1957 rear spring bushings.

[rponfick]

Can the bushings on both ends of the rear spring be changed without removing the spring from the car? Meaning, are they pressed in, and need some force to get them installed, or do they just slide in from the sides? It would appear I could just remove the bolts from the front and rear, let the spring down a bit, and replace the bushings, if they do not need a lot of force to get them out or re-installed. The front bushings appear down to the metal and not much left, the rears are just severely cracked around the exposed parts.

Thanks, Ralph

 

[55blacktie]

The front and rear bushings are different. I'm pretty sure the front bushings are pressed; my new springs came with the front bushings installed. The rear bushings are multi-piece and are not pressed in. They can be installed by dropping the back end of the spring from the shackle/spring hanger. There's no need to completely remove the spring to replace the rear bushings. Do one side at a time.

 

[Boozeman]

Can the bushings on both ends of the rear spring be changed without removing the spring from the car? Meaning, are they pressed in, and need some force to get them installed, or do they just slide in from the sides? It would appear I could just remove the bolts from the front and rear, let the spring down a bit, and replace the bushings, if they do not need a lot of force to get them out or re-installed. The front bushings appear down to the metal and not much left, the rears are just severely cracked around the exposed parts.

Thanks, Ralph

55 Blacktie is right. The bushings in the rear shackles can be removed and replaced easily with the spring still in the car. You could have your work cut out for you on the front bushings. It sounds like they're more or less totally disintegrated, so getting the old ones out shouldn't be too hard. You will have to press the new ones into the spring, and that could be a challenge with the springs still in the car. Good luck!

 

[55blacktie]

I've not tried it, but it might be possible to use a bolt, nut, and washers to press in the new front bushing.

It could be that your springs need to be replaced as well.

 

[rponfick]

I can now answer my own question about rear spring bushing removal.
The rear rubber bushings are no issue to replace without anything more than a screwdriver.
The front bushing is another matter. After spring removal from the car, it was all my 12 ton Harbor Freight press could muster to press it out. Pushing in a new one, with some lubrication, was no problem. I do not see how this could be done with spring in the car.

Another comment regards the 8" bolt that holds the front bushing in place. Luckily, my bolt was not frozen in the frame, and I could hammer it back enough to clear the bushing. I hope I did not bugger up the nut/bolt too much, as I plan to reuse it. I had planned to use the new bolts that came with the bushing kit, but the exhaust pipes are exactly in the way for the removal of the bolts. Unless you want to disassemble your exhaust system to allow access, I hope your bolts are re-usable.

Just wanted to share my comments for those thinking of doing this.

Ralph