Wow, working on my car sux. A few pics.

[yozsi]

Yea, so im doing alot of work. Like replacing all rubber and steel brake lines, new fuel tank, subframe bushings, new exhaust, trailing arm bushings, springs, and shocks/struts.

Mega 4X4 E30 with Ultra CAMBAR!!!! FTW!!!!111!




Rusty ass exhaust:



Rusty ass gas tank:


Sub frame pics:







Working on the ground really sux, and the rust on my car is a total drag. anywho.... whats the best way to remove the center of the subframe bushes that are stuck to the bottom of the body?

[peterz]

That's a lot of rust.

[Eric Giles]

Ugh-that brings back memories of two weeks ago...not a fun job, so I know what you are going through. I have done this job on three different E30's, and on one of them the top of one of the subframe bushings broke off in the body of the car like yours did. Your going to have to get an air chisel (or something similar) and chip away at what is left in the body. I know it sucks to hear it, but that is all you can do. You might even take a Dremel tool/die grinder with the right kind of tip and grind most of it away, but chiseling it out is probably the best way. You will wind up scarring the metal in the hole of the body, so spray paint that area to help keep rust way. Also, when you reinstall the subframe, coat the top of the new bushings with anti-sieze so you won't have this issue again.

You did not mention replacing the differential mount-I would do that too, then you really have all of the bushings taken care of. Are you using stock rubber bushing replacements? And yeah, your car does have some cancer. I would try to take care of as much of that as possible while you can.

[Mike325]

Your in Cali too. How did you get that much rust? Looks good though. You will be happy with the results.

[moatilliatta]

can you hammer the sfb from the top?

[rede30]

Yea that looks like one of those "not fun" jobs. I just had to pull my diff and soft brake lines under the diff and it was a bitch and there was only a tinny bit of rust on the bolts. Good luck i bet it will feel damn good when its done.

[Digitalwave]

Your in Cali too. How did you get that much rust? Looks good though. You will be happy with the results.

There is lots of rust on the coast too. I have some from living less than a mile away from the beach.

The diff bushing rarely needs replacing. I've personally never seen a broken or severly worn diff bushing before, and the urethane ones are said to be very harsh.

[1991 318is]

Pieces.

There is a ridge in the body opening where the bolt for the bushings sits. You need a punch smaller than the opening but larger than the bushing. Put it in the hole from the top and knock them out with a hammer. I used a short piece of all thread (6-8") with a nult on it. There were still some small pieces that stayed stuck to the body. For those you get to have even bigger fun with a small chisel. I also took an old flat screwdriver and used it for the little pieces.
One-word: Anti-Sieze.

[yozsi]

nope, im in indiana! lol, car came from maine.

[Dave]

dude, its ready for the boneyard. that is a lot of rust. And I have a car that came from up East!

[Eric Giles]

The diff bushing rarely needs replacing. I've personally never seen a broken or severly worn diff bushing before, and the urethane ones are said to be very harsh.

My experience has been quite the opposite. They don't actually have to be broken or severly worn to cause driveline noises and other issues. That one bushing actually carries a good bit of the load and movement of the rear subframe, and small cracks and splits can cause a good bit of unwanted movement. Considering the condition of the underside of his car, I would imagine the rubber on his diff bushing has probably seen better days.

Regardless, it is actually very easy to have replaced and inexpensive to boot. No reason not to have this done since everything is out, and considering the amount of effort is being put into replacing everything else.

[yozsi]

dude, its ready for the boneyard. that is a lot of rust. And I have a car that came from up East!

not really, even if it is i got it for 500 bucks. not that much of a loss.

[moatilliatta]

wheres portage?

[yozsi]

wheres portage?

North West Indiana.

[e30 gangsta]

There is lots of rust on the coast too. I have some from living less than a mile away from the beach.

The diff bushing rarely needs replacing. I've personally never seen a broken or severly worn diff bushing before, and the urethane ones are said to be very harsh.

You shoulda seen mine. As soon as i dropped the diff it broke into a bunch of peices.