Alero/ Grand Am Aluminum         Control Arm Mod
The comparison between the stock (black) and aluminum
Close up view of the welding and grinding
Opposite side of the same arm showing the welding.
The factory units I'm getting ready for new bushings. Predrilled holes using 1/8 inch bit.
Hole to hole view with the aluminum unit underneath the factory. You can see the length difference.
A better view of the length difference of the aluminum units. Some grinding will solve that now.
Another view of the arm. I'll be using a steel brush to bring out the shine later.
This page was last updated on: October 17, 2009
Ball joints removed and ready to press out the bushings.
Both sets of arms ready to have bushings removed.
New holes are marked and scribed for grinding.
    If your doing the control arm bushings remove the old bushings, the big bushing remember you have to remove the metal sleeve on the ouside of the bushing, the poly bushings will not fit untill that sleeve is removed. Once you get the rubber out you can take a hacksaw blade and slit the sleeve in 2 spots and hammer it out with a screwdriver and a hammer. Also there is a top and bottom to the big bushing so pay attention to the dirrections with the kit. The smaller bushing you press out and pop in the new ones, new ones are 2 piece, top and bottom.. Always lube suspension bushings or they fight you going in and squeek like crazzy while in use.

    The big bushing doesn't give you the choice but to destroy it as this is your only means to remove it from the control arm. Take a long 3/8 inch extension, a razor knife or large exacto knife like I did and pry the bushing as much as you can, cut around the metal sleeve (on both sides)using the exacto or razor knife until the bushing comes right out of the arm.   You should have nothing more left than a minute amount of rubber and the iron sleeve.

    Now you need to remove the metal donut and that's not hard.
Take a metal hacksaw to cut a path (slit the sleeve) into the metal ring ( be carefull to not damage the control arm) and cut only one cut through the metal sleeve and no further, and don't make two cuts like I've seen on some projects for this mod.    Now take a hammer and a heavy screwdriver to push out the metal ring from the control arm.  Make sure you do both sides when you're hammering out the metal sleeve as this makes it just a bit easier.

    The smaller bushing can easily be removed if you buy an exhaust adaptor, 1.5 inner diameter to whatever size you want.  It's the 1.5 o.d. that you need to remove the bushing from the arm.  You'll also need a 3/8 inch drive allen of any size as long as the allen part goes in the hole of the bushing.   Lastly, you'll need a long 3/8 extension like was used to remove the larger bushing and a deep well socket not too long as to not let it fit into the bench vise you'll be using.  I've been using a 4-1/2 inch bench vise and has worked great. 

    Insert the allen drive into one of the holes of the bushing and the cut 1.5 inch exhaust pipe (about 2 or so inches) onto the opposite end making sure that the bushing fits inside of the pipe and pipe fits the control arm.   It should so no worries there.
Inserting it into the vice, press out the bushing as much as you can with the allen socket, then when you can't press it any further, open the vice and substitute the deep well socket in it's place to continue pressing the bushing out.   You'll only be able to go so far so once you've gotten this far, remove everything from the vice, insert the long 3/8 extension into the bushing according to the pictures and simply pry it out.     It's that easy to do these and don't need a machine shop to do this.
   
Instructions for removing both bushings from the control arms.
These are the tools needed to remove the large bushing from the arm
Cut around the edge of the bushing while prying with the bar.
Cut into the metal sleeve once the rubber has been removed from the arm
Gently hammer a screwdriver on the cut edge to remove the sleeve.
Here you see how easy it is to remove.
A mostly removed sleeve and only one cut is necessary.
The removed sleeve from the aluminum control arm.
Here are both sets of arms with the large bushings removed.
This is what I used to remove the small bushing. 1.5i.d. by 2i.d. exhaust adaptor.
The cut exhaust piece and all the tools needed to remove the small bushing.
Using the allen and pipe, start to press out the bushing with a bench vise.
Use the deep well socket to further press the bushing out. This is step 2of2.
The last step for removal. Use the bar to pry out the rest of the bushing.
Bushings removed on the aluminum units.
The finished stock arms.
This is the continuing page to shorten up the arms by 1/2 inch.
My second set of arms.
Mastins set of control arms and my last