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02-27-2015, 11:26 PM | #1 |
Scooby Newbie
Member#: 271222
Join Date: Jan 2011
Chapter/Region:
SCIC
Location: Central Coast, CA
Vehicle:2002 WRX WRB |
Group N Rear Trailing Arm Bushing Garage-Built Install Tool
I built up a tool to install rear Trailing Arm Group N Bushings in my '02 Wrx using basic hand tools (Dremel, hacksaw, hand drill, vise).
I used about 6" of a 2.25 OD baseball bat, fitted into a 2" to 1.5" pipe adapter, with a 1.5" pipe cap as an end cap. I ground a small taper on the ends of the pipe fittings so they would "self-center" on each side of the knuckle. I also ground the threads out of the inside of the pipe cap. A piece of a 3/8"x8" pipe nipple was slid over a piece of M12 threaded rod for a push rod. The tool worked far better than I thought it would. Once the bushing was installed into the tool, it took less than 5 minutes to put the tool into the knuckle and install the bushing. Using the end cap to center the bushing ...
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Last edited by Fairlaner; 10-06-2015 at 09:09 PM. |
02-28-2015, 06:41 AM | #2 |
Scooby Specialist
Member#: 138994
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: apparently I "spread the hate"
Vehicle:2006 WRX, 6MT, 5x114 |
Good job
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02-28-2015, 11:03 AM | #3 |
Scooby Specialist
Member#: 254851
Join Date: Aug 2010
Chapter/Region:
BAIC
Location: Nor-Cal Bay Area
Vehicle:2002 WRX wagon 5mt PSM |
Nice!
Can you post an exploded view of the tool? |
03-01-2015, 10:58 AM | #4 |
Scooby Newbie
Member#: 271222
Join Date: Jan 2011
Chapter/Region:
SCIC
Location: Central Coast, CA
Vehicle:2002 WRX WRB |
As requested, more pics of my tool ...
From left to right you see:
The Bushing is then installed into the tapered tube, and the centering cap is attached to the top of the tapered tube. A backing nut for the end cap is installed, and now the tool is ready to be installed into the knuckle. A few more pics ... The tapered tube did not pop off the bushing until the bushing was fully installed ... note the push slug right up against the knuckle in this pic Again, I was amazed how well the tool worked. It centered nicely and the bushing took very little effort to push in ... the hardened threaded rod and thick nuts were definitely overkill. |
03-01-2015, 01:37 PM | #5 |
Scooby Specialist
Member#: 254851
Join Date: Aug 2010
Chapter/Region:
BAIC
Location: Nor-Cal Bay Area
Vehicle:2002 WRX wagon 5mt PSM |
Excellent, thanks.
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12-09-2015, 12:04 PM | #6 |
Scooby Specialist
Member#: 46389
Join Date: Oct 2003
Chapter/Region:
MAIC
Location: Gaithersburg, MD
Vehicle:2003 WRX Stg 2.5 PSM |
Fairlaner, thanks for this write up. I made a tool using your parts, except I substituted the pipe adapter and the baseball bat with this McMaster P/N: 45605K745, which is an unthreaded, 2 x 1-1/2 Pipe Size, Reducing Coupling. It works well and the inside diameter is actually 1.500, which is close to the 1.572 ID of the knuckle.
Thanks again. |
12-09-2015, 09:28 PM | #7 |
Scooby Newbie
Member#: 271222
Join Date: Jan 2011
Chapter/Region:
SCIC
Location: Central Coast, CA
Vehicle:2002 WRX WRB |
Good deal ... I'm glad you got something to work for you.
While these bushings are near impossible to push in without assistance, if a guy is just a little bit handy, it's pretty easy to cob something together to make installing the bushings a simple task. |
12-10-2015, 07:41 AM | #8 |
Scooby Specialist
Member#: 311622
Join Date: Feb 2012
Chapter/Region:
Tri-State
Location: Pa.
Vehicle:2020 WRX Lapis Blue |
Nice job! Thanks, Ill be making a tool like this soon.
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12-11-2015, 01:36 PM | #9 |
Scooby Guru
Member#: 107618
Join Date: Feb 2006
Chapter/Region:
Tri-State
Location: NY
Vehicle:06 GG WRX / 09 FXT @florencedestinedfxt |
Fairlaner, where did you source that brass think washer in this picture? I'm looking for something similar to this for another purpose. My TMIC is slightly crooked because of my phenolic spacers and my current solution is using an oversized nut as a spacer but your washer seems to be a better solution. I can superglue that bad boy to the bracket and not be worried about that thing falling into the engine bay everytime I remove the IC.
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12-11-2015, 08:28 PM | #10 |
Scooby Newbie
Member#: 271222
Join Date: Jan 2011
Chapter/Region:
SCIC
Location: Central Coast, CA
Vehicle:2002 WRX WRB |
That slug is actually plated steel, and I have no idea where it came from (I pulled it out of my can of misc. hardware). I'm sure a good online hardware site would have something that would work for you ...
