Project SC300 Road Racer: Part 30 – Sometimes You Finish Where You Should’ve Started
man lowering subframe out of car with a transmission jack
Down it comes! That was easy.

There are two other things to note here. The first thing is that we disconnected the bottom of the shocks. This is easier than trying to get into the trunk to remove the shocks from the top when the car is ten feet in the air.

The second thing is that the swaybar is disconnected from the lower control arm. It is easier to disconnect the swaybar from the control arm than trying to disconnect the swaybar from the chassis and drop it with the subframe.

Overall it really is only a dozen or so bolts to disconnect in to get the entire subframe out. Doing this on the ground, though, would’ve been miserable.

 

loaded subframe sitting on transmission jack in center of shop floor
OK, now that the subframe was out, it was time to get started on the bushing replacement!

 

close up of shiny bushing post in comparison to dirty subframe
An interesting thing to note is how clean and shiny the post under the bushing carrier is.

By the looks of it, I doubt this post has ever seen the world since the car was built. I wish the rest of the subframe was this clean. I was in a hurry, though, so I didn’t take the time to power wash the subframe. I promise it’ll get power washed and painted — someday.

 

close up of oem caged and tabbed nut on subframe
Screw you, stupid caged nut thing. We’ll deal with you later.

 

close up of an air saw on a table with other tools
This is an air saw. It will come in really handy. I promise.

A Sawzall will not cut it (pun intended). A Sawzall has a large, long, floppy blade. It tends to vibrate around and make really yucky cuts. If you just want to hack something out, a Sawzall can do the trick. If you’re going to make small precision cuts, this is the tool for the job.

Another handy tool will be an air hammer.

2 comments

  1. At this point, I’m more interested in hearing about you getting your money’s worth out of this thing than more upgrades. That’s not to say the work recently posted isn’t first class, but if it can’t run the times it’s for naught. I’m genuinely curious how fast this thing is as is.

    1. You and me both — curious how it’ll do. I got some lap times at Grid Life Road Atlanta last season and they were alright. Off the pace for NASA ST2 times but respectable considering I still didn’t even have a baseline for the car. Heck, I’m still figuring out starting tire pressure.

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