Sixx

This post is for the new members of this forum and the amateur mechanics who don't have access to a garage full of tools. Contrary to what some people on this forum may lead you to belive, just replacing the rear sway bar bushings is NOT easy. I got the Prothane Bushing kit, and started my journey this morning. The hardest part, and the part nobody seemed to mention, was removing the old bushings from the endlinks. Since I don't have access to a hydralic press, and who does. I cut the big bushing with a hacksaw. The smaller one with the metal insert took a lot of elbow grease. I spent 2 hours cutting & hammering. Penetrating Oil did not help either. I took a break for lunch, came back and figured out what I could do. I took a drill and drilled out the rubber between the endlink and the metal insert. With this done I set out to attempt to put the new bushings in. This was easier said than done. I had a vise & a C-clamp. Neither of which worked. I ended up cutting a slit in the bushing, and it went in. Now cutting a slit will not hurt. The bigger bushings already have a slit cut in them. Everything else went on smoothly. So my advice, give yourself plenty of time to do the job right!

jahudso2

Yeah it always takes me 3 times longer to do stuff on my car than anyone else says. Did you paint your rear end? Mine was all rusted within a month of owning it and i live in the south.

Sixx

What I did, was take a wire brush and get as much rust off as I could. I then painted it with Rustoleum Satin Finish spray paint. Yeah all that rust under the car looks awful.

jahudso2

Thanks sixx!

SlideWRX

Yeah, I had the same experience. The bigger bushings weren't too bad, but the little ones were a pain in the butt. I'd almost recomend leaving them in.

RodeoFlyer

a torch works for me : )

dan_h

SO, the question is....what it worth all the effort?

let us know,
tkx
dh

Sixx

Well, I haven't had a chance to really test them out. Daily driving it feels a little tighter. I'm going to North Carolina in May, in the mountains, where I can really drive the car. But it was worth it, because I did the work myself, even though it was frustrating.