FML - Today was nothing fits on my car day.

[Geno]

I usually have limitless patience for my car, but today its been pushed further than I'd like. I was honestly considering parting it out today and just walking away from it. However, both problems likely have simple solutions.

First, I began installing my spherical bearings into the z32 aluminum uprights. Everything was moving along smoothly until it came time to install the bearing for the toe arm's mount. Lined up the bearing into the hole, let it go to grab my tools and it fell through the ****ing hole and hit the ground. Turns out I have HICAS uprights, and the knuckles bearing cup is about .005 larger than the bearing. Awesome. Now do I buy Kuah's Hicas bearings, or epoxy the ones I have in? removing the ones I installed is out of the question, as I don't want to **** them up. I end up deciding to come back to it later.

So I begin the next project, S14 conversion bushing install. Should be easy to install them right? It is, installing them required cleaning the cups, a few blocks of wood, some string, and a hammer. I got the grooves in the SPL conversion bushings DEAD ON. This is where the fun begins. The subframe will not fit onto the car. I'm still confused as to why. So I measure the posts on the car, they are 42.25" apart in the front from the middle of each post, and the rears are 23.75" apart. Now here is the interesting part. Measuring from the inside of each hole on the S14 subframe and I get 41.50" in the front, and the rears are 23.70" apart.

So Thinking something is wrong with the front bushings I press them back out and see how the subframe fits without the front bushings and just the rears installed. Its almost like the damn thing is physically too short to reach the empty bearing cups in the front with the bearings installed correctly in the rear.

The only thing I can conclude is there are three possible issues, which I've listed in order of probability.

1. I suck, and can't install bushings correctly
2. I have something that is not an S14 subframe (J30 maybe? It has the two bolt rear diff mount, not the 4 bolt the S13 has)
3. My car is somehow different.

To rule out the first one, would anyone with a S14 subframe measure the distance from the inside bearing cups. I'm getting 21.5" for the front and 39.25" in the rear. I was too tired to think of the obvious and measure my cars original frame which I'll do tomorrow.

So yea, FML. 12 hours of work with 0 success is AWESOME.

[Def]

That sucks on the HICAS uprights. But have no fear, your solution is some interesting chemistry from the Henkel corporation.

http://www.henkelna.com/cps/rde/xchg/henkel_us/hs.xsl/full-product-list-7932.htm?iname=Loctite%C2%AE+620%E2%84%A2+Retaining+Compound&countryCode=us&BU=industrial&parentredDotUID=productfinder&redDotUID=0000000M7T

This is what I used to hold the v1 bearings in their sleeves - it works great when everything is lightly roughed up with ~60-80 grit sandpaper. THOROUGHLY cleaned with rubbing/isopropyl alcohol, then well coated and allowed to set. After 24 hrs, it's in there and it's not coming out until you heat the sleeve up to over 450 deg F.


As for your subframe - mine was a royal PITA to line up on my car. It took me a solid 2-3 hours to really get it up on all studs and somewhat level for me to start inching it up with the nuts on the subframe studs(use lube if you do this to keep friction down).

I just took a shower from working on the car, otherwise I'd get underneath it and take some quick measurements for you. But I also remember thinking things were off on mine. It was a PITA, but after getting it on halfway and kinda straight, I could then inch it up with the nuts.

As for if it's another subframe, both Z32s and J30s that use the 2 bolt rear diff cover have the funky S13 RLCA angle pointing up to the sky, so that's an easy clue. Q45 subframes are pretty damn big IIRC, and I think they also have lots of anti-squat. Not sure what other car it could be with the S14 lower arm angle and small than an S chassis.

Do the subframe studs look tweaked at all on your chassis? They're pretty long, so one being 10-15 deg out could definitely account for that ~3/4" of difference.

[Geno]

The posts seem to be in really good shape. I'm going to confirm what the subframe is now that I know S14's have 69F00 stamped on them. I will also remember to compare my S13 frame against it before I leave my workshop time.



Nothing looks tweaked.

[Geno]

So they don't have 69F00 stamped on them, as far as I can tell, but comparing the two side by side, its like you said and the LCA pickup points are VERY different. At least now I know that its not a J30/S13 subframe, and from what I've seen online, the J01W stamp on the back matches other S14 subframe images.

[2Fass240us]

I never expect bushing/bearing installation to go as quickly as I'd like. Sorry to hear you had such a frustrating work day.

[Geno]

Having had the night to sleep in it I plan to remove all the bushings from the subframe and refreeze them, then try to install them with the subframe up on the car. Should be fun!

[Def]

I would still just try to get it started then pull it up with the nuts. My SPL bushings were much larger than the subframe cups, can't imagine the force required to install them in the cups and squeeze everything together in the right location atthe same time.

[turtl631]

Def, stop talking about lube and nuts, we've all heard enough.

[2Fass240us]

I lift barbells with my nuts. And small woodland creatures.

Gaycob is correct in his solid subframe bushing installation comments, FWIW.

[Geno]

I lift barbells with my nuts. And small woodland creatures.

Gaycob is correct in his solid subframe bushing installation comments, FWIW.

I think thats more information about you nuts than I ever wanted to know. I'm going to have the subframe up agaist the car without any bearings in place via two support posts then line up the bushings to the studs poking through. That should line them up close enough so I can install it via the method Def described.

In other words, I'm going to use the car's mount points as a method to mark and orient the bushings, because just lining up the engraved lines like the directions say is simply not working.

[Tower240sx]

Problem is your BFH is 3 sizes too small,

line everything up then kick the jackstands out from under the car...that's what is says in the FSM i swear

[logr]

Not to be an ass or anything but are you sure you are putting the bushing holes to the inside of the subframe. The kickstand method would work better than bushing install with the subframe in place. If you are doing that, forget the bushings. Hold it where you want it, get a big washer and weld everything solid.

[Def]

The holes go towards the inside since the S14 rear subframe is about 10 mm wider.

[logr]

I barely had time to get my coffee and realized my misspeak but Def already had it. Damn he's fast.

[Geno]

The directions make it pretty obvious, the holes go to the inside because, like mentioned, the s14 subframe is wider. I did that and they were too close to each other for it to fit. hence my confusion. I know these cars inside and out...normally, but this made me question that knowledge. I'll figure this out tonight if every thing goes well.

I have no intention of installing them with the subframe on the car, just starting them into the cup.