Hey Dan,

Just replaced the ones on my 79' 244DL with the homebrew tool and it took me about an hour per side. Took longer to get the springs out safely than it did to press out the bushings.

Tip: After you drop the springs, do one side at a time. I took both arms off and the axle was moving a bit when I cranked on the pressing tool. Put the other arm back in place and eliminated the movement.

Tracy

For additional suggestions see
http://www.brickboard.com/RWD/index.htm?id=704477&show_all=1
--
1980 245 Canadian B21A with SU carb and M46 trans

I think you'll do fine with it, if you aren't into the job just for the one time savings of the shop work. If you don't have air tools, you'll be sore by the end of the day. You won't need a hydraulic press for any part of the work. You do need good jacks and safe stands. The only part a machine shop might be able to help with (unless they offer crawl-under-your-car service) would be turning that home-brew tool's pipe plug bushing-pusher in one-tenth the time it will take you on a bench grinder. But after a day of wrenching, the end result will be quite a lift!

Also, you can read on this list how folks bypass the whole press-out/press-in task by using a torch or sawzall to remove the rubber inside, then using a poly insert with the old shell. Just rumor of course...

There are a lot of info on how to fabricate a tool to do this. Note the rear bushing gets done ON the car, so a hydraulic press won't do you any good. It need to be on a lift or jackstands with the wheels off placed under the brake drum to gain access to the bushing.
I went to Home Depot and bought a bunch of 2" water pipe fittings and a section of 1/2 inch threaded rod. I had tried to do this without ever seeing the Volvo tool or another webste that a guy did essentailly the same thing with the same $10 worth of parts and a little ingenuity.
I struggled with my tool and got frustrated. I took the car to the Volvo dealer and paid $170 (2hrs labor) to have them put my aftermarket bushings in. After all the time spent on the making of the tool I thought this was fair.
The one part of my tool that was missing, a key piece, was the 1/2 shell section of the 2" coupling needed to keep the bracket attached to the axle from collapsing while presing the bushing in or out. That could've been easily had for another $2 and 10 min of hacksawing. Now I have a tool that is ready for the next time I need to do the job in twenty years from now.
--
'89 245 Sportwagon, '04 V70 2.5T Sportwagon

Hello!

I did it myself. It wasn't difficult. The only problem was how to press in new bushings. I simply found a local machine shop and asked guys to help me with the problem. It took 10 minutes and costed me a pack of beer :-) (the guys in the shop were so kind).

Good luck.

If Fiedler had the offensive line that "you" had - he'd smell a lot better...
--
Bob (son's 81-244GL B21F, dtr's 83-244DL B23F, 'my' 94-944 B230FD; plus grocery-getter Dodge minivan, hobbycar MGB, and numerous old motorcycles)

I think you aren't giving yourself enough credit. You certainly don't have to be a master mechanic to replace bushings.

This topic has come up very recently on the 200 board. Some people have taken to purchasing a Harbor Freight 20ton press for some ridiculously low price and pressing out and in their own bushings.

just scroll through the list for the past two weeks or so.