Polyurethane Bushing Install

Suspension Bushings are probably one of the most difficult and time consuming mods I've done to the car. The OEM bushings are rubber and will rot over time, especially when driven in the salty winter. I had to replace 2 when I installed the suspension because there was practically nothing left of them. They were about $25 each from the dealer and had to be pressed in. As other bushings began to rot, I decided in the long run it would be better to pay $120 and purchase the Energy Suspension Master Kit. I also bought the Trailing Arm bushing kit for $18 more.
You may not want to do this mod to your daily driver, you will feel EVERY little bump in the road and the big ones will hurt a LOT more than when your car was just lowered before bushings.
Everyone says you must have a bushing press before installing these. Not true....
I did the whole kit in my garage, the back one weekend and the front the next.
All I needed was:
- Fire (a propane torch to burn out the old rubber bushings)
- Hack Saw to cut out the oem metal bushing casings
- bench vise
- freezer
- hammer & chisel or punch
After you make sure you have all the bushings and sleeves in your kit, put the bushings in the freezer and let them sit. They will ever so slightly shrink from the cold = easier to install for the tight fit.
Pick a bushing and start torching it with the propane torch. This makes a mess and lots of black smoke. A flat head screw driver is handy to poke and scrape out some of the burned rubber.
Also for a piece like the rear control arm, I just removed it and put each end in the charcoal grill on a pile of red hot coals. 10 mins later most of the bushing fell out on its own when I picked up the arm (with gloves!). I let it cool and got to hack sawing!

Depending on the bushing, there may be a metal sleeve around the outside of the rubber which was pressed in by the factory. Saw through it in a couple spots. Next hit the edge of the sleeve with the hammer & chisel and it should start sliding out. It is easiest if you put the whole piece or control arm you are working on in the vise. By the way, you have to install the blade on the hack saw after you slide the blade half way through the bushing. Then tighten it down, the blade will be trapped inside the bushing and you can cut away! After making a cut or two, start banging the sleeve out by hitting the edge with a hammer & chisel or punch.

This pic shows the thin metal outer sleeves left behind after burning out the oem bushings, these are what you must cut to remove


This was the Rear Trailing Arm Bushing that was not included in the Master Kit. It was by far the most difficult to install because I did not use a vise. That would have meant removing the arm from the car and disconnecting the brake and parking brake.
When Installing the new bushings, remove them from the freezer and be sure you have the right one for the control arm you're working on. Align the control arm and bushing in the vise and start clamping down slowly. If the bushing starts going in a little crooked, poke in the side that is coming out with a flathead screwdriver. It doesn't always work on the first try, I even had a couple pop out and shoot over my shoulder across the garage. One even got me right in the forehead, so watch out!
The kit came with lots of grease, I didn't even need it all. Use it if it is there, I learned that you may get some squeaks down the road. Also the Red bushings are more prone to squeak than the Black ones. I read later on that the Black ones are impregnated with Graphite. So buy the Black kit if possible.

I finished the rear one weekend and drove it that week. What a huge difference, it is like the end of the car followed the front 100%. The next weekend i did the front and the whole car handled even better with far less under steer than before. Keep in mind it was already lowered before this, but the new difference was huge. The shocks were doing a lot more work now with the bushings so stiff, the ride seemed slightly more bouncy. I drove it for a week with steelies & cheap tires. You want to let the bushings settle in before going in for an alignment.
Also go back after a while and check your upper shock bushings under the hood and in the trunk/hatch. The bolts worked themselves loose over time.