bushing removal?

[hotrod ford]

what is the best way to remove the bushings from the leaf springs?

[Wes]

Burn them out press them out

[hotrod ford]

ok, so once they are out what is the best way to put in the new ones?

[fordman]

press them in
you mihgt need to save the inner metal rind for the bolt from what i have read. it depends on which set you buy i think.

[hotrod ford]

i got the set from lmc. the ones with polyurethane. also got poly. for the front steering as well.

[Banjo]

unless you're going to press them in yourself, I'd just let machine shop do both. Why? I burn out/air chiseled out my own ibeam pivot bushings, and then marked ibeam to show orientation of bushing lip and they still pressed both new ones in wrong way. If they press out your old, it'll be fresh on their mind any specifics about direction (if there are any) of what goes where.

[FORDification]

You'd better check the parts you got from LMC. The polygraphite bushings I got from PST for my truck required you to reuse the existing outer bushing shells. Therefore, you'll have to drill or burn out the rubber portion and inner shell, leaving the outer shell intact in the axle.

[hotrod ford]

got side tracked for awhile. anyway, finally got the rubber and inner shells out. getting ready to install the new bushings but they are the same circumference as the outer shells. are they supposed to be the same or do i need to press out the outer shells? thanks

[hotrod ford]

still need an answer. with the polyurethane bushings do i still need the out shell on the leaf springs and buckles?

[fordman]

You'd better check the parts you got from LMC. The polygraphite bushings I got from PST for my truck required you to reuse the existing outer bushing shells. Therefore, you'll have to drill or burn out the rubber portion and inner shell, leaving the outer shell intact in the axle.

was this your answer? i dont know.

[hotrod ford]

no, but i talked to a fella at work and he said with the polyurethane bushings i won't need the outer shell.

[Nausea]

I just replaced mine with a set from Energy Suspension. Their poly sets do not use the outer sleeve and include the inner sleeves. Removing the bushings without taking the springs off AND without the use of a press isn't really that hard (provided the bed is off). I used a pipe just larger than the sleeve diameter, put a threaded rod through it all and starting tightening - that'll remove the inner sleeve with very little effort involved The rubber then comes out with a little prying - if its original, it'll pretty much disintegrate anyway. Hammer a screwdriver into the spring loop around the sleeve which will expand just enough to be able to use hammer and punch (with penetrating oil). On my '70 F250 the spring bushings are larger than the other shackle bushings. For the shackle sleeves, remove the shackle assembly, secure in a vise or such, slip a hacksaw blade through a sleeve, hook blade back up to the handle and start sawing till you've cut through (just) the sleeve. Again with the hammer & screwdriver running it between the sleeve and eyelet along one side of the cut - will slice and roll up the sleeve enough to knock it out.
Of course, having a press handy would make all this SO much easier!