The 4 bolts WILL break loose. Along with in gear, make sure the eBrakes up.

Why do you feel they'll strip?
(Note- I can't see pictures at work)

 

the first time I did mine I thought the same thing and infact went out and bought 2 brand new wrenches and a skinny 6 point socket to do the job without stripping them because they were so tight. man I know where you're comming from.
if you have good tools they will crack loose before they strip, they're just really tight

 

I picked up a 6pt wrench today, and even with my breaker bar, and with the ebrake on I can't break the things free. I'm still able to overcome the resistance in the drive train, and turn the driveshaft. It's getting to a point where I'm wondering if it would make more sense just to split the bolts/cut them off with a dremel and just buy new nuts and bolts.

 

Finally broke it free. I couldn't jack my car up high enough to use the breaker bar successfully; there was so much slop between the wrench and a 14 mm allen key on the breaker bar in the open ended side of the wrench that once the driveshaft was tensioned I ran out of any more angle.

With a lot of brute force, the wrench and a shorter ratcheting wrench i was able to finally break the bolts free.

I'll be starting on the subframe tonight.

 

Well, got the subframe and gas tank out. A word of advice: Even when you think you've drained all of the fuel from your tank, there's still at least 5 more gallons. Aaaand, I never want to do this again. No pictures of the gas tank, but imagine a big plastic thing with lots of rubber hoses molded to the shape of the S14's rear seats. Pictures:

Subframe out

Did a hover car swap/weight savings

Only the struts remain

And, a closer view of the subframe

 

Might as well burn out your bushings and replace em as long as the subframe's out

 

^^ stellar plan^^ the wise have spoken lol
ya thats about $150 for the whole car package and the subframe is out ... no time like the present.

 

Good News: Got a local dealer to match (BEAT!) Courtesy Nissan's price for a new gas tank so I just ordered that today for $355. Unfortunately, in trying to remove all the hoses and drop the tank we managed to snap off one of the nipples on some evap. emissions piece (Fuel check valve), so that was another $13.

I don't have a sawzall, and I don't think the neighbors would be too happy with me burning that stuff out in my driveway. Are there no other options for pressing out the old bushings and liner? It really doesn't look like a fun job. Also, the lack of air tools makes it sound even less fun.

In addition I think solid aluminum bushings would be a bit too harsh for a daily driver.

I did a little reading, but I never saw a clear answer. Does anyone make a polyurethane replacement bushing for the rear? It seems like I've heard that Energy Suspension only made spacers for the rear bushings, and that there was a full replacement for the Z32 rear subframe, but they didn't fit perfectly.

In short, how much do I really want to do this? (No air tools either.) I'd like to hear from people who have actually replaced their bushings before I start taking the internet's advice.

 

Ok, it appares that my front subframe bushings are cracked but not the rears. The deal is, I'm absolutely opposed to removing the bushings via burning. Are there any tools out there that you could use to push/pull the old bushing out or otherwise just drill it out?

Alternatively, if I plan on selling the car in maybe a year, can I get away with using SPL's subframe collars? The shop's local so getting parts from them would be the most convenient.

 

A quick update on what I've done.

I got in a new OEM gas tank from a local Austin Nissan dealership, and I got the parts guy to match Courtesy Nissan's price. So, $355 for a new tank. Unfortunately, in removing the tank we snapped the fuel vapor check valve into two pieces, and allegedly this isn't something that Nissan stocks in their Tennessee warehouse. So, that's now on a slow boat from Japan.

So, as I think I already mentioned. The front two bushings were tearing, and the back two looked to be in fairly good condition. I don't feel like I have the time or tools to try and cut out the old bushings and I knew there had to be another option. After recalling people filling their motor and tranny mounts with 3M Window-Weld (also known as Super Fast Urethane), I opted for that approach with my bushings. I simply filled in the two gaps on each bushing that should keep them from flexing as much, and hopefully prevent tearing. I also picked up the SPL Subframe Collars and while the urethane was still moldable I stamped the shape of the collar into it so that there would be a better fit. I look forward to the results.

Lastly, my stock exhaust was cracked after the second resonator so I ordered a new catback. Specifically, I got the Megan Type 2 Black because it was the closest to stock I could find. Unfortunately, it looks like the muffler is basically a straight pipe with a little bit of perforation. Hopefully it doesn't sound terrible. If this car had a KA-T it would be a non-issue.

Anyway, here are some photos:

Passenger side, front bushing:

Driver side, front bushing:

Driver side, rear bushing:

Passenger side, rear bushing:

 

You'll have to let us know how that turns out for ya.

 

Look familiar?

How far back did the crack actually go?

Any pics of the cracked tank at all? :idea:

 

Gas Tank

Why wasn't using a epoxy repair product a option?

 

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