dromomaniac

Hey, I finally burned out all the nasty rubber from the spring eyes (what a mess!), and was about to fit the new Energy Suspension bushings when I noticed a problem. For those of you that have installed these things:

Do I or do I not remove the metal sleeve from the front spring eye??

eyes and bushings seem the same size in front and rear, and despite the fact that E.S. instructions don't mention retaining the sleeve, everyone else in the entire universe does.

Thanks!

xxxtreme22r

Remove the large metal sleeve from the spring eye. I believe the bushings won't fit otherwise.

This is what I went through to do mine: https://www.yotatech.com/forums/f199...l#post51671448

dromomaniac

that's what I reckoned since the dimensions are the same as the rear and the bushings are identical. Sadly I went to all the trouble of cleaning out the front eye sleeve things (not the bolt sleeves) already. Stoopid interwebs cornfusing even stoopider me.

Ouch. Didn't see your link at first. Now I am even more depressed.

The rear sleeve came off alright, I guess. But the fronts are more firmly bonded to the eye.....damn, this is going to suck.

Next time I am just buying new springs.

xxxtreme22r

Yeah that sleeve is actually a part of the original OEM bushing. And will put up a pretty darn good fight coming out of the spring pack.

dromomaniac

So looking over the thread in your link, it looks like you cut the sleeve through at the gap in the spring eye? Then pried it out with various tools?

Were you then able to just "peel" it off with force?

...I am hesitant to ram any metal straight into the gap between sleeve and eye for fear of gouging the spring (plus, I'm already down two screw drivers, one mallet, one socket, and one galvie pipe).

waskillywabbit

iTrader: (-1)

Amazing what a hot torch does to bushings. "Flaming lizards" we call em. Heat up up, catch on fire, whack with a hammer and they go scooting across the shop. Don't forget a fire extinguisher! Safety first!

:wabbit2:

xxxtreme22r

Wabbit, you don't have the rust issues we do out here. And I did use a propane torch to heat it up. And don't worry about damaging the spring, unless your using a plasma cutter to cut the bushing out, your not gonna do anything to those springs.

dromomaniac

Yeah, I already torched the pooh out of them and the rubber portions of bushings are gone. Nasty but satisfying.

I have a propane torch that I used for the rubber, are you suggesting I use it on the metal sleeve? Would I not risk overheating the spring and losing temper (the spring, not me...though probably me too)

dromomaniac

alright. thanks guys. I'm gonna go back out there and see if I can grow a few gray hairs.

xxxtreme22r

The propane torch isn't gonna heat that enough to change anything. Depending on your rust issues, it might just fly across the driveway like wabbit said. In my case the bushing was all but rust welded to the spring pack.

bttrs

i always heat the very end of the spring in the middle, not from the ends where the bushing slids in and out. this way everything melts from the inside out. hold the torch there for about ten min and everything will just poor out and once, the large sleeve thats a pain i just make 3 or 4 cuts with a sawzal and its manageable.