It’s the 2002 Blazer 4WD. I’ve been cleaning and rebuilding the rear under bits. I pressed the first leaf spring frame bushing out with an icon ball joint press. It came out like i was some super hero. The driver side did not go so well.

it’s out now, but it came our sideways a little. I didn’t catch it, didn’t even use an impact. Now the new one doesn’t slide in. The front is fine, but the rear looks messed up.

my thoughts are to get a die grinder and grind it back smooth enough to line it up, but is there a better way?


Front seems fine

Back looks weird

 

looks compromised to me. Like it had bent by a press.
Would need to look at another one or the other side to check.

 

it totally bent. I broke down and started sanding the bent hole back round using a caliper as a guide. It went… okay. It now slides in but too well. The other side had no issues, and went in about an inch and needed to be tapped in for a snug fit. This one slides in squarely but it slides in. There isn’t any slop, but it’s not a press fit situation anymore.

the hole is 1.51 by 1.54. The bushing is 1.50. I can’t really get any slop in the fit, which is nice, but it’s an issue. My wife is a welding instructor and we have a TIG welding setup. I think I am going to have her weld in the new bushing on the back cheesed up side. It sticks out pretty decently away from the rubber and I can push it from the other entry hole in the frame keeping it square.

I don’t know if that’s the best idea or not. At least with TIG the process has no slag or slop to make a mess. I dunno what else to do.