R33 Outer Control Arm Bush Replacement

[BstewyR33]

Hey all, after searching all over the net on how to do this - I found very little information available - in specific R33 gtst (apart from some helps and hints from some of the guys on here, thanks to those guys )

I used nolethane bushes (45485 part number for R33 gtst) cost approx 140 for the front set.

Now unfortuneatly i didn't take any photos because i didn't think to, but i'll try and explain it thoroughly enough to make sense.

Tools needed: socket set (from memory 17mm - but just double check on the control arm nut), sereval length screwdrivers (this will become clear later) a portable butane torche (if available) cold chisel, rubber mallet, 4lb sledgie ( just to make bashing the old ones out easier) this can be done with regular hammer, but if you've got the sledgie, then use it. and some big flat washer (as big as you can get and with a hole big enough to fit the bolt for the control arm) breaker bar & lastly a bashing plate (some sort of flat metal to bash with your hammer)

First Step: chock behind back wheels, crack the wheel nuts just to losen them, jack the car up at the front and get your axel stands ready. once you've got it up high enough for the wheel to come off - place the axel stands under the car, then lower car onto the stands. remove wheels.

Second Step: now that you've got the wheels off, time to crack those nuts on the upper control arm. you can spray for WD40 if you want to to let it soak in at the nut end - these are a bit of a bitch to remove. get your breaker bar out and crack the nuts, may take a couple of cracks before you can get the ratchet onto it to remove. once loose enough get your socket set on and take the nut off (may help with a second socket piece on to the bolt end to if the nut is a little tight to get off) then once you've got that nut off, it may be a bit of a squeeze to get the bolt out, you can tap it with a hammer to push it out, then try wiggling it out, just keep at it to get the bolt out, the last little part will make the control arm spring up and the upright drop down.

Third Step: this is where the butane burner comes in handy, fire that up and start to heat up the metal inbetween the old bushes this helps with taking out the old bushes rather than trying to bash them out, do this for as long as you need to (from memory i moved the flame over the metal inbetween for about 3-4mins) then get your cold chisel and place it on the lip of the old bush and start to bash them out. once you can get enough of it out, you can try to use a flat head screw driver to wedge inbetween the lip and the metal and try and pry it out, eventually it'll pop straight out.

Now you've got on side out, you can probably put the flame back on the metal to help get the other side out., then with a cold chisel on the inside, you can start to bash the other side out.

repeat the above process on the other side.

Now with all the old crapped out bushes out, time to start to get the new replacements ones ready.

Fourth Step: grease up the inside of the metal, & your new bushes (inside and out) wedge the metal pin in as far you can, heating the metal again may help the new ones slip in easier (i forgot to do this), once you've got the metal ready and the bushes ready, start with one side (make sense) get that to just inside the metal, then with your flat piece of metal start to tap it in. if its nice and greased up then it won't take too much effort to get it in. with the second bush, get it onto the pin and start to tap it onto the other side.

this is also where those big flat washer come into play.once you've got the bushes in as far as you can with the hammer, slide the bolt through with a washer either side and start to crack the bolt up (this helps get the bushes all the way in)

Fifth Step: with the new bushes in and nicely seated again the metal. time to try and get that control arm back onto the upright. (this for me proved to be a massive pain in the ass), with a bit of grease on the edge where the control arm comes down onto the bush, it will help that little bit.

Get one of your screwdrivers and put it through one of the holes in the upright (you'll see it when you poke your head in) pull the upright forward and try and line up the control arm to the bushes, once you've got it lined up time for the sweat, blood (hopefully not) & a few choice words screamed. you just need the control arm to sit on the bushes without sliding off. once this is achieved, you can try and get the final part done.

Sixth Step: with your screwdriver still holding the upright out, and the control arm sitting on the bushes nicely (without slipping off) grab another longer screwdriver and place it on top of the control arm and pin it against the spring of your front strut. (this may or may not be good for it, however you're only trying to move the control arm down half a cm just to expose the hole of the bushes), so as mentioned once you've got some of the hole in the bushes exposed, you can put a screwdriver through the hole in the bushes and take out the other screwdrivers and use the screwdriver in the hole to do the final adjustment of the bushes. try and just move them small amounts at a time, so not to pop the control arm off.

Seventh Step: with the hole lined up nicely, grease up the bolt to go through the bushes, and tap it in (careful not to damage the thread when doing this) once this is done - you've sucessfully completed a bush replacement. do the nut up FT (not sure what the actual torque setting is) but i've done mine up FT, if someone has the actual setting that'd be great if they could let me know

Its probably a wise move to get a wheel alignment done afterwards

Hopefully the info is some help to some who have thought about doing a bush replacement, you've just saved yourself a few hundred $$ in the process by getting a shop to do it for you. (baring in mind - its alot easier to send to a shop to get it done, definately quicker, but oh well a bit of DIY never hurts )

[karma_syke]

really needs photos :S

[BstewyR33]

I'll take some photos tomorrow and post them in the relevant step

[karma_syke]

awesome, look forward.

[R6n350GT]

no pics

[BstewyR33]

Ah crap - had forgotten about the pics. I'll try and find them, if not I'll jack car up and take some pics with the wheel off, hopefully it'll help