Hey all to any one who has advice. I bought Energy Suspension Rear trailing arm bushings, I used an acetylene torch to burn out the old bushings. I left the OE outer shell cause the ES kit utilizes the the OE outer shell. I tried for what seemed like years to press the bushings into place using two steel plates with a nut and bolt through it to try racheting them together to press in the bushing. DIdn’t work… took it to mechanic and he used a shop press and said it would not go in… just looked like they were going to tear them selves apart. So the question is Help what do I do?
ANy info would be helpful.
Thanks
Tim
put tons of lube on the bushing and the sleve . Use the metal plates and a long bolt / nut. Ive done it that way on many G2’s and CRX’s. if you wrench the bolt / nut slow the bushing will seat itself, then go in very smoothly.
Then the bitch is getting the center pin back into the new bushing.
one thing that I discovered is that if the bolt going through the center of the bushing is way skinnier than the hole in the bushing, it moves around too much on you. I just put a bunch of large nuts loosely around the bolt so that the bushing didn’t have as much freedom to move around. also, A HUGE SET OF CHANNEL LOCKS ARE YOUR BEST FRIEND. when you’re pressing the bushing in & it looks like it’s gonna slip sideways so that one end goes in & the other side bulges out & it wants to rip, get the channel locks around the bushing & squeese the hell out of the side that’s bulging out & the side that’s too far in together, and I mean SQUEESE to the point of where you’re shaking, then tighten the nut down to press the bushing farther into the arm. It’s a bitch, but it can be done… and like the last post said, lots of lube…
Any of you guys or gals local?
Hey all thanks for the tips… I will bear those in mind. My mechanic is giving it another go. If not then I will have to figure it out on my own. If any of you are going to be in the MD area anytime soon… gimme a holla, I could use a hand if my shop can;t get it in.
Thanks again
PEace
when I put mine in, I just had my car up on a lift @ the shop I work at, and lowered the arm down, I didn’t completely remove it. Also, as far as pressing the pin through the center after you get the bushing in the arm, I actually thought that was the cake part of the installation. Just take those big ass channel locks that helped you get the bushings in. Press the pin in as far as you can by hand, then w/ the channel locks (one of the jaws on the pin, and the other jaw on the opposing side of the arm, squeese the hell out of the channel locks & it’ll go right in. Again, grease the hell out of the pin & the inside of the bushing. Good luck!! They will go in!!
im assuming you guys are usuing energy suspension bushings for the trailing arm(not only the guy who made this thread) if yes… how do you guys like um? i read the “they arent made for our cars” and what not but then i seen no one say anything bad about them yet
Well, I haven’t ridden in a teg w/ new oem or mugen ones to compare to, but just for general ride quality, this being my 7th car, and I work at a shop, so i’m driving diffrent cars all the time, I Don’t think they’re a bad option at all. I especially like the fact that when I lower my teg, the pin will just be able to rotate w/in the bushing, rather than twisting the bushing & tearing it like an o.e style would. They are a major bitch to install, that’s my only gripe. took me probly about 6 hours total w/ the car on a lift & all the necessary tools…
you need to fix that post…it should say “like an o.e. style would IF IT WERE INSTALLED IMPROPERLY”. 
my point? when you install new OE or Mugen bushings, before you even take your car off the ground you should use a straight edge to see where the line along the mounting tabs runs, and install the new ones along that line without stress on them yet.
Yes, I realize they can be set at neutral if you’re planning ok keeping the car @ stock height, or plan on having it always lowered, but in cases like mine, where it’s winter 7 months out of the year, but I like to have it lowered in the summer, I need to be able to raise the suspension up & down. In a sense, it seems almost impossible to put airbags on a 2g w/ factory style trailing arm bushings, and have them work w/o ripping them. That’s what I was getting at. I like the freedom of being able to adjust my ride height w/o jeopordizing the life of my trailing arm bushings…
well true, but if a 14-year-old car is your daily driver, perhaps it’s time to explore new options? 
hehe j/p man.
SiLeNcE2-38554- You should get a Cavalier for a daily driver. 
Sorry for going off topic.
damn right bishes.
hey look at it this way…ain’t nobody gonna steal a bone stock automatic cavalier. 
where did the whole cavalier thing come from?? i’m so confused…My teg is 12 years old (13 in a few days), and of course it’s my daily driver…I’d rather walk than take my chances in a cavalier :gunright:
hehe it came up cause i have an '04 cav for my daily driver.
warranty’s good for another 70k miles. if something goes wrong (not that i’m saying it won’t ;)) it’s free for it to be fixed…and believe me, i definitely plan on trading it in before that warranty’s up.
how can you live with yourself? 
by remembering my plans for the integra. 
And the fact that it’s a Chevy product…I work for a gm/chrysler dealership (Sadly, because there are NO import dealerships where I live) But the amount of Service Bulletins/Safety Campaigns/Recalls, etc. That I do every week on GM pieces of crap is rediculous. Chrysler’s not that bad, but gm lets some really horrible ideas & designs leak into every one of their cars…
hey they can leak whatever they want into the car. watch me not give two shits. warranty is warranty. if something’s wrong, THEY fix it or give me a new car. :shrug:
besides, i couldn’t give two shits what anyone thinks about it. i dare any one of you to find any other vehicle in the same class as the cavalier brand new for $9452. that’s what i got mine for…brand new, 16 miles, full warranty for 6 years/75k miles.
go ahead. try.