So I got my ES bushings last week... nice! Can't wait to install 'em! And like ebmiller said, they do come with new sleeves.

But the directions bug me- they said to take the bushings apart, cover them with the packets of lube included, and put the bushings back together.

Are they serious?? Why didn't they just give me the bushings separate from the shells?!? Have you guys done this? Or am I completely misreading the directions?

How would I safely get the bushings out without damaging them or the shells? Use a hammer on a socket, while putting the whole bushing/shell combination in a vise?

 

Ehh i just pressed them in. Still perfect after 15,000 miles.

 

Are you talking about sway bar bushings? where do they go?

 

No, Tom's talking about the front control arm bushings. I had mine installed and they pulled them apart and lubed the hell out them with some other lube than ES uses, but they are very quiet.

Ed

 

So they -did- yank 'em? Dammit... that means I have to do the same. Wish I knew why ES ships them assembled... oh well. Hey thanks for the input, guys!!

And yeah, CaysE, I already had sway bar bushings; I got the rest of the bushings I needed. Like was told by some of the guys on this forum, I didn't buy the Hyperflex kit- it had extra bushings (ex: trans mount, end links) that I already had- why pay twice to have a spare I'll never use?

My parts list was:

3-3157G, front control arm set
3-3136G, rear control arm set
3-7106G, track bar (panhard rod) set
9-13101R, tie rod boots, red
9-13130R, ball joint boots, also red

Throw a "ENS-" in front of those numbers, and you can look 'em up at http://www.summitracing.com !

 

Mine came apart pretty easily. Using some bushing drivers and a hammer, I knocked the center piece out and lubed it, then I knocked the poly most of the way out, lubed it, then knocked it the other way to get the rest of it. It slides apart a lot more easily than you think. Also, I did this after they were pressed into the control arms, but I don't suppose it makes a difference.

 

Tom, are you competing with Mark Shields for post count?? OK, wasn't sure about the part you were replacing. As far as products go, I'm a Prothane guy myself. Not that I've tried ES, but I've heard lots of oddball stories about them, now including shipping preassembled units without lube. what??

Next Prothane parts to install: engine mounts!

 

(laughs) Marks' still going for broke, eh? If you do a search on my name, you'll find that 99% of my posts are technical, though. After all, this is a tech-only site. Plus, I've been around here since 2000... at v6fbody.com before that, the V6 Camaro/Firebird mailing list from Berkely before that, and on the alt.autos.camaro.firebird newsgroup WAY before that (circa '94-95). I wonder if that newsgroup is still around?

(laughs) As for tech- The prothane bushings came disassembled from the shells? I wonder what ES was thinking- unless they got complaints from people- "why are these not assembled?" They probably hear both sides of the arguement!

 

when i got my kit from performance suspention technologies the a arm bushins were together and so we put them in as is. didnt take them apart to lube any of them. even thought it came with the lube, maybe i should have lubed them up. i think thats where im gettin that noise from the front