Removing stock JKS Bushings

Hasselblad

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Joined
Oct 10, 2020
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41
Location
Utah
I have a JKS adjustable track bar with the stock (red) bushing. I plan to swap the bushing over to the KOR one I just received, however with the "lips" on the outside of the 2-piece bushing I cannot figure out the best way to remove it. I have a BF-Vice, and can certainly rig something to force the while 2-part and sleeve through at once, but am wondering if there is a "proper" way to go about it.
 
"knocking" as been unsuccessful, as the red bushings are soft enough to have a good grasp of the sleeve (With a BFH and appropriate-sized solid rod). Wondering if Autozone has a loaner press for it.
 
maybe stick a deep well socket just big enough to allow the sleeve into it, and use a big clamp or vice with another smaller socket as a plunger?
 
maybe stick a deep well socket just big enough to allow the sleeve into it, and use a big clamp or vice with another smaller socket as a plunger?
Just tried this. No joy.

Went back to the trusty bfa and slammed it a few times more. It finally gave up and let loose, the sleeve was rusted and pitted enough that it was locked against the red bushing material like a champ. I imagined the sleeves would be stainless steel? The inside of the sleeve also had thread marks, which I found even more odd, because the bolt I got from KOR is smooth. Really wondering if the place who installed my jks bar originally used a completely threaded bolt along the entire length.

I think it might be time to go back to the shops I have used to have a come to jesus chat with them
 
I’ve used a cheap drill bit to “roll” the bit around the sleeve then hammer it out, the a saw all the get the outer out.
 
ideally any bolt through a sleeve should have enough shank/body to carry the length of the sleeve. it's really the shank that sized not the threaded portion.
either way any scarring inside was not holding it, it's the crust on the outside that locked it up on you, and made it a bitch to get out.

if you live where shit can rust..... the ID/OD of the sleeve and the ID of the urethane should have a light application of silicone grease, as well as the bolt shank. and in most instances the OD of the urethane should also be lubed. see what your particular mfg'r suggests. but dry shit doesn't move very well.

3 things to always have around when working on the Jeep is loctite, anti-seize and silicone grease.
 
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any bolt through a sleeve should have enough shank/body to carry the length of the sleeve. it's really the shank that sized not the threaded portion.
either way any scarring inside was not holding it, it's the crust on the outside that locked it up on you, and made it a bitch to get out.

if you live where shit can rust..... the ID/OD of the sleeve and the ID of the urethane should have a light application of silicone grease, as well as the bolt shank. and in most instances the OD of the urethane should also be lubed. see what your particular mfg'r suggests. but dry shit doesn't move very well.

3 things to always have around when working on the Jeep is loctite, anti-seize and silicone grease.
The pitting was indeed on the exterior of the sleeve, against the bushing material. The bolt used for the jks install was no doubt fully threaded evidenced by the inside of the bushing. Basically they apparently used no grease whatsoever with the bushing or sleeve, AND used the wrong type of bolt.
 
So I got the new bushing and sleeve pressed in, but the KOR bolt's shank only reaches a certain distance into the sleeve, and that's before considering the amount that will be in the bracket.

IMG_3479.JPG
 
I’d consider one of the greasable bolts on the market...Currie may sell one that diameter.
 
Why are you concerned about having threads in the sleeve?
Simply for the sake of structural integrity, and eliminating any and all areas where wiggle room can occur. I already have DW and have had it long enough, and have swapped parts long enough, that things like this stand out like sore thumbs to me. If threads are digging into the sleeve, that is an indicator that the bolt is moving in relation to the sleeve itself, which it should not do. A smooth surface is not going to dig into a smooth surface, while a threaded surface will indeed do so.

Perhaps it is nitpicking, but again I have dealt with DW for long enough, and manufacturers have sold cures for DW long enough, that things like this should have been addressed.
 
Get a new bolt, torque it properly, and get your tires rebalanced. I’ve had wheel/tire combos I could never get balanced to stop DW. I’ve also had a set I had to get balanced 8 times before it was good enough.
 
Get a new bolt, torque it properly, and get your tires rebalanced. I’ve had wheel/tire combos I could never get balanced to stop DW. I’ve also had a set I had to get balanced 8 times before it was good enough.
I got a new bolt with the KOR kit I installed above. Just discussing the threads on it reaching inside the metal sleeve, the smooth shank part not being long enough. The shop used to install the JKS trackbar originally, apparently used a bolt threaded the entire length. So not only did the bushing itself have softness, but also the bolt loosening inside the sleeve.

Again, perhaps a bit anal, but DW will do that.
By the by, doing the tierod upgrade as well when I swap the track bar in.
 
You are never going to get a bolt that the shank extends to the end of the sleeve. After the sleeve ends you have very thin sheet metal and then the nut. A properly torqued bolt that hasn't been stretched beyond its yield won't make a difference if its fully threaded or has a shank.
 
I’d settle for 3/4 of the way through the sleeve. The teeth digging into the original sleeve was evidence enough for me that movement was occurring where it should not have been.
 
Ive removed a lot of bolts where the trackbar or control arm was in a slight bind. I couldn't remove the bolt by hand so I put my impact on it and hammered it out(or in)... This is turn leaves marks in the sleeve.

Whatever helps you sleep at night, from what I remember a 2.5" long bolt fits perfect.
 
i edited my post to say "ideally". but the fact is most do not provide a full shoulder.
your gonna have to buy a long bolt and cut it down to get a full shoulder, and even then it may or may be the perfect length to get a full shoulder and have enough threads left. as long as it has a fair amount of the shoulder in the sleeve, torque should do the rest.