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Ron Stygar Carl Buckland Dale Beuning Forums Help
From digest.v5.n509 Tue Nov 5 20:17:54 1996 I just had a chance to do a rear subframe bushing replacement using the special factory tools....the hardest part was removing the knurled stud that runs down under the seat and through the bushing/mount. Hitting it with a hammer was useless...an air hammer popped them loose in about 30 seconds. The removal of the mounts requires a special Kukko puller that does not come with the special plates and threaded rods. In addition, there are 3 sets of rod & plate adapters needed to cover most of the models...1 set does the E30, another set does E28/E23/E24, and a third set does E36/E32/E34. The puller runs around $180.00 and the rod/plate kits are about $330 each. If you don't mind spending a little extra time and can cut the bushings out with a sawzall or air chisel, you can forgo the cost of the puller. However, the installation tools are worth the money as the bushings can be installed in about 30 seconds a side. These are tools that some of the car club chapters should purchase for use by their members. Chapters might want to collect a rental fee of about $25 as 2 of the components (the installation tool threaded rod and the 24mm bearing/nut assembly) will probably have to be replaced after about 10 uses. The billable shop time for this job is 7 hours (to R&R the subframe and do the replacement off the car). The job with tools takes about 20 minutes per side....doing the job yourself pays for the tools and parts in the first installation. SD Steve D'Gerolamo c/o The Ultimate Garage, Emerson, NJ (201-262-0412) |
