Solo rear subframe install advice?

[kendogg]

I've always done it with everything attached. It really goes up in a similar fashion to how it came down. Get everything lined up, and slowly jack the diff. You'll have to go back and forth on the sides, moving and twisting, to get it to line up properly. Might need a bit of prybar action to help things along, but shouldn't take more than 15 minutes

[StereoInstaller1]

There should be a tip jar on R3v.

Best idea ever!

[NigelStu]

... And it is so much easier if you drive the subframe bolts up into the car.

I'll be doing this work soon - Jim, can you elaborate a bit on this?

Are you saying
-pull the bolts out of the chassis, position the subframe in place and then drop the bolts in and tighten the nuts like normal?

or

- the bolt goes in from the bottom, nut on top? If so, any mods to the washers/bolts to fit this way and how do you secure the nut to tighten (I don't recall seeing much space available for a socket in there....)


Thanks

[2002maniac]

I'll be doing this work soon - Jim, can you elaborate a bit on this?

Are you saying
-pull the bolts out of the chassis, position the subframe in place and then drop the bolts in and tighten the nuts like normal?

or

- the bolt goes in from the bottom, nut on top? If so, any mods to the washers/bolts to fit this way and how do you secure the nut to tighten (I don't recall seeing much space available for a socket in there....)


Thanks

I think he means to not have them hanging down while you move the subframe up into position.

I have done this job solo (though on a lift and with a trans jack) and i left the diff attatched to the subframe. I just used a ratchet strap to hold the subframe steady on the jack.

[jlevie]

I'll be doing this work soon - Jim, can you elaborate a bit on this?

Are you saying
-pull the bolts out of the chassis, position the subframe in place and then drop the bolts in and tighten the nuts like normal?

or

- the bolt goes in from the bottom, nut on top? If so, any mods to the washers/bolts to fit this way and how do you secure the nut to tighten (I don't recall seeing much space available for a socket in there....)

The subframe bolts have the nuts on the bottom and the splined head of the bolt drives in from the top. Once you take off the nuts, use a sledge to drive the bolt up and out of it's seat and pull the bolts. When installing the subframe the sleeves of the bushings will index the subframe to the car. Then drop the bolts back in, rotate them until you feel the splines engage, and drive them home.

If you don't drive the bolts up you have to have the subframe almost perfectly aligned as you lift it ~4" into place as the bolts are pretty close fit in the sleeves. With the bolts out of the way the alignment isn't as critical and it is only the last 3/4-1" of lift that matters.

[NigelStu]

^
Excellent, its option 1 as I was hoping. That makes perfect sense to me after taking the subframe off the car.

[Heysüß]

so... what's a good price for a subframe cross member? looking around the area to replace my broken one.

[mrphantuan]

Yerp, just way easier to lie on your back and lift the subframe towards the car and getting the bolts into the holes.

Once you have the nuts threaded on, you're golden.

That shit was a total pain with 9mm poly sub bushings. Had to juggle 5 things and thread the bolt.







____________________________
Du hoc| Hoc bong du hoc|Du hoc singapore|tu van du hoc

[rpob5t]

I'm probably in the minority but I install with the dif installed, I just take the extra time to pull the DS. Every time I've pulled a diff I've had "fun" trying to get the DS flange on the diff, while lining up the bolts in the SF, the extra time pulling the DS saves me the aggravation lining everything up.

on an semi-related note, I really like the stud and nut idea the Lee uses with his SF relocation kits, its one of those really simple ideas that I'm surprised I didn't think on sooner...

[GDA]

Installed it this past weekend by myself with everything bolted up to the subframe.

Balanced it on a HD furniture dolly and then used two jacks to just lift it up. Took about 45 minutes and a good 10 to 15 minutes was spent getting the parking brakes reinstalled and snugged up to the handle.