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installing rear bushing kit,how difficult to do,would i need special tools? 200

At 290k miles, you are probably due for pretty much all of your rear end bushings, and this may be the second replacement for the lower control arm bushings. They are the first to fail.

No special skills are required but it is a tough job AND you need a special tool to press the lower control arm bushing out of the brackets on the axle. You can buy one (not cheap) or you can make one from common plumbing parts if you have a drill and a grinder. This was the job I used to justify buying the bench grinder I have wanted for years. Search this archive for instructions and pictures on how to build the tool. Tip: When the instructions say to use a Grade 8 bolt - believe them. If you cannot find a grade 5 or 8 bolt that size, buy several because you will twist standard bolts in two. - Oh, yeah, you need a long 'breaker' bar and 6-point sockets.

For the other bushings, you can take the arms off the car to get to the bushings, so you can take them to any shop with a hydraulic press and have them pressed out, or you can buy a hydraulic press (cheap one at Harbor Freight is about $125, or you can build tools similar to the one you built for the lower control arm bushing and press them out. On my first car, I built the smaller tools. On my second car, I bought a press; MUCH easier.

Whatever you do, you will use up a whole Saturday and buy some new tools the first time you do one of these.

One last tip: DON'T grease the new bushings to make them press in easier. I did that stupid move and two of my bushings worked their way back out over the first year.

One more tip: Let the weight down on the rear wheels before you tighten the bolts. Otherwise, if you tighten the bushings and then let the car down, you are twisting the rubber part of the bushing, using it as a helper spring. That will shorten the life of your bushings.






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