Aidan! Been minute. Good to see you over this way.

Today i've been working on the bushing install. While I had the control arms off the car I decided to paint them cuz why not. I just used some bedlinen that we had laying around from past jeep projects. Turned out nice I think.
https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...6c59c157d8.jpg
https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...910e1c6327.jpg
https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...ecb6a2d16f.jpg

Harbor Freight press FTW.
https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...43d1b2ea8e.jpg

Ive ran into 2 issues. 1. How the hell do you press out rear hubs? The stud side needs to face down but the dust shield will get crushed if I set it down on that. So how am I supposed to elevate it? 2. My control arms have holes in them (you can see them in the big control arm in 1st pic). So If I grease them, the grease will just ooze out. im thinking of just using JB weld? Or will that not hold up? I would rather not mig that hole. This is where I wish I had a TIG....again. So, ideas?

Those holes shouldn't go all the way into the bushing sleeve. You drill your own holes to add zerks.

Bedline is heavy! Why you do that :D

Pressing out rear hubs sucks. I cut the dust shield off so that I could put the upright in the press.

So dont worry about those holes? SadFab instruction says to fill them? Im only putting zerks in FUCAs.

Beldiner isn't that heavy. feels marginally heaver than regular paint. Whatever, it was here, and it needed to be used. hopefully it holds up.

I was thinking about cutting the shield off. But idk how necessary it is for track use.

You could tap it and put a short bolt in. I believe 1/4-20 fits well.

wont the bolt protrude into the bushing?

Yeah, and so do zerks. Just don't stick it in too far. Get a short bolt.

ok. Thanks Aidan.

Welding is just more work that is necessary for something like that. Just needs to be plugged.

Now that you have the built motor when do you step up to the big boy 6758?

Short bolts it is.

And I dont plan on it. I am perfectly happy with how fast the car is with the full 3" actually (I may turn it up a smidge). Its just nice to know I can beat on it and not have to worry about it fragging. Assuming the tune is good.

the 1st is my next track day at buttonwillow. I am going with no aero and street tires. I just want to get the chassis dialed in. I have to install the new intercooler, bushings, ELBJs, new hubs, new pads, flush brakes, and get an alignment all this week. Sigh.

Why do the holes matter? My A-arms have them, it's never been an issue.

--Ian

wouldn't grease ooze out?

My car is up on jackstands again, I'll check tomorrow. But grease oozing out isn't something I've worried about. Because Zerks, I can add more grease at any time.

Just cut the dust shields off. You have to do that anyway, in order to be able to get to the zerks on the rear arms. So snip it!

The only grease between the bushing and the arm is for installation. The bushing isn't supposed to rotate against the arm, the sleeve is supposed to rotate inside the bushing.

--Ian

With a 2-piece bushing, any extraneous holes can let grease injected from a zerk escape without spreading axially through the bushings.

Wait, I thought the whole point to the oil lite bushings was that they didn't need to be greased? Am I missing something?

Assuming that to be the case, the only bushings that need zerks are the FUCA, and they're one-piece. At least, mine are.

FWIW, I found that zerk fittings were not that useful as far as greasing poly bushings, even with one-piece units. You could pump it in, but it would only squeeze out axially on one side, leaving the other one dry.

--Ian

Edit: Even if you did try to zerk-lube the oillite bushings, I suspect the grease would take the path of least resistance and go down the lube grooves on the inner sleeve of the poly bushing, rather than getting between the two pieces of oil lite.

Grease helps keep junk out, and clean junk out. Junk is the enemy of bushings. Not as much of an issue on a trailered california car.

My understanding is that the surface between the bushing and and outer oil lite sleeve needs to be greased (thus the grooves in the bushings). The outer oil lite and inner metal dont need grease. Why cant I drill out the FUCA to 7/8ths and stick an oil lite sleeve in there?

You can. That's what all the SADFab kits do.

(Well I don't know if you can, it's usually done on a lathe with very sharp tooling)