I’m in the middle of installing new Energy Suspension control arm bushings on my wifey’s ’98. I’ve got the old bushings out and now I’m ready to press the new bushings in but hit a little snag. The bushings came pre-assembled with the bushing inside its metal shell. The install instructions state I need to disassemble them to lube them up. How do I get the bushing out of the metal shell without damaging either the bushing or the shell?

I tried balancing the lip of the shell in the jaws of my vise and trying to hit the bushing with a hammer to push it out, but the bushing didn’t budge and it only marred up the shells outer lip.

There looks like there is already a little grease in-between the bushing and the shell, but not a lot. Do I really need to disassemble the bushing or can I just install as is? I don’t want them to squeak.

Thanks for any tips...

 

To answer my own question, you have to remove the bushings from the shells in order to install them. I kept prying the bushing up until it finally came free. Hope that helps someone out...