OK FINALLY REMOVED IT!!!!

My Dad had to show me up using a real torch!!! Thanks guys!



Going to have the new bushings pressed tomorrow!

Good stuff

..those things can be an absolute PITA.
I've seen then even worse that yours where they had to be cut off.

I hear a lot about these compression rods wearing out, my ? is how do you know when to replace??

If the bushings are cracked you will hear creaking when entering an inclined driveway.

how do you know if it's the inner or the outer bushing? i understand that the inner bushing can be changed (http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...m=310209952603) which is what you're doing here. however, what if it's the outer bushing?... how did you know, exactly? /me subscribed

Most likely it will just be the inner (not the ball joint) bushing. Haven't heard of a case where the ball joint end failed.

If you remove the compression rods, you can inspect both ends. The ball joint will be okay if you pull it and returns back to the middle. A ball joint is weak when you can feel it grinding inside or does not stay in the middle, or close to it. If the boot is not deteriorated, the ball joint should be fine.