Here are some pictures of my lower control arms and how I removed the bushings and ball joints.
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On the bushings I used a drill and 1/4" bit to drill out the rubber, then I drilled 3 holed into the side of the bushing where the rubber was removed and used a chisel to crush the bushing into it self . The bushings just fell out after a couple taps on the end. The first one I drilled out all the rubber about 20 min. and the last one I perfected the procedure down to about 5 Min.
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The large pipe is from a ball joint press I bought from Harbor freight, and the smaller one is an 1-1/4"x 3" nipple. I put it all in the vise and cranked it down and out they popped in about 30 sec.
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Next on to the blast cabinet.
Gary

 

American ingenuity strikes again, good job and the pictures really help

 

THANK YOU for a great "do it yourself with a tight budget" thread!
I will be trying this in a few weeks when i do mine.
You need Jamesbo's great-thread award....

NOW - how to you do the upper contol arm bushings with that pesky metal shaft stiking through them?

 

1st method... Use a air chisel on the edge of the bushing ear and beat it out. Downside to this is it almosgt always cuts up your control arm where the bushing goes through it, but it does work and its super fast.

2nd method... (if you have a PST super kit with new crossshafts)
cut the crossshaft with a hacksaw or cutoff wheel... pull it out, then press out the bushings pretty much the same as the rest of them. Use a balljoint press (or vice & cups) or you can melt the rubber & cut & crush the sleeve or push it out once the crosshaft is out.

or

3rd method... Get the right tool.

This is called an Upper Control Arm bushing service tool.

Looks like a balljoint press, but has a fork over the one side so it can go over your crossshaft.

works like a dream- a couple zaps on each side with an impact wrench and they are out w/o any damage.
Instlal, you just take the cup off one side and replace with a peice of flat stock to press the bushing back on.

without this press, re-installing the bushings on the cross shaft is a little more tricky. You need to make up some sort of spacer bar to keep the arm from crushing, because you have to try to press in the bushings on both sides at the same time on the cross shaft. Really not complicated, but if you don't do it the arm will bow up

 

I have seen this animal before and this is how I want to do it.
Now I need to find a place that hopefully rents them.
I remember asking at the local parts house and they did not have one.

I see online they are about a hundred bucks, so at that price I can have a shop replace them for me, as I do not anticipate doing this again...

 

Plus a little judicious cutting and/or welding?

Preferably not the CHINA model.

 

Good job and thanks for the pics. This method works well on the rear CA Bushings as well. Love your press. It looks a lot like mine. Agree with above to cut the cross shaft on the upper CA 's and remove the bushings the same way.

 

Thanks, Still a work in progress. Will have to post some pictures of the final product, uppers and lowers.

 

Good for you! You got the old ones out without causing any damage.
There is always a better way or tool, but you did fine without it.