Strut Rod Bushing Press Fit Tricks

Water and bar soap, just use It as a light paste around the bushing and twist slowly clamping down to start. Then slowly apply force, may have to use oversized sockets or cut pipe to allow a good sized C-clamp when compressing. The key is not to catch the edges cocked, and not to overly cause expansion by exerting too much pressure all at once. As in driving it in with a mallet.

Edited by 304-dude - Feb/26/2018 at 7:35am

Bit of soapy water and once you get it started try to pull it through rather than push it. You shouldn't need a press or anything fancy to do it.

WesternRed wrote: Bit of soapy water and once you get it started try to pull it through rather than push it. You shouldn't need a press or anything fancy to do it.

Just like a giant grommet, eh? Pull it through once started. 
Pulling stretches and thus thins it while pushing forces it to swell at the point it's going in. 
Geesh, I had forgotten that trick.

After struggling on my 69 AMX, I ended up spraying the bushing with Fluid Film lubricant I got at the local parts store. I could only get the bushing in about half way. I then took a 2” PCV pipe connector, which is about 1 1/2” long, put it on the back side on the bracket, and put a long bolt through it from a puller kit I have with the strut bushing washers on either end and just tightened it up. I was amazed how easy it pulled into position. Plus using the PCV doesn’t mark up the bracket.   I then did the other side with the same easy results.