Cheap tubular control arms for replacements?

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seabee

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I have spent two days pb-blasting, heat to red hot, and trying to press out one side of my upper control arm bushings. I even bought the special tool and resorted to a 6-ton press with no results. So instead of wasting any more time i am going to replace this neglected, rusted, pos and go with replacement part.

Anyone recommend some less expensive ($<200) tubular replacements? Or should i go junk yard?
 
Before you do that, have you tried burning out the bushing, then cutting the sleeve, fold it in on itself.
 
I dont think I've seen any of the aftermarket tubular control arms for less than $300.

If they were cheaper maybe I'd have a set.
 
Can I ask what year/model are you working on ? And are you trying to go with the 73-up large ball joint setup ? Or the earlier small joint set up ?

I may have some control arms that would help you.

Scott
 
Hi Cracked,

It has another sleeve surrounding the bushing so kinda limited to what i can fold:
IMG_2217.jpg
 
Milehigh: 1966 barracuda. I have already bought the PST kit for the small ball joints.
 
Are pressing on the right areas to relieve the bushing? It looks pretty rusty however.

Awhile back there was some pics of a Charger (I believe it was) that was wrecked. One of the tubular arms broke in which caused the crash. I don't know hate to start anything here but I like the stock arms better.
 
Using "cheap" when describing suspension parts on a car is like using "cheap" when lookin for new airplane wings.
 
When they're rusty like that and don't want to come out with my bushing puller I cut across them with the Sawzall right where that rubber is bulging. The inner sleeve and rubber can come out at that point. That's when you cut a slot along the inner length of the outer sleeve(careful, not so far you actually cut into the control arm) and pry one edge over the other as Crackedback recommends.
 
Here:
 

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Thanks all very much for the input. I pushed the inner bushing out with a press then did the cut and fold method above. The thing was so fused to the arm i even had to grind off some remenants with a Dremel.
 
Milehigh: 1966 barracuda. I have already bought the PST kit for the small ball joints.

If your interested, I have a set from a 71 Scamp, New PST polygraphite bushing (installed) and new ball joints (installed). I put these on my car and drove it maybe a couple hundred miles before I parted that car out. They have just been sitting around since then. I could let you have them for $125 to your door. These are clean, rustfree colorado parts.

Nevermind, looks like you figured it out.
 
Using "cheap" when describing suspension parts on a car is like using "cheap" when lookin for new airplane wings.

This school of thought works pretty well for Uncle Sam. The only country in the world that can whip us in the air is Israel, and they're using our hand-me-downs.
 
If your interested, I have a set from a 71 Scamp, New PST polygraphite bushing (installed) and new ball joints (installed). I put these on my car and drove it maybe a couple hundred miles before I parted that car out. They have just been sitting around since then. I could let you have them for $125 to your door. These are clean, rustfree colorado parts.

Nevermind, looks like you figured it out.

Man, if I knew this a few weeks back before i bought the whole pst kit i would have been all over it. I'll be sure to pass this along to the next person I see before they go through this whole, (and more expensive) process.
 
This school of thought works pretty well for Uncle Sam. The only country in the world that can whip us in the air is Israel, and they're using our hand-me-downs.

Israel can whoop a lot of countries you wouldn't think otherwise. I'm waitin to see Iran piss um off good enuff. I wanna front row seat.
 
Look at the replacements you have and this pic, it will tell you what you can and can't cut. Before you cut, measure the OD of your bushing and the OD of that sleeve to the inside of the A arm. They may be different from my pic and longer than the later model arms. You can cut the end off of the bushing on the outer sides, then you can burn/dig out the rubber.
 

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I hope you went with the super heavy duty foil and not the
cheap stuff. It will corner much better if you did.:thumbup:
 
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