rowdyrandy
XS650 Enthusiast
My old bushings refuse to come out. I've tried everything short of a torch since i'd like to spare the paint...any suggestions?? its like they're glued in there and the edge inside just keeps chipping away..
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Swingarm bushings.. help!
- Thread starter rowdyrandy
- Start date
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- Tags
- how to restoration suspension
It's time for the torch. Keep the flame on the inside of the bushing. If you have your new ones in the freezer when the old comes out the new one will drop right in.
I've only torched one but it didn't bother the paint.
I've only torched one but it didn't bother the paint.
rowdyrandy
XS650 Enthusiast
Since they're composite, will the torch loosen them up or just "melt" them?... for lack of a better word..
Melt/soften, they bubble and boil. You might want to do it outside.
rowdyrandy
XS650 Enthusiast
yeah I imagine oil/grease soaked fiber bushings are gonna smoke quite a bit..and stink too.
This is a great tool from my bike shop days, I wish a smaller version was made for this job... I tried to make a home made version of it, but by the time I thought of it the edges inside had worn away...
This is a great tool from my bike shop days, I wish a smaller version was made for this job... I tried to make a home made version of it, but by the time I thought of it the edges inside had worn away...
Attachments
gggGary posted about making his own, it may be in the homemade tool section.
rowdyrandy
XS650 Enthusiast
I did see that. I think he used a bolt and nut to expand the pipe though- I think either way if they're really stuck, as I'm finding out, this tool isn't going to help much.. Its meant to catch the edge of a headset cup not a plastic bushing. It seems like it'll destroy the bushing before anything else..again, if its really stuck. But it seems like you and I are the only ones to have this problem. Every other post I've ever read starts with " the old bushings popped right out"....make way for the torch..
rowdyrandy
XS650 Enthusiast
update: got the bastards.
sreimer
XS650 Addict
Put the torch away! And get the die grinder out. Just grind a groove until the bushing gets thin then they will EASILY come out.
There is a smaller tool like the headset remover shown from your local bike shop made for removing new style bottom brackets. That is what I plan in using when I remove my bushings.
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pregrid
XS650 Guru
I used a hack saw blade. just cut a groove lenthwise in the bushing down to the metal. then a screwdriver or chisel driven underneath the bushing next to the cut will do the deal.
rowdyrandy
XS650 Enthusiast
I used all of the above methods to remove them. The biggest problem was they were staying stuck to the sides while just chipping off in little pieces rather than breaking off into bigger chunks. Heating them up didn't melt them, or ruin my paint - it made them more brittle and release away from the walls a bit so I could then get in there and break them up. I dont know why the general knowledge is that theses guys are plastic....they seem more like a composite to me, more fibrous, like a brake pad.
If you give those things enough heat they'll shrivel up till you can flick them out by hand with a screwdriver.
