I got a lift from rustys and the shocks came without the bushing installed in the shocks. Question is how do I get the bushing bracket for top rear shocks pressed in?

 

Silicone spray lube it up and push it in with your fingers. It should go in pretty easily.

 

He's talking about installing the bar pins and not the bushings?

 

Anti-seize works phenomenally for this sort of thing. I would also recommend using a bench vise. After a generous glob of anti-seize all over, set the bar pin straight and ready to go through, slowly crank the vise closed and the bar pin will slide right in.

 

I ended up tapering one end of the bar pins after ruining one of my bushings because of the squared end cutting one.

 

that’s what I’m concerned with. I was able to get the pin in the bushing prior to installing in the shock no problem but trouble getting the bushing to press in now.

 

I've tapered the bar pin myself. Excellent idea Earl!

If you take an angle grinder with a cutoff wheel you can taper up one side of the bar pin in a matter of seconds. I set the pin in the vise, clamp it down real tight and cut - try to make a nice clean cut and then grind down the rough spots, edges, corners with the metal grinding disc or a hand file.

Vaseline (or possibly a sex lube) should be alternate products to get that bar pin through.

 

Install the bushing first and then the bar pin.

 

"(or possibly a sex lube)"

 

Gotta do what you gotta do sometimes!

 

I used the big c clamp ball joint press to push them in. You need to wiggle them a little as you push them through but it works great

 

Getting them in wasn't that big an issue. Getting them out of my old shocks was a trip. I can't even imagine trying to get them out of a shock where they're vulcanized in the rubber bushing.

 

The worst IMO was getting the stupid inner bushings OUT of my JK take-offs so I could fit them on my XJ. The rubber was good as these take-offs were in near new condition, but I didn't want to screw up the rubber, so it was a tedious process of pushing the bushing out while not screwing up the rubber too much. Then I used bar pins from a shock set that I never installed on my TJ... those are the ones that I did have to taper one of the ends to get it in.
Once the edges were tapered the bar pins went right in with the anti-seize.

I then proceeded to snap 3 out of 4 of the bolts to mount the upper end of the rear shocks and sheared off one of the lower nuts. Fun times.