Thread: How to replace Series spring bushes

Following a lot of research (including this forum) I feel able to put together a Bush Mechanic's guide to removal and replacement of Series spring bushes.
The first thing I would advise would-be "bushies" is to take with a grain of salt the "the spring bushes are easy" routine and the accompanying videos showing the pros just squeezing them out with special and home-made tools in no time at all. Hell, these blokes do it with the springs still on the vehicle! All I can say about this, is that these bushes must not have been in there very long!
If, like mine, yours have been in there for decades, by all means make up a puller/pusher tool but don't necessarily expect to get them out using this method.
In this episode, I made up a tool but only managed to thread the bolt I used in the tool. I used an extended Tirfor bar over a breaker bar, so there was plenty of pressure applied. But the bush was unmoved.
Bush wont budge bolt tool threaded.jpg
So I took the spring outside to my "Series Spring Super Bench" (a tree stump) and set fire to the rubber insert using a garden weed wand (couldn't do this is summer though without burning the place down!).
Fire in the hole.jpg
The metal insert just fell out (how easy is that!) and the remaining burnt rubber in the outer metal part of the bush was easily cleaned with a bit of bark.
Easily cleaned.jpg
Next, I secured the spring on the "super bench" using a couple of bits of wood and bugle screws and hacksawed two parallel cuts laterally down the bush - slightly wider that the cold chisel I planned to use.
Series spring super bench.jpg
I made a complete mess of this the first time I tried it (yesterday) but took more care today. The neatly-cut strip of bush almost flicked itself out when challenged by the cold chisel.
Two cuts a little wider than the cold chisel.jpg
Now the remaining bit of bush was easily knocked out using an old socket.
Two easy to push out now.jpgThe first stage of the job is done. So, far, so good.
First job done.jpg
Internal wire brushing, rotating-"stone"-on-drill and emery papering of the internal spring cavity preceded wire-wheeling, greasing (copper grease) and emery papering the outside of the replacement bush.
Now the home-made, pull/push tool was use to pull the replacement bush into place (using spacers to avoid the damaged section of thread).
Super bench now used to pull in new bush.jpg
I was amazed how easily the new bush went into the cavity. From what I had read, the bushes were destined for the freezer overnight and the spring was going to be torched.
I haven't yet tackled the bush in the chassis, and I don't fancy using the "fire" bit under the truck. But I think the rest will be applicable.
I plan to get a stronger bolt with a finer thread for the "special tool". Who knows, it might be able to be used to push the old bush out of the chassis? If not, there's always the above "bush recipe".
I hope others find this useful. What I think it shows is that the job is not as bad as it is sometimes made out to be and that OEM bushes are not that hard to install. If you are considering poly bushes just because they are easier to instal, you may care to reconsider the original variety.

On my last attempt I went straight for cutting and didn’t bother with the threaded bar.

That’s worked for me once or twice but on a really stuck one, the shattering of parts is not enjoyable.

I’ve found that if you cut a hacksaw blade in half, it fits nicely into a cheap air saw,

You can set to go and sit back admiring your intact fingers as the saw and compressor so the work.

Stop before you go to far though.