Right I've decided to start getting the underside of my car upto a bit more mischief potential. I started by buying a rear subframe assembly off Jaffa, all polybushed with some extras.

 

So here the assembly as it arrived, I say arrived but that makes it sound easy. Jaffa wrestled it off his car onto his trailer drive it down to sunny bournemouth from bath, and we about 6 of us in total spent the next hour hoofing around some altogether heavier, that's his story though.

 

Now I'm going to strip it down clean it up and give it a lick of pain, etc.

 

 

Started stripping it down, having some trouble with the lower arm ball joint. What's the procedure with these buggers, it just spins now. Are replacents DIY able or does it require a press etc.

Pretty sure pressed in, but very do-able-seem to remember the arms aren't available?

Or am i thinking of the front.........not much help Lol!

Good luck with the rear end overhaul. I take it you're powder-coating everything? For the love of God, do it all black, not red/yellow/green/orange/whatever. :)

Satin black, was my first thought... But I'm warming to a Matt silver actually, saw a 911 like yesterday looked very clean and tidy

My beef with silver suspension components is that silver looks like you've gone and painted it, rather than it looking clean and tidy. Manufacturers don't paint their suspension components silver. Just a thought.

 

Silver is neutral however so won't look garish and cheap like having it a 'colour' if that makes sense.

 

First thing I did before I fitted my KYB adjustables was strip off the yellow and paint them satin black. Which wisecrack thought that yellow was an awesome colour for suspension components is beyond me.

The driftworks stuff is orange, orange...

Dunno Si this 911 was spankers, no one had taken it apart to paint it. It was actually likely aluminium :)

Conceptua tuning do the rear ball joints mate.

only available as a complete arm from Nissan.-got there in the end.............

The driftworks stuff is orange, orange...

 

Yeah, worst idea EVER! If I ever buy any Driftworks stuff, it'll be going straight to the powder coaters before it goes anywhere near my car.

I notice there's a c clip on the ball joint, I'd go disconnect it but the chicken are asleep next to my tool box and I've just cracked open a carling.

Dunno Si this 911 was spankers, no one had taken it apart to paint it. It was actually likely aluminium :)

 

Aluminium? That's a whole different thing....check this out.

 

I found all ball joints as individual items and they are pressed in. A right bitch it get out too. Held in with as you said circlips.

 

If I did it again I'd get the drift works stuff with adjustable rose joints and powder coat them a less crap colour

 

Edit: don't lose the cones on the ball joints!

Edited May 14, 201411 yr by Hollings

Aluminium? That's a whole different thing....check this out.

 

 

In just guessing, modern cars tend to use more Ali don't they. If it's silver in colour it's possibly Ali. That looks nice and tidy under there Si.

I found all ball joints as individual items and they are pressed in. A right bitch it get out too. Held in with as you said circlips.

 

If I did it again I'd get the drift works stuff with adjustable rose joints and powder coat them a less crap colour

 

Edit: don't lose the cones on the ball joints!

 

 

Did you press them in yourself? How did you stop the joint turning to undo the nut?

I cut the nut off as I no longer had any weight on the joint to stop it turning because I removed it from the car. I did get one of them out with a large amount of heat, but that was the only one.

 

I used a vice and a large socket to press them in. Think it was my hub nut socket 35mm beasty.

Edited May 14, 201411 yr by Hollings

Ahh ok. Removing the drive shafts is proving to be a pain as well as I can't lock up the diff it just turns.

Talking about ball joints I've worked on cars for around 12yrs heated up hundreds of ball joints and knocked them out,

Yesterday me and a mate at work changed 2 ball joints, we heat the 1st one up and knock it out no problem,

The 2nd one we heated it up and me and my work mate thought the cutting gear bottle had gone,

 

ball joint must have had grease behind it in the socket and heating it up it went off like a bomb,

The ball part went across the work shop and it went like a bullet lol if it would of hit someone it would not have been good,

 

My mate looked at his chest and he had a big blob of bubbling grease on him...

 

I think next time I'll drill a little hole before I heat another...

 

On your ball joint can u not get drive shaft out and use an air gun, normally id use weight of the car and a jack to stop it spinning,

Edited May 14, 201411 yr by Terry

are you doing powder coat or spraying it

First thing I did before I fitted my KYB adjustables was strip off the yellow and paint them satin black. Which wisecrack thought that yellow was an awesome colour for suspension components is beyond me.

 

Your KYBs were yellow?

 

Maybe they were red, I can't actually remember!

Got the damn drive shafts unbolted from the diff at last, today. A 14mm ring spanner and a lump hammer made for a nice impact wrench haha, which broke them free, then a 14mm ratchet spanner finished the job nicely. Ive decide the leave the damn ball joints till the drive shafts are out, that way I can get free access with a 22mm socket which is much better, less slip, less likely to round nuts off etc.

Sadly one of the lower arm bolts is banna'd slightly, so that wont come out willingly. Angle grinder will soon destroy that issue though, a new polybush is less than a tenner from driftworks so no biggie.

 

Anyway im essentially down to the diff in the subframe, now nothing but one bolt holding in the passenger side lower arm. :D