Ok, so I had no problems replacing the upper control arm bushings on the driver's side in my new control arms. However, once I started on the driver's side lower control arm bushings, I ground to a halt last week. For the life of me, I cannot even get the washers/caps/whatever you call them off the outsides of the bushings. It appears to only be on one side of the driver's side control arm, the other side just seems to have an inner pin.

The caps look very similar to those found on the upper control arms, of which you had 4 total, two for each bushing. When removing the upper bushings, I used a crowbard and a pry tool to pop them off. They took some effort, but very doable. These, as I pry harder, it appears to be sucking the other side into the bushing. My only guess is that the caps are stuck hardcore to the inner pin.

I'm thinking about going and getting a torch and heating it up before prying, perhaps it will be enough to knock it off. I can't think of what tool I could use to pull the caps off either.

BTW, this is on a 2003 F150 2wd. Technically the lower bushings were in far better shape than the uppers, and didn't need replacing. However, I bought a full set of control arm bushings from energy suspension, and I want to have them all replaced at once.

 

i believe the lower bushings are press fitted into the control arm

 

Thanks,the bushings and pin most certainly are, as the uppers were. I'm more concerned about the caps, at least on the driver's side. Maybe the passenger side does not have these, from the illustrations I see. Either way, I believe I can't press the bushings out unless I pop off those caps. At least what I believe to be caps.