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Energy Suspension Bushings Rookie How To

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tonym9 View Drop Down
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    Posted: 02-March-2014 at 1:38PM
If you want the better upper and lower control arm bushings offered by Energy Suspension, this is a quick how to for the swap. Just takes time and makes a mess. Never having used bushings except out of the box, this was a little new to me. Figured I'd put together a quick how to for the rookies out there. It's easy. 

If you have Upper Control Arms from a 3/72 production date and older, you need to obtain the Upper Control Arms from a car with a later production date. The 3/72 and prior arms use a different size upper bushing/barrel that Energy Suspension does not offer the bushings for...they will NOT work. 

Obviously you need to disassemble the front suspension. 

Use gloves, the grease from Energy Suspension is sticky as glue. 

1. I ordered replacement bushings for both the lower/upper arms from Napa. 
2. Put your replacement Energy Suspension inserts in the freezer, along with the Ford metal inners that have the teeth in them for the upper control arms after you do the burn.  
3. I Asked the wife for a pot she didn't want any longer, cut 1/8th of a duraflame log and lit it in the pot. 
4. Put all 6 bushings in the fire to burn out the rubber. DO NOT inhale the smoke, it's nasty bad for you. Don't just leave them in the fire, once the rubber is burnt out get them out of the fire. You don't want to change the metal with prolonged heat.
5. Let them cool, clean them up making sure the inner part of the barrels are free of junk
6. Use the same pot, bring the empty barrels to a boil (do this on the grill outside, my wife was not happy with me cooking bushing barrels on her stove)
7. Lube up the frozen Energy Suspension bushing, get it started into the barrel
8. Quickly go to a vise and force them in before the barrels cool and the Energy Suspension bushings warm up. 
9. Drop them back in the water to warm them up. 
10. Lube up the Ford inners that have the teeth in them from the freezer, back to the vise to push them in. Be quick.

***Do NOT use the supplied Energy Suspension inners for the upper control arms. They don't have teeth and will not match the teeth on your upper control arm.

***Do NOT use the Ford inners for the lower control arm bushings, they aren't wide enough and don't fit tightly in the bushing, use the energy suspension provided inners. There are no teeth to be concerned about on the lower control arms so it's not an issue.

I'm dropping off my upper and lower control arms, along with new Moog ball joints and the Energy Suspension bushings at a shop to have them pressed in. Then I'll reassemble the front suspension. 








Edited by tonym9 - 02-March-2014 at 1:51PM
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tonym9 View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote tonym9 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 02-March-2014 at 1:56PM
the arm shafts may be different too. Not sure, I'm using 73 Upper Control Arms and shafts and bushing barrels. Avoiding the whole issue using the later UCA's. It may be possible to use the pre 3/72 UCA's, but I'm not sure. ???????? I know there were differences with the ball joints. I also know the bushing barrel length is different prior to 3/72.

It's something to check on. Thanks Rockatansky for the pm heads up. Don't want to steer someone the wrong way. 

Anyone who wants to add/clear up the UCA/shaft question chime in please

I just used my donor 73 Ranchero UCA's so I didn't fully research it. Went the easy route since I had the donor suspension in the backyard. 


Edited by tonym9 - 02-March-2014 at 2:20PM
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robot9000 View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote robot9000 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 03-March-2014 at 5:47AM
If you are going to have your bushings pressed in for you (and you should) many places will burn out the old bushings for you too. 

I had new lower ball joints pressed in and the upper joints cut out while I had the control arms out. 
1973 Gran Torino Sport
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tonym9 View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote tonym9 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 03-March-2014 at 1:04PM
guy didn't want to mess with putting the energy suspension material in the barrels. can't say as I blame him, it was a mess...

dropped the UCA and LCA with moog ball joints and ES bushings at the shop on the way home from work. hoping for warm weather this weekend to be able to assemble my front end
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Billy C Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 03-March-2014 at 3:52PM
Kudos on the pics and details.. this is awesome! Clap

I'm actually trying a different method right now. I did it the way you did the first time around and I couldn't get things pressed in quite right. I had trouble dialing in the setup. 

This next time around I burned the bushing out of the existing barrels and left them in the upper arms with the shaft dangling free with no bushing. I am dipping the arms in the tank now to get them to bare metal. I will then press the poly ones in from both sides hopefully putting the shaft in the stock position.  I'm also thinking using the stock toothed pieces probably isn't a huge deal but not a bad idea at all. As for the lower, I am going spherical bearing Wink and that's a completely different thing.


Oh, an make sure to check torque specs and post what you end up torquing things too.


Edited by Billy C - 03-March-2014 at 3:54PM
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californiajohnny View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote californiajohnny Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 03-March-2014 at 4:28PM
something i've done to get the old rubber bushings out is to drill into the rubber , making several holes all the way around, to allow easier deformation of the old bushing to ease in removing it
JOHN
74 GRAN TORINO S&H CLONE
74 VETTE CUSTOM
90 S10 BLAZER 4X4 LIFTED
77 CELICA CUSTOM
75 V8 MONZA SUPERCHARGED
79 COURIER VERT. SLAMMED
75 VEGA V6 5 SPD
70 CHEV C10 P/U
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Billy C View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Billy C Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 03-March-2014 at 4:30PM
ya John, that's a good tip to mention too. I did that on my civic's trailing arms. Worked pretty well.

Edited by Billy C - 03-March-2014 at 4:30PM
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote fordismyboss Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 24-April-2017 at 12:53PM
Received my ES bushings today!

This thread is three years old, hope some of you are still subscribers!

So tell us, do you like the ES bushings compared to original, or will they vibrate the teeth out of my skull?
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Billy C Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 24-April-2017 at 1:50PM
For ease of installation and price they are worth it. It always depends on your setup. You might not even notice it. Let us know what you think.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote californiajohnny Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 24-April-2017 at 6:16PM
i prefer polyurethane on all my cars! Wink
 another tip to remove the old rubber... heat around the steel shells till the rubber starts to smoke good then push it out, leave the shells in the arms the poly is designed to go in them, clean the insides of the shells good and grease the poly bushings and press them in!
JOHN
74 GRAN TORINO S&H CLONE
74 VETTE CUSTOM
90 S10 BLAZER 4X4 LIFTED
77 CELICA CUSTOM
75 V8 MONZA SUPERCHARGED
79 COURIER VERT. SLAMMED
75 VEGA V6 5 SPD
70 CHEV C10 P/U
68 MUSTANG FB CONVERSION
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote fordismyboss Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 28-November-2017 at 4:52PM
Have now put about 800 miles on my Energy Suspension front end rebuild. I am very impressed with the product. I was concerned about stiffness, vibration, and too much "road feel". But there is none of that. The front suspension is much better now. Very happy with how this 45 year old design drives, rides, and handles.

Thanks to all who posted on this subject.



 
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote californiajohnny Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 28-November-2017 at 5:04PM
Thumbs Up
JOHN
74 GRAN TORINO S&H CLONE
74 VETTE CUSTOM
90 S10 BLAZER 4X4 LIFTED
77 CELICA CUSTOM
75 V8 MONZA SUPERCHARGED
79 COURIER VERT. SLAMMED
75 VEGA V6 5 SPD
70 CHEV C10 P/U
68 MUSTANG FB CONVERSION
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