Upper Control Arm Needle Bearing

[Henry]

Does anyone have a tip or trick to get the needle bearings out of an upper control arm? (without the factory tool?)

Thanks!

[YMJ]

.....not without wrecking the bearing.
You may well be able to drift it out carefully from the opposite end using a homemade shouldered drift, all out in one piece with a bit of luck.
The alternative method is to drift it out carefully from the opposite end using a homemade shouldered drift, blasting it to smithereeens, tearing the outer hardened casing and being left with a thin, hard skin of steel that is impossible to remove without resorting to a small grinding stone on the end of a high rpm spinning wheel/drill type thing. And with this you risk damaging the casting which could leave a sloppy fit for the new needle race.

[zippypinhead]

I bought a cheap Chinese "Blind Bearing Puller Kit" from Harbor Frieght.
Didn't even bother with the slide hammer part. Just expand the collet when you're past the bearing and tap it out from the other side with a long drift. Easy-peasy, five minute, no fuss, no muss job.
Donated it to the local club after I was done using it.

http://www.harborfreight.com/catalogsea ... ing+puller

With the "gobal economy" we're all living under, I would imagine you have a similar chain of stores selling this crap over on your side of the swamp.

[Henry]

Thanks, I ended up thinking of a bike tool I had and fashioned something similar out of a piece of pipe I had..

http://www.performancebike.com/bikes/Pr ... 000_400136

[Mini4Ever]

I skipped the chinese tool option and went for the worse: a very large nail with a good flat head Stick the nail through the hole for the shaft with its head onto the edge of the bearing inside the shaft hole and hammer on the pin-end of the nail to drift the bearing out. Sometimes it goes easily, sometimes the nail slips away quite often, but it does work if you are patience. Normally, the bearing comes out in one piece without any damage.

[YMJ]

I skipped the chinese tool option and went for the worse: a very large nail with a good flat head Stick the nail through the hole for the shaft with its head onto the edge of the bearing inside the shaft hole and hammer on the pin-end of the nail to drift the bearing out. Sometimes it goes easily, sometimes the nail slips away quite often, but it does work if you are patience. Normally, the bearing comes out in one piece without any damage.

He's right, you know. My "normally" is about 75% success - i.e. I can usually get three out OK, then end up butchering the last one!

[Mini4Ever]

My experience for 'normally' is about 95%... When I experience the other 5%, it's time for a new nail that hasn't been bent yet