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Matty Q Offline
#1 Posted : Monday, 8 June 2015 9:15:38 PM(UTC)
Matty Q

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Morning all. Several questions today in no particular order, all pertinent to my HJ Caprice:

1. Rear trailing arm bushes - 6 out of 8 of them are in the trailing arms themselves, so easy to take to someone to replace. However, two are in the actual diff housing. I now have the housing removed from the car. Is it best to take the whole housing to someone to press out the old ones and put new ones in, or is there a way to do it without spending an inordinate amount of $$$ on a press kit for what will be a one-off.

2. Does anyone know of a good business who can do the pressing for me, as well as ball-joint removal/replacement, etc.? - I'm based in Melbourne inner north.

3. Suspension rebuild kits (bushes, etc) for front & rear. Kits are available from Rare Spares et el, but is there another way to do it? Are the kits the best approach?

4. Effective degreaser solutions - I have 40 years of greasy dirt built up on the front end in particular. What's a good solvent / method for removing this? I have one of those Karcher cleaners that on its own is not cutting it. I have upper & lower control arms, etc, removed, so can put them in a tub and soak them if required. I don't have that option for other parts on the car.

Thanks to all.

Matt





Continually amazing how people are willing to share information.
gm5735 Offline
#2 Posted : Tuesday, 9 June 2015 12:15:09 AM(UTC)
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For 4, it depends on how much mess you want to make, and if you want to paint it afterwards. Some options which work for me, depending on what the part is:

1/ -Hand scraping the thick gunk then sandblasting gets everything off, but don't try and reuse the sand.
2/ -Hand scraping then aerosol spray on degreaser gets most of the gunk off, but still leaves a film.
3/ -Hand scraping then blast it with kerosene in an air driven kero gun.
4/ -Follow up 2/ or 3/ with a handful of washing machine detergent in warm water and a scrubbing brush. Gloves are a must.

If you want to paint from bare metal then 1/ is the quickest, or 2+4, 3+4, followed by paint stripper and a wire brush.
If the part is rusty, and not too big, I use an electrolysis conversion bath which usually removes the paint as well.
we wreck 81837s only Offline
#3 Posted : Tuesday, 9 June 2015 12:44:25 AM(UTC)
we wreck 81837s only

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quote:
Originally posted by Matty Q
Morning all. Several questions today in no particular order, all pertinent to my HJ Caprice:

1. Rear trailing arm bushes - 6 out of 8 of them are in the trailing arms themselves, so easy to take to someone to replace. However, two are in the actual diff housing. I now have the housing removed from the car. Is it best to take the whole housing to someone to press out the old ones and put new ones in, or is there a way to do it without spending an inordinate amount of $$$ on a press kit for what will be a one-off.

2. Does anyone know of a good business who can do the pressing for me, as well as ball-joint removal/replacement, etc.? - I'm based in Melbourne inner north.

3. Suspension rebuild kits (bushes, etc) for front & rear. Kits are available from Rare Spares et el, but is there another way to do it? Are the kits the best approach?

4. Effective degreaser solutions - I have 40 years of greasy dirt built up on the front end in particular. What's a good solvent / method for removing this? I have one of those Karcher cleaners that on its own is not cutting it. I have upper & lower control arms, etc, removed, so can put them in a tub and soak them if required. I don't have that option for other parts on the car.

Thanks to all.

Matt







I can do all the above, and paint and panel and advise you where to go etc and what to do, but I am in SE Burbs of Melbourne.
Premier 350 Offline
#4 Posted : Sunday, 14 June 2015 8:08:07 PM(UTC)
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For the bushes, I took the control arms to my local Pedders, they pressed out the old & pressed in the new ones for a quick cashie.

For the ones in the diff itself, I used an air chisel to remove them & then froze the new bushes, made a tool from a bit of pipe & hammered 'em in.

It sounds rough, but it worked for me, like you I had the housing off the car
Attn camry drivers. The accelerator is the skinny pedal on the right.
JBM Offline
#5 Posted : Sunday, 14 June 2015 10:31:41 PM(UTC)
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You can also use a socket to knock in the bush if you can't find some pipe the right size.

You only have to be in front at the end of the race.
Matty Q Offline
#6 Posted : Sunday, 14 June 2015 11:14:33 PM(UTC)
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Thanks all. I got Pedders to remove the old ones from the arms, etc, which I will get sandblasted / powdercoated before putting back in. Managed to get the old ones out of the diff housing by drilling out the rubber, then some good old fashioned hammer and cold chisel work (without damaging the wall of the diff housing. I've got a plan to make up a simple press with all-thread and a large socket to put them back in - I'm sure with a bit of emery paper clean up and touch of grease it will be easier than removing a rusty one.

GM5735 - used half de greaser half turn, pressure washed them to remove the bulk of the grease, then submerged them in hot water and dishwashing liquid for 5 days - another pressure wash and they came up a treat.
Continually amazing how people are willing to share information.
Ausjacko Offline
#7 Posted : Tuesday, 16 June 2015 5:55:36 PM(UTC)
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Will remember this thread when I reach that end- thanks.
Another_HQSS Offline
#8 Posted : Tuesday, 16 June 2015 7:32:52 PM(UTC)
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Get a copy of the Holden manual if you can. The bushes are very easy to replace with simple home made tools and a couple of spanners.

No need to pay someone for this and many of the pro fittings I've seen using a press have actually wrecked the parts.

All you need to do is make a couple of sleeves out of some steel tube (gal pipe is ideal), get two small pieces of steel plate, a length of all thread that fits through the bush with nuts and washers, and an old front wheel bearing outer shell. The bearing shell is the most important part as it fits the flange on the end of the bush and protects the sleeve and the rubber when you pull the new bush in.

Basically you make a remover/installer tube, a pair of end plates to tighten against and a spacer to go inside the control arms (to stop them collapsing), once assembled, you simply use the spanners and the all thread to pull out the old bush and then reverse the assembly to pull in the new ones. If you have an angle grinder and a drill it will take you no time to make these tools and they will last forever. (These are basically the factory tools.)

If you are a good contortionist you can even change some of the bushes on that car using this method.

PS you can use a similar method in a large bench vice to press in ball joints. You just need to make the tools out of gal pipe, the wheel bearing shell fits the bottom of the ball joints too.
Another HQ SS
Matty Q Offline
#9 Posted : Wednesday, 17 June 2015 3:23:43 AM(UTC)
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Great tip, especially about the wheel bearing cone - was looking for the right size to (as you say) put the pressure on the outer rim of the bush.
Continually amazing how people are willing to share information.
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