3 jaw puller to do control arm bushings on an Answer

I have a 3 jaw puller I was going to use to change the control arm bushings on my Miata. Looks like it would work fine, but was wondering how challenging it is likely to be. I don't want to get halfway through and have trouble. Swapping the front upper control arm bushings for the offset ones from Whiteline, comp ones on the lower. Might even be able to do it without taking the control arms off the car. If I have to take them off, would probably just use a vise to press them out. The arms are clean as a whistle, garage kept California car, so I won't need to sand and paint them. Any of y'all done the job in the fashion I am describing?

Theres a shop here in town that presses bushings with arms off the car for 5-10 each.

Worth every penny. Ive tried all the methods and either shop press or pay the man seem to work the best.

This is on muscle cars and Subaru by the way. Never done control arm bushings on any of my mazdas.

As much trouble as I've had with a 20 ton press, I would suggest press or pay someone else to push them in.

I changed all my Miata bushings with a collection of threaded rod and long bolts. I used a section of tubing the same diameter as the A-arm bushings to pull through. The tube had a slot cut down it's length so I could get the bushings in and out of it. Did it all with only hand tools.

The method using allthread outlined here MT works pretty well, and is compact enough to do on the car. I've used the harbor freight ball joint c clamp thing to do them as well.

I did a full set of poly bushings on my 97 this winter. I tried using a 12 ton press and just got frustrated. Heat. Heat is the easy button. Remove the control arm, heat the metal around the factory rubber bushing until it starts to smoke and sizzle, set a big socket on it and whack it once or twice with a healthy hammer. Bushing pops out easy-peasy and life is much easier for you. MAPP gas, not propane.

Now that I think of it, I used a HF heat gun to loosen my bushings before removal, too.

HF ball joint service tool. Some of the bushings don't fit well in a press.

I Used a 2 jaw puller/ball joint thingy to do mine,wrapped electrical tape around the jaws as without it the tips bite into the bushing causing grief.

I found a little heat worked great once some pressure was applied,didn't need to make them smoke/burn at all and they slide right out.