Front Subframe replacement

[Stinkwheel]

From memory the rear bolts on the front subframe are just normal nuts and bolts. You need to get a spanner on them from the inside of the car. They are to be found in a sort of recess covered in tape of some sort.

See, dont listen to me, i know not what i say.

Im glad Jaba was right, makes your life much easier Tinkley

[Tinkley]

No problem Stinkwheel, I'm glad Jaba was right too. I have now dropped frame a few mm. Can't yet work out how to disconnect fr ride height corrector and rod to rear (through subframe feed). Otherwise I will assume all clips float in their connectors free of the subframe except brake Y junction one. Car is at about near normal ride height on drivers side and above full height the other, there's not a lot of room and all access is from the side only, which is slowing things down.

BTW the 18mm head bolts are longish specials with a long narrow feed to the full thread to make it easier to assemble and also to take apart as you don't lose the nut after it comes to the end of the thread. My kind of thinking, and so it should be as a designer.

Nothing so far that can't be done easily with the engine in situ, though the ride height corrector area will be v tight. Please note TB as I will forward notes to you from this little experience to help you (I hope) when you come to do the same yourself.

[Tinkley]

Rain stopped play awhile. Slowly winning, subframe dropped but is there a trick to disconnecting the bundy piping from the sort of Y joint feeding the front brakes? I've pulled pretty hard and nothings shifted. Getting them out of the flexys' was a doddle. Do I just grip it (Y junction) in a small vice/moles and reef the pipes even if I wreck them?
Had to do something a bit weird as the cars too low to disconnect height corrector underneath internal lever. Couldn't reach so slid the frame forward to get it off the rod. Not sure you could do this with engine in situ.

[citronut]

the ride height rod you disconnect the adjuster plate at the vert end of the rod,
then once the sub frame is unbolted and sitting on your trolly jack, you then need to slide the sub frame forward off of the rod,

i think i would remove a couple of the nylon support blocks back along the floor
this will allow the rod to flex downwards

regards malcolm

[Jaba]

Im glad Jaba was right, makes your life much easier Tinkley

Glad it worked out as I described. I am in France at the moment and do not have a BX to hand so that is why I was a bit equivocal.

[Tinkley]

Thanks Malcolm and Jaba. the subframe has ben removed and the wishbones from the frame. I am putting in new bushes in the offside wishbone as the car being repaired had new ones nearside last year. Should make a good pair. The frame looks in much better condition than the bent one but I think I'll put some preventer ie Waxoyl or similar into it to stop internal rusting. The large bush is out now for the 'fun' one, tried a propane torch but it didn't do much, guess its back to the 6mm wood chisel then hacksaw!. Needed doing though, about 2mm play despite rubber not too perished. One of the long bolts had rusted a fair bit the other Ø16mm pin was pretty good, definetly reusable.

Had to just put a large adjustable against Y piece and pull v hard with cloth wrapped around pipes and they did come out, with ref to hardpiping.

I wish it was on a 'floor' rather than on my driveway almost overhanging the kerb and sloping 5 degrees across and a few forward. The one to be repaired will be easier as I will be able to get it on level ground and higher. Not looking forward to trying to get offside wishbone off steering ball joint as I couldn't when doing the engine change. If necessary will change hub. My 'jacks' were blocks of wood and bricks but with careful use of lowering it slowly it was not too bad seeing what was snagging. Had to heave the height corrector a bit to allow the frame forward off the rod. I do have a hydraulic jack but the car is too low to get it under the subframe and lower it by more than about 40-50mm.

Big old spacers, those ones to the power steering rack! I also noted that the captive nuts at front end of anti roll bar are floating.... makes sense in tolerance on the assembly though. You have to either slot holes or let the captive nut slide to guarantee engagement in the real world . Winning slowly.

BTW I can see how easy it is to do the wishbones at this point and not in situ. If anyone else drops a front frame they should do them (wishbone bushes) if the bushes are old. If still in the car it makes perfect sense to cut the pivot pin and replace it.

[Tinkley]

Almost got the wrecked subframe off. One sticking point - access to the brake Y junction...
Do I just unclip it, let it float and disconnect later with frame part dropped? Looks impossible any other way.

[Tinkley]

Damaged frame removed. I want to rebuild as much as possible today (Sat 14th). Should I put in the new 'wrong' return pipe (Squid) at the same time or try and swap it for the correct one?. It's easy enough to blank the 3rd thick pipe off. Or swap for 2 pipe version if anyone has one/wants to?.
Getting in behind the ride height corrector will be a pig once reassembled. It was hard enough just getting the seized ride height 'hook' plate off...

Top tip from Malcolm in another Thread 'if/when I come across a stuck pipe union, I cut the pipe leaving a very short stub, then use a hex socket to remove the pipe nut if it will before resorting to mole/vice grips.' A1 advice, had to do this on brake Y socket. The nice 1/4" Bahco socket set has good quality sockets that are tight tolerance and they got it moving and out.

I do actually need this car on the road, as its costing me quite a few jobs without it. All responses appreciated.

[KevR]

We will see what 32psi on a new wheel does with that tyre! I think it will be OK but only because it is about 15 months old (v supple) and it was only moved a handful of meters after er deflating. I will check the sidewall v v carefully, probably swap to rear as well. Ironically I had done the pressures a few hours earlier.

It's the possibility of the sharp-edged pothole having damaged/cut the steel reinforcing inside the rubber that would concern me - had exactly that happen to a Michelin a few years ago, hit a sharp-edged pothole although without wheel damage, it looked fine but the following day it blew out spectacularly on the M25....