freightliner airliner bushings.

I had to have mine pressed into the arm. BUT That was a 1999 FL.

 

Those bushings are pretty easy to do. I always took the springs out of the truck and pressed the bushings out in the shop press. This is how I did it:

Heavy frame stands or blocking under frame, dumped the suspension air. Unbolt air bag and shock. Then set up a floor jack under the spring. Then torched off the u-bolts (always seem to be seized) and unbolt the spring from the front hanger. Then pressed out/press in new bushing, reinstall in reverse order. Make sure to buff all the rust off between mating parts with a wire wheel or you'll never get the u-bolts to stay tight. In all honesty I would do all the spring and torque arm bushings as well as shocks. Those spring eye bushings don't hold up well and you'll have to do a wheel alignment after anyways. May as well rebushing the whole thing and you know it'll be good for a while. Its not a big job to do. I used to be able to completely rebushing a tridrive with airliner in a single workshift.

 

You will need a bushing driver of some sort to drive the new bushing in but I think it's doable on the truck. I used to coat the outside of the new bushing with anti-seize to help it press in easier. Don't know if its right or not but it worked ok.

 

just press out/press in. if you have trouble getting the metal sleve out after the rubber falls out you can take a hack saw blade and cut a slit in it and it will come right out.

if you don't have a shop press it might be a bit harder, maybe rig a bottle jack and press against the truck frame? or just go to harbor freight and get a press.

 

i always cut the old u bolts off not worth the hassle of trying to get the nuts off. smart man getting new u bolts to start with. i normally have a local shop bend me up new u bolts whenever i need them tends to be cheaper than ordering and you always get the right ones.

one common thing i have run across with the airliner suspension is keep a eye on the air bags the beams like to start walking and your notice the airbags start leaning, witch accelerates wear on the bushings when you notice that cut the u bolts off straighten everything back out and put another set of u bolts on.