so anyway im trying to replace my rear axle

my car is an 89 rs and its a rust bucket for sure

i cant seem to push the bolts out of the brackets for the lower control arms. they seem seized fast to the rubber bushing. should i just burn them out? whats involved in replacing the bushings once i do that?

any tips or tricks very welcome

 

Do you have any impact gun? I recently did that job, fortunately my car isn't rusty. An impact gun is great for stuff like that. I bought Founders control arms. They were super reasonable priced and I didn't have to deal with putting new bushings in the old, cruddy control arms.

 

BFH 'em out.

i agree, buy some founders arms and get new hardware with them. well worth it.

 

Cut the ends off with a wizz wheel. Throw ALL the remains of the corpses in the trash.

Buy NEW control arms with NEW bolts. Goop em up REEEEEEEEL good with anti-seize; especially, the outside of the bolts where they go through the sleeves of the bushings, and of course, the inside of the bushings.

You're obviously in the Rust Belt. Learn to deal with it. Ignore people in the Sun Belt who have not the vaguest dimmest foggiest remotest hint of a whiff of a glimpse of a clue what you're facing. (they're not stupid, or bad people, just, out of their "zone"... about like somebody that's never been not in Kansas anymore trying to tell somebody in California how to pass emissions) Grease, wizz wheels, and anti-seize are your best friends.

 

ive "learned to live with it" doing rust repair on this cars floorboards, lol

i guess ill just go scorched earth and then buy some founders control arms

 

are the founders control arms 75 bucks for the pair?

 

The bolt holes in the bushings are lined with steel tubes. The bolts corrode solid in the tubes and there you are beating the bolt to death and it won't slide out.

Sometimes they'll come loose and drive out with an air hammer, assuming you have a compressor. Otherwise cutting works.

 

Yes that is for the pair. Those are the basic poly bushing. Your should spend the extra $10 or so for the 3 piece poly bushing. They let the control arm twist slightly so it will not bind under the pressure of cornering.

 

Another vote for the Founders 3 way poly joints Ride excellent