bushings this morning on my 65 C10. Hard part is breaking the nuts loose from the panhard bar to frame and axle. I think I'll just take the truck arm bushings and shackles into the shop and let the fellas with the air wrench put them in!
So....got the pan hard bar off. had to drill a small hole in the bottom of each bushing loop to allow the air out between the bushings....maybe later I'll go back and tap them for zirk fittings....otherwise the bushings are forced back out and makes it very difficult to slip the loop up into the frame bracket.
Started by using a bolt, washers and a socket to start the original inner metal sleeve out of the bushing. Once half way out, grabbing the sleeve with vice grips allowed me to twist it out the rest of the way and then the rubber just slides out of the loop. There is no outer sleeve on the original panhard bar bushings to worry with.
The prothane bushings seem good, a slight squish fit but nothing that can't be handled with a nut bolt and some washers to pull them in. And, just enough silicone grease in the tube to get everything lubed up.
After cleaning up I greased the loop, prothane bushings and the new inner metal sleeve and started them in with a few light taps of a hammer with the assembly sandwiched between two boards.
Final compression was with the bolt, washers and nuts.
After that it was a simple matter to grease up the bolts and nuts on the frame and axle, slide the new panhard bar in place and retorque the nuts.
Overall, about 1.5 hours work and no tourch needed.
I did use a jack though.....one nut was so tight that w/o an air wrench I was able to break it loose by using the weight of the truck and a jack to push up on the end of the wrench....bang, then that really tight nut just spun off neat and easy.
Last edited by NeedsTires; 01/16/2015 4:38 PM.
