Rubber Bits Between Rear Subframe And Chassis

[Scooby]

can't a portapowa be used for this?

[Cubes]

I remember some where that some one said it required a 10tonne press minimum?? Not too sure but I remember something vaguely.

So as for portapowa.. I have no idea.

[Scooby]

10 T Portapower

http://www.toolsource.com/ost/product.asp?...STPEQEW4JBJFFME

[T04GTR]

yeah. lock washers.

i ended up solid mounting mine. it just so happend there a 3inch bush.

a trip down to edcon steel for some 3 inch round plates.

it was abit tricky getting the whole lot centalised. (car at home and subfame at work.

i ended up putting nismo diff bushes in to. old ones werent there lol.

it moved the subframe up around 1 inch. wich is a nice handy roll center adjustment hehe.

[Bl4cK32]

u need to press in it not just ram it in from the 1 side...i think thats what the portapower thing does?

[T04GTR]

10 tone press needed to get the old ones out

[Cubes]

So getting them out is the problem.. Not so much getting them in.

[BHDave]

Thats what i've found with the rest of my suspension bushes. I don't have a press and couldn't budge any of the stock bushes with a bench vice and dies, but pressing new ones in with the vice was a piece of cake.

Except the front upper control arm bushes. Hammer and screwdriver got them out easily enough

[Bl4cK32]

U people are forgetting holesaws

[PHATR32]

yeah cutting them out aint a problem. i was worried about putting them in. i dont wanna buy a press for 1 job.

i suppose ill have to try to hammer them in, i got a mini sledge i could use. maybe if i grease them up theyll slip in easier.

steve

[Bl4cK32]

dont hammer them in, use 2 plates with holes in the centre, i piece of tube, and 1 long threaded rod with 2 bolts.

U put 1 plate on 1 side of the frame, put the bush where u want it pressed in, then fit the tube on top of the bush, then the plate. (this stops u pushing the centre out of the bush itself) Put the rod through the centre of it all and screw the nuts on either end..

Basically u do the nuts up to press it on...

freeze the bush before hand to make it easier and use a long wrench to tighten the nuts...

Edited February 10, 2007 by Bl4cK32

[Sydneykid]

can't a portapowa be used for this?

Yes, but with special tools that you would have to make first.

Of course I left one possibility off;

#4, customer loyalty, where he does it for a good price because you are a regular customer

Until a 100 guys from the SAU forum turn up asking for the same price

Then he hates you and you won't get a good price ever again

cheers

[Cubes]

lol sk.

Which is why I didn't mention who it was.

Customer Loyalty goes a very long way with some workshops.

[PHATR32]

sweet idea!! those things i do have i the shed.

thanks for that.

dont hammer them in, use 2 plates with holes in the centre, i piece of tube, and 1 long threaded rod with 2 bolts.

U put 1 plate on 1 side of the frame, put the bush where u want it pressed in, then fit the tube on top of the bush, then the plate. (this stops u pushing the centre out of the bush itself) Put the rod through the centre of it all and screw the nuts on either end..

Basically u do the nuts up to press it on...

freeze the bush before hand to make it easier and use a long wrench to tighten the nuts...

[Scooby]

Yes, but with special tools that you would have to make first.

For sure, but then you can take the press to the subframe instead of the other way around, it might save dropping the whole subframe. Of course this would only work if you can get sufficient clearance, never done it so not sure if this is possible.

[T04GTR]

mainly to avoid bending it. its pretty flimsy without them in.

[Cubes]

My Noltec subframe bushes are in. They can be had from Unique Autosports for ~$190.

Here's how I went about it.

In short the process of removal:

Wheels

Callipers and sat them on a box so they don't hang

Sway Bar (makes life easier)

Tail shaft

Exhaust cat back

Removed hicas lines from rear steer rack and tucked them out of the way

Disconnect Hand brake lines

The hicas wiring ran under the hand brake line, unplugged and replugged so it ran over the top

Diff (easy as, simply ran 2 ropes around under neath it (front and rear) attaching to the subframe and secured to my club lock on the other end, dropped the jack then let the ropes down slowly so it lowered the diff)

Placed a car jack (scissor) under each side of the subframe

Removed bolts and slowly let the subframe down.

Once it was at a reasonable hight I lifted each edge, kicked the jack out and placed the subframe back down

Dragged the subframe out and argggg... now for the bush removal.....

----

Bush removal

I didn't have enough material on hand to make a solid support for the subframe when pushing bushes out.

The 2 rear bushes are really easy as they are just simple rubber bushes.

The 2 front silicon filled bushes are a pain in the arse as they have 3 parts that need to be cut and then pushed out in succession. I tried cutting all the way through with one but the bush just didn't budge. I had to remove each ring in succession.

It was quite easy simply drilling out the old rubber bush then using a hack saw to cut 2 small cuts completely through the metal roughly a cm apart. Then hit it with a suitable cold chisel and the metal simply peels back, roughly 3/4 the way down the bush starts to push out.

Doing it this way they take roughly 1hr maybe a little more to remove all 4 bushes.

----

Bush Install

The 2 front bushes pressed in quickly and easily.

The rear 2 I was unable to get the press in without removing all the control arms etc so I grabbed a piece of 3" exhaust pipe, cut it down and smacked the sh*t out of it with a small sledgy. They went in fairly quickly to my surprise. Towards the end of the second the pipe began to fatigue and crush quickly with each hit.

Bolt the diff in to the subframe before putting it back in to the car, use a trolley jack under the diff, 2 sizzor jacks under each side of the subframe and slowly raise the subframe. Easy as.

The hardest part about the whole thing.....

Removing those damn tail shaft bolts.

Everything else was fairly straight forward.

It’s definitely not hard and can easily be done by one person.

The subframe with axles etc all attached is light enough to be lifted by a single person so fear not peoples.

It’s really not as difficult as one (I) would think (thought).

[Bl4cK32]

good shit, now do mine

[Cubes]

I'm sure we can come to an arangement.

I believe you have just finished your brew. So a shortage of beers during the job won't be a problem.

-----------

It shall be interesting how the bushes increase NVH, especially as the R32 GTST diff's are solid mounted not bush mounted like the GTR's and R33's+

[T04GTR]

thats a pretty good effort. nice work.