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blackbooty
Sunday 26th March 2006, 11:36
Hi everyone, in preperation for an upcoming rebuild , i thought id read up on changing a sub-frame but ive not been able to find any info in haynes or on this forum.
Any links , tips or advice would be welcomed.
Also , would anyone happen to know if a steering rack would need replacing if the vehicle had hit kerbs (nearside and offside)at 70 ish , with enough force to snap a lower wishbone ?

fireclown
Sunday 26th March 2006, 11:41
hi if its snapped a wishbone and bent the subframe. i would be haveing a seriarse look at a lot of stuff m8.

blackbooty
Sunday 26th March 2006, 11:46
hi if its snapped a wishbone and bent the subframe. i would be haveing a seriarse look at a lot of stuff m8.
hi fireclown, can you elaberate a little ?
i have a identical doner vehicle parked next to her.
wayne

theravedaddy
Wednesday 29th March 2006, 19:27
AHA! i should be able to advise you on this as ive just spent 4 DAYS changing the subframe on an 850 T5 estate! well,i did the rear oil seal and the clutch too,oh and replaced the front shocks and fitted rear springs.
all in all it wasnt a nice job but ive got a tidy lowered T5 for a grand.
1 jack the car up and put stands under the subframe below the wishbones.
2 remove the plates on the rear 2 subframe bolts and re locate the axle stands to where the plates fit (using a piece of wood to spread the weight)
3 unbolt all the steering rack nuts and the bottom anti-roll links
unbolt the trackrod ends-a sharp tap on the mounting bracket will pop them out of their tapers
4 remove the bottom arm securing bolt and tap the wishbone down to release them from the balljoints
5support the engine( a crane would be nice but i had to jack the engine up under the sump)drop the subframe down and unbolt the evap canister.the anti roll bar is easier to unbolt when the back of the frame is hanging down
its easier if you raise the rear of the car too, so the frame comes down level and not tilted.
bung it all back together in reverse order
its as easy as that! (except ive got a loud bearing noise now............fecking ebay bargins!!!!!) PM me if you get stuck!

theravedaddy
Wednesday 29th March 2006, 19:32
...........i forgot,theres 2 10mm bolts on the front edge of the subframe. 1 holds the wiring harness (below the aircon pump) and the other is directly below the battery tray and secures the earth strap.........

arbee
Wednesday 29th March 2006, 20:02
blimey, not a job I'd fancy DIYing, but a useful post all the same :)

theravedaddy
Wednesday 29th March 2006, 23:19
its not a job ill be repeating,believe! i had to drill and bolt a 4" plate to the front edge of the broken wishbone so i could drive it into the workshop,id post the pics for you all to laugh at but i cant shrink them at the mo.....pc is stuffed.

blackbooty
Saturday 1st April 2006, 20:04
its not a job ill be repeating,believe! i had to drill and bolt a 4" plate to the front edge of the broken wishbone so i could drive it into the workshop,id post the pics for you all to laugh at but i cant shrink them at the mo.....pc is stuffed.


Nice one T,R,D.
i hoped it was going to be that straight forward, i just wanted to make sure there wasnt any hidden snags or costly pitfalls that i should watch out for.
ive managed to get the R/H strut , hub n drive shaft off the doner car as a single unit which should save some time.
left side out tomorrow.