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12-12-2016, 11:28 AM | #11 |
Scooby Newbie
Member#: 79004
Join Date: Jan 2005
Chapter/Region:
TXIC
Location: Austin, TX
Vehicle:2005 Impreza WRX STi Crystal Grey |
Thanks to both of you. I picked up this reducer. With a combination of sockets and a c-frame press, I was able to press these in easily. I tried a threaded rob, but that felt like something was going to break. To maintain the alignment you get using a threaded rod, I used a socket that fit into the end of the c-frame press and a long 3/8" extension to guide the bushing in straight.
I looked a lot at how to do this and there weren't many ideas out there to press in the OEM bushings DIY-style. |
02-06-2018, 03:07 PM | #12 |
Scooby Specialist
Member#: 36946
Join Date: May 2003
Location: CFL
|
Try this
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02-06-2018, 03:11 PM | #13 |
Scooby Specialist
Member#: 36946
Join Date: May 2003
Location: CFL
|
One more
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02-07-2018, 01:44 PM | #14 |
Former Vendor
Member#: 93646
Join Date: Aug 2005
Chapter/Region:
MWSOC
Vehicle:Many Track Records Let us help you go fast! |
I'll throw my hat into the ring while tooting my own horn and say that split bushings are so much less work.
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02-07-2018, 03:54 PM | #15 |
Scooby Newbie
Member#: 271222
Join Date: Jan 2011
Chapter/Region:
SCIC
Location: Central Coast, CA
Vehicle:2002 WRX WRB |
With a hobby, sometimes the journey is half the fun…
Thanks for reposting the pics… I no longer have the tool nor the pictures. |
11-21-2020, 12:04 AM | #16 |
Scooby Newbie
Member#: 150593
Join Date: Jun 2007
Chapter/Region:
NESIC
Location: Boston Metro, MA
Vehicle:2004 Impreza WRX JDM V7 Sti |
Cap Grinding
Bringing this back from the dead a bit as I am in the process of making one of these myself. What you use to grind out the threads on the end cap?
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11-21-2020, 09:33 AM | #17 |
Scooby Newbie
Member#: 271222
Join Date: Jan 2011
Chapter/Region:
SCIC
Location: Central Coast, CA
Vehicle:2002 WRX WRB |
I used a dremel with a grind stone ...
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11-30-2020, 05:45 PM | #18 |
Scooby Newbie
Member#: 463763
Join Date: Feb 2017
Chapter/Region:
NWIC
Location: Whidbey Island, WA
Vehicle:2002 WRX Sedan |
Please update after you have it built and have used it. I'm also looking to install the group n bushings and would rather build my own tool then having someone else install them.
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12-01-2020, 03:08 PM | #19 |
Scooby Guru
Member#: 107618
Join Date: Feb 2006
Chapter/Region:
Tri-State
Location: NY
Vehicle:06 GG WRX / 09 FXT @florencedestinedfxt |
While I haven't tried installing a Group-N bushing before, it seems that an alternate method would be to use a ball joint press tool kit to press the new bushing in. Either use one of the existing pieces in the kit or a large enough socket to push the rubber of the bushing in
For removal, I'd just burn the old bushing out. |
12-09-2020, 03:50 PM | #20 |
Scooby Newbie
Member#: 206257
Join Date: Mar 2009
Chapter/Region:
MWSOC
Location: Yukon, OK
Vehicle:2009 WRX 5-door White |
I used a DIY setup like these to install Group N bushings on my rear lateral links & toe arms:
https://www.suspension.com/blog/how-...thout-a-press/ https://www.e46fanatics.com/threads/...hings.1044146/ |
12-10-2020, 11:00 PM | #21 |
Scooby Guru
Member#: 90539
Join Date: Jul 2005
Chapter/Region:
South East
Location: SWLA
Vehicle:My BOV goes COVFEFE! |
Sort of related, but I'm wondering if the oem trailing arm bushing is spherical under the rubber or just rubber. I replaced all four wheel bearings last week and when the rear arms are disconnected from the knuckle they hang down. They seem stiff if you try and bend them left or right but move up and down as if they aren't solid. A good alignment shop aligned it (because our machine is inop) and got everything in spec. He didn't mention any issues aligning it and is very experienced.
I'm considering pressing in new oems if mine are damaged, because it's a 07 2.5i and it's my comfy quiet daily. |
12-11-2020, 12:08 PM | #22 | |
Scooby Guru
Member#: 107618
Join Date: Feb 2006
Chapter/Region:
Tri-State
Location: NY
Vehicle:06 GG WRX / 09 FXT @florencedestinedfxt |
Quote:
I'd say it wouldn't hurt to go Group-N but if comfy and quiet are priorities, then yeah, a new oem bushing would be great. |
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12-11-2020, 05:38 PM | #23 |
Scooby Newbie
Member#: 206257
Join Date: Mar 2009
Chapter/Region:
MWSOC
Location: Yukon, OK
Vehicle:2009 WRX 5-door White |
If I was pressing in a bushing anyway, I'd just press in a Group-N. They last much longer than stock, and don't generate much NVH. I think they're perfect for a DD.
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