Alright folks,

So I've trawled the forum for advice on front A-Arm bushes but nothing quite answers my problem. It's for a 1987 Trans Am GTA.

I took the A-arms from both sides to the machine shop in my work to get the bushes and ball joints pressed out (I wasn't having much luck with the burn and cut home method listed in the forum). Fair do's to the chap, he spent 4 hours last Friday getting out the old rusty bushes out and the ball joints came out in seconds. The problem is now getting the new bushes in. He has tried pressing them in (with a massive industrial fly-press) and heating the A-arm and cooling the bush but none of these methods has resulted in success.

They must be replaceable, and I'm sure some of you guys have managed it. Is there a trick / knack to getting them in?

Before you ask they are genuine replacement bushes (Mevotech from rock auto) and spec'd for the 1987 Trans Am GTA I have.

 

Try putting the bushes in a plastic bag in the freezer for a couple of hours first.

 

When you buy del-a-lum bushings from Global West which are an aluminum shell, they include a piece of angle iron that fits lengthwise in between the arm stampings holding one bushing and widthwise in between the arm stampings of the other bushing.

Needless to say, I keep those pieces from prior installs next to my press. Tacking support around the edges of the arm stampings would work too, but there's no need if you have someone who knows how to do the pressing. It takes a little practice but once you know where the arm is going to compress, you can set an angle iron or other supporting piece in between the stampings and the bushing will go in. Freezing isn't necessary.

Other items to keep are the old bushing out sleeves and inner sleeves; ground to length to act as support.

I've high-durometer Moog bushings in the upper and lower arms of my '87 (did those myself) and Del-a-Lum bushings in my '86 (a friend did those at a shoppe after they failed) One bushing is smaller o.d. and the steering stop is different in g-body arms but they're otherwise the same.