically a big honking c clamp thing. Put the press in my vice to hold it and stacked up all the pieces as shown. I had to grind some threads on one of the pieces for proper clearance, but otherewise a great low budget Volvo tool.
I did buy an 18(?) mm rachet wrench to get one of the nuts on/off on the bracket, right side is tight w/ the exhaust - money well spent. JP

Thanks, Art, Yes I view control arm bushings as a 'rite of passage' for owning a brick. If I were to take the photos you supplied to a Lowes or similar, would they have those pieces to build the tools do you think?

Hi,

Just a couple weeks ago I asked a question on here about what pushers/receivers to use with the HF 20 Ton Shop Press and Art posted that same really great photo. I wanted to get all my parts together since the weather was getting nicer here and I am planning on replacing some of the front suspension components.

Print that photo out (or in my case-printer out of ink so I took a picture of the computer screen with my phone :) and you'll be able to get all the pipe parts at Lowes. The real whopper is that coupling that will set you back about $23.

Travis

I use poly bushings at this location, burn out the old rubber, clean up the shell and place the bushing.
Dan

I've installed these bushings with a big hammer. The trickiest part was getting the old one out.
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1966 122s, 1968 142s, 1969 144s, 1979 245dl, 1989 244gl