Winter 08 build: The track package

[mRodiek]

^ ^Tight pic, and looks like your enjoying taking over your entire garage lol

[Bumnah]

HAHAHA Sub frame candles.

Take over the garage? I only bought a house so I could have a garage.

[Uberck]

that last pic makes me wish i had a garage s*** even a driveway

[Bumnah]

Everyone has their beginnings.

[MastaYu]

i like your work space

[mRodiek]

HAHAHA Sub frame candles.

Take over the garage? I only bought a house so I could have a garage.

lol People laugh at me when I say Id rather have a large garage and small house than vice versa

[Bumnah]

Updates are going to come more frequently as I'm going to dedicate almost every free minute I have to getting this thing done. Last of the big purchases were made a few weeks ago. Just waiting on them to show up. My goal is to have it done by May 8th-9th weekend. Hopefully have it aligned a few days after that.

Stripped the sub frame of the diff and arms. Everything went smoothly. One of the alignment bolts in the frame for the driver toe arm wasn't wanting to listen. A little PB blaster, fire, and my IR 2135 impact gun made it listen.

Then I baptized the frame with FIRE! (Sorry listening to an old Oakenfold Emix).

Since I live in a pretty conservative neighborhood and my car hobby makes me a bit of the black sheep, I only focused on the front bushings.

First half of my SPL order arrived. Arms should be here in a week or two.

I didn't order these, but perhaps Kuah was feeling generous? I'll ask him about 'em.ES steering rack bushings.

SPL outer tie rods

Z32 inner tie rods. What?! An improvement over the factory piece, and it's an OEM install? Yeah, I'll take that.

SPL spherical bushings for the Z32 uprights. These are for the shock mount. I'm waiting for SPL to make the ones for the TOE arm mount, and then I'll pick up the rest. Or maybe I'll pick up Def's set.

I sold off my Battle Version rear lower control arms. I'm going to keep my OEM rear lower arms, and put in poly bushings, and a new ball joint. I'd rather keep it simple for the time being. Hope you enjoy the arms McCoy.

More pix here as always.

[mattblancarte]

Whenever I read this thread, I always think to myself that you must have no idea what you're doing. :P

[SolaraOnBronze]

The garage/subframe pic looks like my house a couple of weeks ago :lol: Love the build bro, amazing taste in parts as always- hoping to be on the road at the same time you are. Keep it up!

EDIT: I just got SPL aluminum subframe bushings last week and had to wait for them to make more as well... great product and great customer service though.

[Bumnah]

Yeah SPL has been spot on with customer service. Quality parts, quality service.

I hope to have the aluminum bushings in this week. Then it's getting the sub frame ready.

[Bumnah]

Minor update:

Bushings burnt out

Bearings pressed in.

Out of town today and maybe tomorrow. Next up is cutting the sleeve around the old bushings, and pulling them out.

Putting in the new bushings should be relatively painless.
Modified by Bumnah at 5:02 PM 4/10/2009

[mattblancarte]

I hope I never have to deal with bushings...

[Bumnah]

I hope I never have to deal with bushings...

Afraid you'll break a nail Matt?

[White Comet]

oh snap.

those uprights look awesome btw

[mattblancarte]

Afraid you'll break a nail Matt?

Exaaaactly. I'd rather be driving than wrenching.

[White Comet]

i appreciate my driving more, after i've been wrenching.

[Bumnah]

Time to drive is coming Matt. Soon. very soon.

[mRodiek]

Afraid you'll break a nail Matt?

At first I thought you were talking to me and was like whaaa? Then I realized MattBlancarte "is a driver, not a mechanic" or something like that

i appreciate my driving more, after i've been wrenching.

I feel the same way, wrenching is a blast and then when you drive it...its bliss

[Bumnah]

Picked up a pignose lip today. $50, score.

[Bumnah]

Ultra tired all day, but I want to drive my car again.

Did some work. This is the worst part of the whole build I think.

Removed all 4 sleeves for the bushings. I can now press the aluminum sub frame bushings in.

