rominl

iTrader: (4)

oh no he broke it again? when he installed mine he already broke one @_@

PHML

iTrader: (33)

wow....breaking chisel left and right....why not just burn it out with a blow torch.

Btw...seems like a DIY job if you got the right tools, downtime, patience, and guts to try. The LS400 writeup made it sound tempting to DIY....comments?

Anyone got any ideas how hard/easy to install the new bushings without a press?

Thanks!!

rominl

iTrader: (4)

burning takes much much longer than pressing, if you have the right tool

and also, you need a very hot torch, coz' it's not that easy to just burn off those rubber in a reasonable amount of time. and even so, after you burn away the rubber, you still need to do some cutting

ILOVEGIRLS

iTrader: (3)

even if you did use a torch to burn it off, you still need the chisel to break out the metal sleeves. btw: i think burning t with the torch is illegal since you'd be burning rubber and its bad for the air.

3dog

iTrader: (1)

This is just to big a hassle to get done.
My dealership won't touch it and my fav garage really does not want to mess with it either.

I bought one of the bushing kits for my 99 gs400.
I think i'm just gonna try to sell it.

Ivan
3dog

ILOVEGIRLS

iTrader: (3)

i dont think its that much of a hassle. it is time consuming though just like anything else. for me, the trade of was worth it eventhough it took most of the day. like i stated above, if anyone wants me to get the bushings out and press the new ones in, pm me and ill do for you, for a fee of course.

Kbueno

From the limited time I saw Todd working on it, I would say you better have a lot of time on your hands and have access to some professional tools. I consider myself a diy guy and I would never attempt it.

lexforlife

iTrader: (7)

its not hard by a long shot.. the castor arms each took me 45 mins or so to swap out

the lower control arms alittle more time more like 1-2 hrs each


the most important thing to have is a secure way to hold the arm and a good air chisel and patience

i used the weight of my car to hold in place and used liquid wrench and used 150psi air chisel in short spurts


dont give up guys , daizen and todd put loads of time into this and they work well

nicola

The directions for the LS might give you DIY guys an idea. This is an updated link from his previous attempt: http://www.lexls.com/tutorials/suspe...aizenkit2.html

BLiu

That's what he was doing. He broke the tool and then we went "old school" and burned out the bushings. Then, you have to dig out the the metal casing which is a PIA because those were originally stamped in by machine from the factory. THEN, what's REALLY time consuming is taking out and putting back in the control arms. If you don't have a lift with the right tools it is really hard to maneuver and get the right leverage to remove and put back the control arms.

That's why average mechanics won't do it, cuz it's not worth the time and labor for them to do it (eg, laziness). But the bushings are a drastic difference compared to the stock bushings and is the one component that can really make a BIG difference in the handling. Keep in mind, the weakest point in the control arm setup is the bushings. After 60K miles, the rubber is toast. Replacing them with the Daizen bushings makes the car feel like new again, and they will last a lot longer then stock rubber.

GS430lvr: It was nice to meet you that night! Glad you are enjoying your new suspension parts. Hope your family was OK hanging around all that time.

Brent

Delta

Park Place lexus wants $1200 dollars @ 9.4 hours install time to install the Daizen bushings! Damn thats alot of money!!!


Should I just bite the bullet and do it?

Kbueno

BLiu: Likewise....always good to meet a fellow Lexus enthusiast. We didn't mind waiting around since we knew it was being done right! It sure is nice not to have that stupid vibration at 60mph. The car feels better than when I first bought it (at 30k mileage).

Delta: That is a lot of money! I'd shop around a bit.


-Scott

Delta

I called the place that installed my Torque Converter and asked if he knew of a place that he would recommend to have my bushings installed. He recommended NTB (National Tire & Battery) . So I called them up and they said they would do it for $95.00/ hr , but there would be no guarantee whatsoever on work. So that's around 900 dollars. I would rather pay the 1200 and have lexus back up the work and probably have better certified mechanics installing it don't you think?

rominl

iTrader: (4)

damn that's very expensive, but then you definitely want these done right

and brent, so you got them on your car now as well?

BLiu

Yes, but I have other stuff that Todd needs to do to my car so I have not properly evaluated them...YET.

Brent