Alternate UCA bushing removal idea

I am rebuilding a D30 for my XJ and, as with everything else, it is taking longer than I had planned. I removed everything from the passenger side of the axle, and it was time to take out the upper control arm bushings. I had read on that some had used a sawzall to cut the bushing and associated metal cylinder in order to get it out. I don't have one, so before going for my hack saw I thought I would try to press them out. I tried a ball joint press and a socket but couldn't keep the socket from slipping off of the press. The receiver rings with the press were not the right size to engage the metal cylinder that contained the bushings. I had just removed the upper and lower ball joint from the axle and thought they might be the right size.

It turns out that the lower ball joint is the correct diameter to engage the metal cylinder that the bushing sits in, and the shape of the ball joint keeps it from slipping out of the press like the socket did. Anyway, I thought this might help somebody that was having problems getting them out and had a used ball joint laying around...slim chance, I know, but hey maybe it's a good reason to save one for the future! Although I didn't try, the upper ball joint may have worked better, but the lower ball joint is what I grabbed first and did the trick on both of the bushings. Here is a picture!

i love china!

all i gotta say if schofferhoffer! sorry, i'm drunk.

I was looking for a McGuyver solution to that ... I'm tackling mine tomorrow. Thanks for the pic :thumbup:

Ummm you are supposed to use a ball joint press to get them out and back in. There is a link on here somewhere where a guy made a pulling press out of a peice of pipe and some all thread. That was pretty much the hack way, and the even cheaper (not really sure why) way is to cut it out. Still having to get the bushing in I guess is another story for the hacks with torches and bushings in the freezer.

The reason I posted isn't because I used a PRESS, pornstar... I didn't have anything that was the proper diameter to press out the bushing so I used an old BALL JOINT to do it. That was the only reason I thought I would post it up...

sockets always work well.... but hey good job!!!!!! way to think