The bushings on my 1962 Dodge Custom 880 are worn out. How do I go about replacing them and what tools will I need? I have decent mechanical experience and quite a few tools and equipment but have never attempted this job. Any suggestions on where to buy these bushings? Thanks.
The bushings should be available thru
www.dodgeparts.com or
www.carid.com among other suppliers. The bushings are pressed in so you are going to need to find a shop with a press to remove the old bushings and press the new ones in. Depending which bushings you are going to replace, this can be a pretty big job. The strut rod bushings usually go first. You will need to back off the torsion bar adjusting nuts to relieve spring tension on the torsion bars. Do this with the car jacked up and well supported on jack stands or blocks. Once the tension is released, the torsion bars can be removed, there is a spring steel clip at the rear capture point for the torsion bar that needs to be removed prior to removing the torsion bars. use a chalk line to mark the index point for the torsion bar so they can be reinstalled in the same positions as they were removed. The FSM shows a special tool for grasping the torsion bars to remove them. You probably do not have one of those so you can make one fairly simply, there are several threads on this site on how to do this. Once the torsion bars are out, you will need to detach the upper and lower ball joints from the spindles, be sure to detach the brake hoses so they do not get damaged and remove the tie rod ends from the spindle and remove the spindle from the vehicle. Once that is done, unbolt the upper control arm from the frame, if you index the upper control arm eccentrics, you can reinstall the eccentrics close to where they were to start with so your alignment won't be really far off, but the car will need to be realigned when the job is complete. The lower control arm unbolts from the frame with one large pivot bolt. The strut rod unbolts from the front of the frame. Remove the stabilizer links and unbolt the stabilizer from the frame if replacing the stabilizer bushings, once the stabilizer is disconnected you can slide the lower control arm rearwards to remove it and disengage the strut rod Once you have acquired all of the necessary parts you can take the upper and lower control arms to someplace with a press and have them installed. You are then ready to reinstall everything in reverse order.
If you do not have an FSM you need to find a copy and read the section on bushing replacement in the front suspension section, it gives very detailed instructions on how to replace whichever parts you are intending to do. This would also be a good time to replace the ball joints if needed while you have the front end apart. Apply grease to the rear capture point for the torsion bars as required and replace the balloon seals if damaged.
As far as tools go, you need a 1/2" drive socket set, a small pickle fork for the tie rod ends and a ball joint pickle fork and a large hammer, and a set of end wrenches to remove the brake hoses. Care must be taken not to damage the rubber seals on the ball joints and tie rod ends if they are not to be replaced. Good luck.
Dave
