68rollercoupe

I purchased a master kit of bushings for the front end of my 1968 coupe. I have been cussing the strut rods for the last 4 hours.

I removed the entire suspension(also dropping the UCA) and removed both strut rods in just an hour or two but there has to be a trick to these strut bushings.

All the online searches I have tried just say to remove the strut rod then pry the large washers off and remove the bushings.

It looks to me like the Inner steel bushing inside the rubber has lips on boths sides holding everything together. I have tried to drive the inner bushing out from both sides, I have driven a pickel fork in between the bushing and pried on them, I have tried the BFH as well.

So someone tell me what obvious thing I am missing or what the simple trick is.

Thanks in advance.

jcoby

sounds like yours were either abused or are some sort of aftermarket job? the bushings on my '67 required no persuasion to remove. i'm pretty sure they fell off when the strut rod dropped out.

there are 5 pieces to it - 2 washers, a sleeve, 2 bushings. no magic to it at all.

flickjo68

Yeah, don't know what to tell ya, mine came off way easier than I expected them to.

coda618

Do they look the same as the replacements? Do you have pictures? As said above, two cups, 2 bushing and a sleeve. I removed the front nut, the bolts at the lower CA and pulled the rod out from the rear ( no smart a** comments) and the bushings just fell off.

68rollercoupe

They look like stock rubber to me. It was a breeze to get the rod itself out but I the inner metal bushing has an 1/8 inch or so of a lip on the outside of the large washers. The washers are lose and will turn by hand but will not come over that lip. I am going to take an angle grinder to the lip and remove it. They will fall apart then. Could someone have over torqued the rod bolts causing it to slightly smash the end of the bushing? It does not lool like it has been crushed, just looks like it came that way from the factory. The car only has 53K on it so I wouldnt think it would have had them replaced already.

68rollercoupe

I can take pictures but I dont know how to post them

2+2GT

There may be a steel sleeve on your strut which has corroded in place, locking the washer on the strut.

While you have the upper arms off, you should re-drill the holes as per the "Shelby - Arning" drop. This noticeably improves handling with no loss of ride comfort.

Arning/Shelby Suspension Drop

EZFEED

You will have to use a chisel to break the lip off of the outer washer. Look at each side of the washers and on one side you will see what looks like a lip. This lip is a thin collar that has been folded over, you need to use a chisel and cut this lip off. Afterwards the two halves of the bushing will separate and can then be removed.