discard them!

dont reuse any of those disc..

the spl bushings have 4 identical front ear bushings that fit top and bottom of each ear...bolt goes through them and reinstall diff...done and done..

-J

 

sweet, thanks a bunch. oh and btw that diff is F-king heavy when ur lying on ur back...not fun reinstalling

 

So for those who would like to know what the torque specs are for the differential and the rear drive shaft here is a page from the service manual.

 

Just got my solid bushings installed. It took the shop 6 hours. The rear subframe bushing is very hard to get out. I picked up some SPL like bushings on ebay for $100, about 1/2 of SPL. They worked out perfectly and even came with the removal tool. It does not feel or sound any different but at least I know they will never fail. The Nissan design is pretty crappy. The dealer wont even change them, they want to sell you a new subframe with the bushing in it. $$$$$

 

I just did this and getting the nut off of the differential in the bushing was a mega *****. I think mine was hand torqued by god himself. I ended up breaking 2 sockets and when I put on a double walled socket it stripped the nut. Long story short I had to drop the subframe and destroy the bushing. Then had to cut the metal collar and hammer a 16 on it a couple of times.

 

6 hours??? why didn't you have them the install liked mentioned in this post, post 12 update???..or did you just now see this thread?

I have this job down to 1.5 hours with all the right basic tools.

-J

 

Yea, I printed this link up and gave it to them. They did it the same way, but I guess not having all the right tools maybe slowed them down. They spent most of the time trying to beat out the old bushings. I am happy that it is done. Now for the twin turbo install. Thank you Jason for all the good info!

 

^

 

I changed the shock absorber bushings. I made a tool from a piece of pipe, differential washers, bolt and nut. It made the job really easy. I will never torch another bushing. The bad news is it didn't eliminate the wheelhop either.icon22:


Any ideas what to do next? Could bad subframe bushings cause this? Should I see some leaks if those are shot?

 

get a pry bar on the subframe near the subframe bushings and see how it moves??

they are not filled bushings.....so no leaking would be found...they are rubber..

this is where they are, 4 black circular bushings at each end:

bushings shown are the whiteline ones.

-J

 

^Thanks for the tip. I'll have to try that. If I must drop the subframe there is no way I'm changing those before the lsd and 4.08 install, so it may take a while.

 

Did mine last weekend. I drilled out the rear one and cut the race and used a small flat head. Thanks for the info on this it makes a huge difference. I also have the central 20 subframe collars that made a huge improvment in the rear end as well.

 

^ awesome...glad it went well

-J

 

Fantastic write up!

however, i have read a few of these so far and i have yet to get a clear answer on whether or not the install of these solid bushings produces any audible noise/whine?

i have the SPL solid diff and subframe bushings on my S14 (bought it like that) and the whine is ridiculous. the noise climbs with speed and it is really annoying for a DD. it sounds almost like your diff when you have a mismatched ring and pinion gear or incorrect backlash. my guess is that it's the subframe bushings that are contributing to the vast majority of the noise, but id like to be sure that this is not the case with just installing these Z33 solid diff bushings.

 

I just got mine done on Monday. Reading this article helped a bit, but I went my own way because of the tools I had and ease of use. I spent 5 hours total(somehow) with a hack saw cutting a quarter of the oem bushing out. Then pressed the rest with a c-clamp. I never dropped the subframe as I didn't feel comfortable doing it and I didn't see a way I could get a sawzall in there.

Grabbed my SPL bushing from the freezer, sprayed the race with WD-40, and then tried using a piece of wood between the bushing and the hammer. That didn't work so I went ape-**** on the bushing itself and my rear end is now in It took maybe 30 seconds total just hammering it in a circle to make sure it went in straight.

 

Just wanted to share my experience.

I didn't drop the sub frame, I chose to do it the slow and painful way. It took a total of 6 hours for me. That includes 4 round trips to home depot and lowes.

Cutting out the old bushing worked great but it got real messy. I had to put down some cardboard.

I went through 7 jig saw blades, only because the jig saw wasn't design to cut at the angles that were necessary. So, don't use a jig saw.

To help pull the solid bushings in, I used a piece of thick wood w/ a 1/2" hole drilled through the middle, washers from diff ears, (4" 5" 6") 1/2" grade 8 bolt + a handful of grade 8 washers.

Anyways, Can't wait to see how bad the whine is.

Thanks for the DIY. I couldn't have done this without you guys.

 

^ cool congrats...

-J

 

I didn't install these myself so I can't comment on that, but I will say that the before and after with these SPL diff bushings is one of the more noticeable upgrades to the Z. NVH increases a ton so if its your daily driver I probably wouldn't recommend it, but the car is much more predictable now. I would almost recommend these over a set of coilovers if you're on a budget and plan to track your car.

 

Tho I don't have the SPL bushings, I boughe Energy Suspension urethane ones.
Install was a bit of a pita lol. I went to Home Depot and bought an 8" bolt, couple washers, and a couple brackets over in the lumber section. I did Jasonzyas method for removal but since the diff bushing is flexible I could'nt just wack it with a hammer and be done. Took a little coaxing and a couple hours but it's in.
Wondering if I installed the ear bushings right. Does anyone know? I couldn't really get the holes to line up right with the thinner bushings on top.
Heres the bolt and brackets I bought at Home Depot and the beginning of the install


Ear bushings. At first I put the thinner bushing on the top. Couldn't get the bolt holes to line up tho.

Here's what I ended up with...are they installed right???? Anyone?

 

I just did this install this weekend along with some solid subframe bushings and OS giken LSD. I was curious how many of you have ridiculously loud whine coming from the diff on throttle. The whine varies pitch with throttle application. I can also noticeably hear every gear shift as if I had a stethoscope to the tranny.

There's also some clunking from the diff itself even though I've hear the OSG is supposed to be pretty quiet. Any ideas?