Cleaned up the holes for the aluminum bushings.

I'm cleaning up the sub-frame right now with a wire wheel. I'm also going to remove the weights off the sub-frame. I've heard there's 8 lbs to be had by removing these weights. With the aluminum uprights, and these weights being removed, at least 20 lbs dropped from the rear of the car.

The weights I'm speaking of are highlighted in weird colors.Sawzall should make quick work of them.





More soon.

Bumnah.

[mattblancarte]

At first I thought you were talking to me and was like whaaa? Then I realized MattBlancarte "is a driver, not a mechanic" or something like that

I feel the same way, wrenching is a blast and then when you drive it...its bliss

I'll admit I'm way more into driving, but I still don't mind wrenching. I'll be building aero for my car in May/June (splitter, canards, diffuser, undertray). Should make for a good thread.

[Bumnah]

I'll admit I'm way more into driving, but I still don't mind wrenching. I'll be building aero for my car in May/June (splitter, canards, diffuser, undertray). Should make for a good thread.

Unless your car is slammed with super wide rims and then stretched tires. It won't make for a good thread.

[Didderson]

Bumnah I'm really glad I read the update on your thread man. I've always wondered about those weights and if they were necessary. Have you done research on them or gotten advice from pro's on their use?I would assume they're useless for the most part, other than adding weight to the rear of the car to help the front and rear factory weight bias. Being that we have hatchbacks this is of little concern (more weight in the rear already).

I have another subframe that I'll be working on just as you are, with the PBM subframe risers, poly bushings and now cutting off those weights, so I also wanted to thank you for being the pioneer and or doing the research required to realize the weight savings on those apparently useless weights! Great thread, I have to subscribe and catch up. <also jealous of the garage haha. GG man

[Bumnah]

I was going to buy a reinforced frame from Brian @ MA-Motorsports. I wasn't sure if I needed it, and I couldn't justify the added expense. So I called up Bill Washburn @ DSG (met him @ GT Live in 2005) and asked for his opinion on the sub frame.

Bill suggested I pass on the modified sub frame stating it wasn't needed for my application. He also turned me onto the weights on the sub frame, and told me there was 8 - 10 lbs to be had by removing the weights. That's where I got the idea from.

After taking the bushings out I located the weights, and verified with him and some other people, and they all suggested ditching them. The weights are there for vibration cancellation, but it's a mute point in my setup.

If you're going to go as far as swapping sub frames and removing weights off the sub frame, you may as well get the SPL aluminum bushings. Getting the spacers is pointless. The spacers are for people not wanting to drop the sub frame but just wanting to lower the sub frame enough to slide the spacers in.

Also I don't know how "pioneering" I am by removing the weights, it seems to be common practice among a lot of people.

[White Comet]

If you're going to go as far as swapping sub frames and removing weights off the sub frame, you may as well get the SPL aluminum bushings. Getting the spacers is pointless. The spacers are for people not wanting to drop the sub frame but just wanting to lower the sub frame enough to slide the spacers in.

pbm risers aren't spacers

[SolaraOnBronze]

I didnt know about removing the weights, that is cool... wish I would have seen this a week ago, lol. Nice progress!

[mattblancarte]

Unless your car is slammed with super wide rims and then stretched tires. It won't make for a good thread.

Hehe that is my master plan. JDM drift 180sx.

Nah, wide as possible tires for moar grip!
Modified by mattblancarte at 12:16 PM 4/13/2009

[Bumnah]

pbm risers aren't spacers

Looking around PBM's site, I don't see anything that is a "riser".

Link for more information please.

[Bumnah]

Oh. Never mind. I see the information now.

Eh. I'll never be that low.

[mrgreeneyes]

Oh. Never mind. I see the information now.

Eh. I'll never be that low.

ahahaha, i will...

besides, any correction in geometry is better than no correction.

not trying to go against your grain, as this thread is the cat's meow, but i can't see the PSM subframe risers as a bad thing in any way