Energy rear shackle bushing *solved*

I am going to attempt a bushing replacement job for my leaf springs and shackles tomorrow, same style with 2 bushings per eye that are pressed into either side, both with metal outer sleeve with flanges.

I am going to try a method that involves sliding a long bolt through the bushings. I will then use a pair of jaw pullers on either side, both hooked onto the flanges of the opposite bushings and torquing down both pullers to push off of the bolt that’s inside of the bushing. Sounds good on paper and in my head, but we’ll see in practice.. I bet something won’t go as planned.

 

fyi, my method did not work... ended up just bending the flanges of the bushings in the shackle, so I just took it to a local suspension spot that has a press and paid 30 bucks for them to press out out the old ones and press in the new ones. They were done within an hour of me dropping them off. Worth every penny. Seems like they just pressed out the rubber portion with their hydraulic press, then they they used an air hammer to knock the sleeve out. You could also cut the sleeve with a sawzall or jigsaw and hammer it out. Having a bench vise is very helpful. Also, if you have a car you can drive in the meantime, I’ve heard soaking the bushings in gasoline disintegrates the rubber, making it easier to remove without having to press or burn them out, but I have yet to test it.