Technical How to dismantle subframe?

[stevesteve]

Hi Everyone,

I need to repair the boss in which the rubber stop sits as my MOT flagged it as corroded and therefore failed the car. The subframe itself is sound so I can repair the boss... but I can't get the darned thing apart!

Here is the outside view:

The only bolt visible is the long one that holds the swing arm. This seems pretty solid. It has been wire brushed and given lashings of WD40 for the night.

The inside view is more knarly (apologies for the phone photos):

The bolt holding the shock came out with no dramas.

The nut on the anti-roll bar is completely solid. My socket split rather than shifting. I have given it plenty of WD40 for the night but I am going to struggle (it is already rounding slightly). Would an impact driver help here?

Similarly the nut on the long bolt acting as the hinge pin for the swing arm seems pretty solid. Again plenty of WD40 overnight.

Any ideas about how to get this lot stripped down gratefully received.

Cheers,
Steve

 

[widemouthfrog]

Is it the little pressed steel turret inside the coil spring (with the plastic and rubber bump stop in the end of it) that you need to repair?

 

[stevesteve]

Yup that's the one. The pressed steel turret that holds the bump stop.

If I can get the swing arm and spring out of the way I can get at it.

Cheers,
Steve

 

[widemouthfrog]

You should be able to remove the spring without needing to take the swing arm bolt out. I'm trying to remember what limits the movement of the swingarm. Certainly the damper does, but you've got the bottom bolt out for that so it won't be causing the problem. If you can't get the roll bar off I think you'll also need to take the same bolt out for the damper on the other side.

There's also a rather weedy plastic retainer that holds the bottom end of the spring to the swingarm. You can pop that out from the underside of the swingarm. With those off and both damper bottom bolts removed, you should be able to push the swingarm down far enough to get the bottom end of the spring over the big lug on it. Then the spring and its' rubber seats will come away and give access to the bump stop turret.

BTW, that turret is made from a lot thinner steel than the rest of the subframe - I'd say it's no more than 2mm thick.