How to replace sway bar bushings?

Here's a pic of where I am in the process.

Do you just destroy the old rubber bushing to get them out and thread the steel armature off the sway bar end 'eyelet'? Then press new bushings into each armature? Does the steel armature come apart maybe?

After that - what do I need to press the new bushing over the bar end 'eyelet'? The FSM ain't helping. It says these aren't serviceable bushings and to replace the assembly. Great.

Thanks for any advice.
-Art

I am guessing the other side looks the same.
I have not done one like that exactly, but similar.

the replacment bushing showed to drill a hole on both sides. so you could put a bolt through it later to hold the two pieces together.

then cut the weld that holds the lower V portion to the top.
so the cut would split the two pieces, and the hole. later line up the holes with a bolt and it holds the bushing in place.

looks like it should work for that too.

Yep, that's what you need to do.
Cut the weld, then bend back the metal as far as you have to, in getting the replacement bushing into place.
Use a C clamp, or put in in a vice, to get it back into position, then re weld it, and your done.
That's really the only way that your gonna get new bushings onto those sway bars.

Thanks gentlemen,
I get the idea. Seems reasonable. I'll check the configuration of welds and overlaps and see if that will work.
-Art

I did the front sways on a 56 Packard once. similar set-up. 2 "A" shaped pieces of metal spot welded together where they bolted onto the frame, in between the "peaks" of the As was the rubber bushing. Drilled out the welds on one piece of metal, separated them, used a C-clamp to squeeze the new rubber enough to get the oval shape needed to slide it over the end of the bar. once onto the bar, used vise grips to hold the 2 "A"s together and plug welded the hole shut. when finished, it nearly looked like nothing had ever been done.

Unsure if you're set on going the route of drilling out welds and rewelding.

While I have a slightly different setup, the issue was the same. I torched the old bushing to soften them enough to get it free from the housing and cut it at the thinest section for removal. Since there isn't a single reproduction (original rubber) bushing made for my application, I bought an oversized outside profile with a correct inside diameter and made my own by using a grinding wheel (sounds crappy but I'm anal enough to make them correctly based on the removed bushings, of course I had to make 4 to get 2 good ones) My brackets are tapered so that one side of the bushing would be smaller than the other, making it a natural starter at the fat side of the bracket for pressing the smaller side into place (think of pressing a cone into a cone). I left my bushings a little fat to get good compression once installed. Doing this type of installation allowed me to powder-coat the bracket and not destroy it to instal the bushing. I wish I had more detailed pictures of the process but didn't think anyone would care or need in the future

I did mine without cutting weld, separate the old one any way that works. When your cleaned up ready to install new ones put bracket on sway bar first,than lube the new bushings completely slide over eyelet than bring bracket to bushing put bottom and one corner in bracket clamp bracket bottom in vise, use a Cgrip vice grip on third point to push in.I used go Joe for lube, the trick is to work right next to the eyelet where bay is thinnest hope this helps

Thanks guys - great ideas all of them. I'll start working on getting the crusty old bushings off/out and see what methods come in most handy. Using GoJoe as lube is clever, I've used dishwasher soap too.
-Art

made this block from a 2x4 and use this with 2 wood clamps to push the bushing in place with a good amount of dish soap. put the bracket over the sway bar, slide the bushing next to the bracket, assemble the block around the sway bar and use the clamps to squeeze it in. really works well.

Good ideas here in this thread as I need to do this thanks

Need to do this too.

Is there enough room to weld in 2 studs on the lower bracket so you could just bolt the c-clamp top down over a new bushing?