Hi all,
 
What should I do with the rear tramp rods? ie;
The rubbers look pretty good, but one of the metal crush tubes is worn.
 
The factory rubber looks pressed into the tramp rod? Is that correct? Or will they come out?
 
If they come out, shall I just replace with new bushes?

They press out quite easily. From memory the rubber is moulded to the crush tube?
New ones (I use SuperPro) go in pretty quickly. Remember, get all of the the old rubber out, give them a quick clean with fine emery and grease all friction faces with the supplied grease.
You may be able to source new (not NOS) rubber bushes through places like Mackay or some of the reproduction places?

The factory rubber bushes have a bonded crush tube in the middle, with an outer bonded steel shell.
If they press out, then easy job. I don't have a press so I have always to cut them out.  

My proven method...
1. Lock the bracket in a vice to provide stability when cutting/pulling etc.
2. Remove rubber core with a fret saw and coarse blade, giving room for hacksaw blade in next step.
3. Carefully cut a groove into the outer bush shell (but not the bracket itself) to release the interference fit pressure. Two grooves works even better, punching out the bush piece between them. Using a punch/chisel, distort the old shell into the centre void and push the old shell out.
4. Clean inner bracket surface as mentioned above.
5. Use supplied lube on outer faces of poly bush, drawing the bush thru the bracket using a long bolt and big diameter washers either end. It will distort under pressure, then relax back into correct shape once fitted. Assistance with some pushing using something blunt on the leading edge will get it started thru the hole. Keep tightening the draw bolt until the bush pops out the other side.  
6. THEN... Fit new crush tube.

This method is proved over 30+ years of doing this type of task.  Others may have smarter methods, but it works for me with my limited tools.  Works on leaf springs too !  Anything with an eye and a bush.

NOTE: Be mindful of the position of any bolt offset in the OEM bushes when fitted to brackets. Some bushes are available with offset, others without.


 

Thanks guys!
 
I am tackling the leaf springs at the moment, holy hell.....these old bushes are a prick to remove.
 
I might get the recip saw onto them come to think of it

To remove them you jam a fat screwdriver or suitable chisel into where the loop hooks back to spread it open a bit, be careful as it can ping out at a rapid rate and hurt you or the car. A couple of good hammer strikes on the outer loop to crack it free and your bushes should push out with some force... Not as much as as you've experienced so far .

martymexico
To remove them you jam a fat screwdriver or suitable chisel into where the loop hooks back to spread it open a bit, be careful as it can ping out at a rapid rate and hurt you or the car. A couple of good hammer strikes on the outer loop to crack it free and your bushes should push out with some force... Not as much as as you've experienced so far .

Marty,  
This method might work on leaf springs where the eye is not closed. 
The tramp rods are closed eyes.  If you stretch them, the new bush will not be a proper interference fit, be it poly or oem style rubber+shell. I have binned tramp rods with stretched and/or distorted eyes.

If he's talking about tramp bushes find a big vice and something to push the bush with and a piece of tube the same size is tramp bar tube and go for it. But am sure he was on about the bushes in the leafs, wait for his comment I suppose....

I was originally asking about the tramp rods, but then mentioned that I am currently working on the leaf springs :)