Subject: Turns out you don't need tonnage, just a $30 tool, and some cold air Author: erwin : member since November, 2007 : 880 posts Posted on: 2008-03-30 22:29:41

So in my quest to get my new bushings pressed in, I tried yet another indi shop on Friday.

The first one, Black Forest Werkshop, wanted $350 for the honor. I declined the offer.

Then the local dealer said "too old, no go" and pointed me to European Import Car Repair.

There were several people in the front office of Euro Import and when I explained what I needed, I heard several variations of "those things don't usually wear out" , "we may not have the right fittings/adapters", and "our press is bent", and they pointed me to Black Forest. Great.

I then started thinking about getting a bigger press, and my daydreams took me as far as a very nice 50 ton model, with a pressure gage, a winch for the platform, and a ram that can be repositioned side to side, all for under $1000. My wife killed that idea, and she was right, of course (at least for now, it'll remain in my lottery winning plans ).

So on Friday I went to Great Hills Automotive. They aren't BMW specific, in fact the shop was full of vintage corvettes, a cobra, and assorted other muscle cars, but they have a reputation for excellence and honesty. The guy there said he could do it in an hour, no problem ($85/hr), but not today, has to be Monday. Then he went on to mention he wouldn't use a hydraulic press at all, but a c-clamp ball joint press, and that he would freeze the bushings first to shrink them. Really? Yep, 2 hours in the freezer, some anti-seize, and they go right in. He told me this fully knowing I might go try it and not come back. He was right.

After some shopping around, I found the tool on sale at a local Harbor Freight Tools store for $30. You can get it online for the same price here.

I put the bushings in the freezer overnight and installed them today.

Here's the setup (exploded view). From left to right:
"cheater bar" (length of pipe)
breaker bar w/ 7/8 socket
c-clamp ball joint press
big hammer
thick washer
special adapter (see below)
trailing arm
2inch OD receiver tube
large thick washer


And with the tool in action:


To press on the bushing, I made an adapter by grinding down an old top of a strut I had laying around.



One nice thing about this adapter is that the ground-down portion corresponds to the depth the bushing needs to go to be centered, so I just press until the threads almost touch the trailing arm.

You need the cheater bar to apply enough force to the bushing - it still doesn't just slide in. I only needed the hammer for the first bushing, for when it was almost all the way in and it stopped moving. I was applying all the force I could on the cheater bar until it just wouldn't turn any more. Then I hit the trailing arm with the hammer (where the bushing is) and the bushing popped in a little more. I cranked on the clamp again, hit the arm with the hammer, and it popped in a little more. Repeated until done.

For the second and third busings I didn't need the hammer. I used more anti-seize, and since I was quicker (already had the setup figured out) the bushings were still cold from the freezer. For the last bushing (the one that was partially installed with the hydraulic press) since I couldn't freeze it, it did require one pop with the hammer to get it moving, but then I just cranked it in the rest of the way.

So I got this done with a $30 tool vs a $1000 press that would have taken way too much space in the garage, plus wouldn't be here for a few weeks anyway. Sometimes knowledge is priceless (common sense helps too - thanks dear !).

Erwin 89 750iL Lowered (a little)

Engine Wolf chips 19 lb, 4-hole (Design 3) fuel injectors PowerFlow Intake Air Filters Royal Purple 20W-50 In process: Custom Cold Air Boxes Interior Phone removed, replaced with cut-to-length dash wood trim on hinge E38 Shifter Knob, Console Plate, and Boot M-Tech 2 M-technic Steering Wheel - air bag deleted E38 Self-Dimming Mirror Audio BMW Business CD Player "CD43" Head Unit Refurbished factory amp w/equalizer Bass blockers (300hz/4ohm) on stock front kick panel speakers Rear deck speakers: Alpine SPS-13C2 5.25" 2 way 175 Watt with bass blockers Subwoofers: 2 JBL GTO804 8" 4-ohm subs Subwoofer install: custom sealed enclosure mounted behind ski bag opening Subwoofer amp: Alpine MRP-M450 400w MONO CD changer relocated to driver's door bottom pocket actuated by bio- mechanical arm controlled by semi-intelligent nut behind the wheel Suspension H&R Lowering Springs (1/2 coil removed from fronts) Koni adjustable front shocks Stock rear shocks (self leveling) Racing Dynamics Stress Bar Stock front sway bar Dinan rear sway bar - 21mm M5 aluminum lower control arms Front tires: 245-40-18 Goodyear Eagle F1 GS-D3 on 8.5" EuroTech rims Rear tires: 275-40-18 Michelin Pilot Sport PS1 on 9.5" EuroTech rims Exterior 25% Side tint 5% Rear tint BMW Mud flaps - rears trimmed to tire width Rear fender lips rolled Smoked side markers Zymol wax Way too many paint chips touched up Brakes Front Rotors: 850CSi, 324 X 30 mm, cross-drilled and slotted Rear Rotors: stock size, cross-drilled and slotted Pads: Hawk Performance Ceramic (may switch to HPS) Stainless steel lines Racing Blue brake fluid

• Trailing Arm Bushings - 20 Tons is not enough (pic) - erwin 2008-03-24 01:34:20 (278 views)
  • Turns out you don't need tonnage, just a $30 tool, and some cold air (pic) (url) - erwin 2008-03-30 22:29:41 (143 views)
  • Thank You - kfister 2008-03-25 22:23:35 (60 views)
    • You're welcome - erwin 2008-03-26 01:30:14 (68 views)
      • BavAuto are OE bushings, sachs or something. - kfister 2008-03-26 03:03:06 (70 views)
        • Yes, I noticed the name difference - erwin 2008-03-26 10:54:23 (53 views)
          • I know bmwautopartsdealer and am surprised they export. (pic) - kfister 2008-03-27 00:16:29 (108 views)
            • I think we have some misunderstandings - erwin 2008-03-27 01:39:06 (60 views)
              • haha confusion. - kfister 2008-03-27 03:57:59 (59 views)
                • Duh ! scroll to the right ! - And - Adjustable dog bones? - erwin 2008-03-27 10:16:12 (70 views)
                  • Dog bones are just heim joints? Sure you could probably roll your own (pic) - kfister 2008-03-28 03:47:57 (105 views)
                    • 750iL Trailing arm bushing dimensions (pic) - erwin 2008-03-30 00:52:54 (97 views)
  • Re: Trailing Arm Bushings - 20 Tons is not enough - geerhed 2008-03-24 07:29:10 (64 views)
    • Um, about 30 deg positive camber, maybe 3.0 inches toe-out - erwin 2008-03-24 10:30:26 (90 views)
      • Re: Um, about 30 deg positive camber, maybe 3.0 inches toe-out - Isiah 90-735il 2008-03-26 04:52:52 (78 views)
        • Thanks, but they seem ok from the outside - should I break them apart? - erwin 2008-03-26 11:33:41 (56 views)
          • Dial indicator - kfister 2008-03-27 00:24:14 (54 views)
            • Thanks, I'll try that. (nt) - erwin 2008-03-27 10:18:18 (51 views)
          • Inner race is a two piece race (nt) - DG740I 3/93 2008-03-26 12:12:35 (51 views)