Removing Leaf Spring Bushing Innards

[Chasbod]

After much head scratching and trying to figure out how to best remove the leaf spring bushing insides in order to install PST bushings, I finally came up with a pretty good solution that ended up with good results.

First, borrow your neighbors fancy u-joint remover. Find a radius arm washer with the big opening....this will match perfectly the inside diameter of the bushing shell and allow you to push the inside sleeve and rubber through. Use a sleeve that you removed the hard way from another leaf spring bushing....use this one to dislodge the sleeve on the bushing you are working on. Once the sleeve breaks away from the vulcanized rubber, i then used an old inner sleeve from a pivot arm bushing to chase the rubber out of the shell. It certainly wasn't easy but with some effort it all worked out.

I originally used the u-joint remover to press some rivets out of the frame and then used it to try and press out just the inner sleeve of the leaf spring bushing but the whole bushing came out of the leaf spring. At that point I just decided to try a bench solution to get the innards out. Hope the pics help.

[hotrod ford]

thats a good idea. now, how did you get the sleeves out of the leafs?

[Chasbod]

Getting them out of the leaf springs was by accident. I positioned the u-joint remover over the leaf bushing and was originally just trying to push the inner sleeve and rubber out...but to my surprise the whole bushing with shell started moving. In hindsight, i could have put the radius arm washer over the end of it and that would have prevented the shell from coming out. But, working them on the bench was a lot easier.

[Chasbod]

Getting them out of the leaf springs was by accident. I positioned the u-joint remover over the leaf bushing and was originally just trying to push the inner sleeve and rubber out...but to my surprise the whole bushing with shell started moving. In hindsight, i could have put the radius arm washer over the end of it and that would have prevented the shell from coming out. But, working them on the bench was a lot easier.

[mrtleavitt]

Another good idea is to find a whole saw that fits over the metal sleeve and drill out the rubber bushing. This worked out very nicely when I did this. Gets a little stinky with the smell of burning rubber, but fast and easy! Then for the metal sleeve, just make 2 cuts with a sawzall and a good slug with the hammer and out they come!

[Chasbod]

Postscript: I could have saved myself a lot of time if I would have known that you don't need the shell on the rear springs like you do the front when installing the PST bushings.....DOH!!!