Best Thrust Bushing Tool
 

Can someone point me in the dirrection of a good tool for pressing in/out a front suspension thrust arm bushing?

Baum tools make a very nice hydraulicly operated one, but that looks too expensive, as I don't own a Porta-power. I do have a shop press at home though, but it would be ideal to have a tool that can press the bushing without removing the arm from the car.

Thanks

Ohhh...I am pretty sure most her take the arm out and press it off the car. If you don't mind me asking, why do you prefer to replace the bushing instead of replacing the entire arm? The price difference is almost negligible.

Just IMHO, I'd rather take it off and put a new one in instead of finding a PITA bushing won't come out and stressing out.

Just curious.

But if you have a shop press, do you mean it is a drill press or a hydraulic press? If Hydraulic press, how many tons?

The main reason I wanted to swap the bushings is to use the Meyle HD bushings instead of the stock ones.

As far as the press, I did mean a hydraulic press. I think it's 10 ton but it might be more. But I do also have a nice mid 50's Walker Turner drill press. But even if the arm has to come off the car, having the exact tool to press with is much better than using a big socket or bushing driver.

lol, As soon as I wrote that, I thought, "He probably wants the Meyles in there lol. I think I saw somewhere where you can buy the arm with the meyle bush already in there. Let me try to find it. I think it was only a few dollars more. IIRC

just take the arm off any slip any random mechanic $20 to press in the new ones?

No way. I prefer to do my own work. I will buy specialty tools when I need them and I do have a hydraulic press already. I don't have a lift, so as I'm getting older, I like working on my back less and less, (although I just swapped a tranny at home a few months ago in my Jeep ZJ). But suspension work is genererally easy. I am not your average home tinkerer. I am probably better equipped at home than most A techs. To give you an idea, this is what my toolbox looks like, (and it's pretty much packed):

http://i443.photobucket.com/albums/q...r/DSC07446.jpg

Nice! That is bigger than my first apartment.

:2thumbs::mantis::idhitit::pulp:

I am jealous!!!

good stuff, I do a lot of my own work also, but my rule is that if it costs more for me to buy the tools I'll probably never use again then I'm just going to pay. Especially if it's over something like $20.

It might be the same or similar tool to the rear trailing link on the 3 series. The bushings seem to be of similar size. I don't have that tool though. Last time, I just went at it the hard way, with a sawzall.