Control arm bushings

I am going to be changing my front control arm bushings when I have time and when the weather allows it does anyone that has done this have any tips or tricks to make it go as smooth as possible?

Pretty simple job really....as long as one has the proper tools.

I use a bushing tool for the lower arms. I use an air chisel to remove the uppers, a block of wood and a hammer to install them.

At 200k miles, my uppers were toast but the lowers were in surprisingly good shape.

I modified a removal/install tool to allow it to fit over the upper shaft (cut a slot in all parts). The R&R is pretty straight forward. The "loose" side of the arms tends to fold over a little, and I had to tap it with a hammer while in the install mode to straighten them out. If you don't want to swap the upper bushings yourself, you can take them to a shop, and the cost will be reasonable.

Keep your shim stacks in their relative positions. The alignment will be close, but you still should take it to a reputable alignment shop. Put them in separate marked ziplock bags.

When you remove the upper arms, tap the studs out instead of trying to work around them. Reinstall them with a standard nut instead of the prevailing torque nuts, then put new prevailing torque nuts on the studs. You may have to remove the steering intermediate shaft to get to the DS nuts.

The frame flanges that hold the lower arms must be pried apart a little, because the bolt/nut clamps them on the inner tube of the bushing. A sixteenth of an inch should be sufficient. Use a tapered drift/shaft to draw the center tube in alignment with the holes in the frame. It will facilitate easy insertion of the bolt.

Tighten all bushing bolts/nuts with the weight of the car on the suspension, or you will quickly tear the new bushing rubber.

Replace the isolators on the top of the springs while you have them out.