bjr

^
Nice!
What brand braces are those? I was looking at a popular one that was just one piece but yours is two.
I don't know if I would go through with a brace now or not but I like that one. Did you try driving it with the bushings and with/without the brace or just do everything at once?

F2CMaDMaXX

iTrader: (2)

Dropping the back is only really needed to remove the old one, i was planning not to, but realized it was going to be almost impossible to get the angle i needed on the saw-saw without dropping it.

I will say that, my God!!, use a jack to lower it down, otherwise it springs towards you quite violently.

djamps

iTrader: (1)

It's a sound performance brace. At first I installed just the bushings, but later realized the rear diff stud was bent from my failed ES bushings. So while it was all out again I threw on the braces. I just don't feel confident in that single stud holding everything together at the track. I can't tell any difference in noise or road feel between just the metal bushings and the bushings+brace.

bjr

Jeez. I missed this one reading through the first time. I guess I can second this
I did QuaifeLSD, 4.083 gears at the same time and solid bushings to put it all in. The second day after a couple of 5 mile trips I started driving it on the highway. Between 50-55 if I was coasting and had my foot resting on the gas to maintain speed I have gear whine (what I thought). Didn't know if I messed up rear end setup. Then I convinced myself that I needed a bearing later in the week because I heard it around 38mph in town and other times. Thought it was getting worse. So I replaced both rear bearings because I wanted to inspect the diff after break in and do the axle click TSB, etc. I guess at 180,000 miles they needed to be done once in the car's lifetime so I'm all set! But no change with new bearings. And I was one day away from replacing the left axle becuase I thought something else was worn. I'm glad I couldn't convince myself it was the axle. I have 'driven' my car on jack stands 3 times in the last 2 weeks looking for this whine. I was told by quite a few people that solid bushings only reveal noises of things that were already worn/going out. They should be pretty quiet. Once I noticed it though I was trying as hard as I could to listen for it and find it. It really is not that noticeable.
If you shift hard or dump the clutch a little during light driving (not being smooth) you will hear a clunk but that's about it. Maybe from a little lazy shifting in a parking lot etc. you'll hear some clunks. I never associated the gear whine solely on just having the bushings. I decided yesterday to just turn the radio back on and wait for whatever it was to get much worse. Maybe it won't! It really is not that noticeable at all. I was just hyper sensitive during break in. Happy to hear that's all it may be from someone else

JET MECH

iTrader: (2)

The white line instruction are F'ing wrong!! The thicker bushing goes on top..I have to switch them around now due to the top of my diff housing is hitting the black metal shroud near where the pinion flange is on the diff. I will have a pic uploaded later showing where it is hitting the shroud. Good thing i noticed now due to the differentail is just three pointed ...Thats what i get for following the instruction which are **** poor....

F2CMaDMaXX

iTrader: (2)

No... no they're not.... They're crap, but they're not incorrect.

The go on the bottom, as per the stock factory bushings, which also go on the bottom.
Make sure you installed the top-hats correctly along with everything else.

JET MECH

iTrader: (2)

So the black metal "hat" washer needs to be installed on the top with the thinner white line bushing? Also it looks like you have the thin rubber washer installed under the lower cad plated washer with the thicker bushing....So what i am stating is correct? Thank you for the insight. White Line needs to improve the installation instructions considerably....

F2CMaDMaXX

iTrader: (2)

Nope, i setup the new bushings per the instructions and confirmed that it's the same order as the stock install was.

Anything not supplied in the kit was put back as stock, in the same place as stock.

It should be, from the top, top-hat - stock rubber washer - thinner whiteline bushing - thicker whiteline bushing at the bottom, as per the pic.

JET MECH

iTrader: (2)

Got it..Thank you. I have already pulled up my 350 maintenace manual to conferm...

F2CMaDMaXX

iTrader: (2)

Pics and let us know how you get on

bmyles

Although you say that you put the stock rubber washer up top, your picture clearly shows it on the bottom. I already drilled out/destroyed my old bushings, but if my memory serves me correctly, the washer DOES go on the bottom. Only the metal top hats go on top. If you put the top hat AND the rubber washer both on top, then you would nothing to insulate the lower bushing from the metal plate.

F2CMaDMaXX

iTrader: (2)

Hmm

It certainly looks that way.... Could have sworn there was something under the tophat as well though :/

bmyles

I just finished the install 10 min ago. There is nothing else to put under the top hat. So I have a predicament: I attempted to torque all the bushings down to factory setting. The rear bushing torqued down fine because it's metal-metal. When I went to do the ear bushings, the bolt just kept turning, not building much resistance (no, threads are *definitely* not stripped because I started both bolts by hand and made sure to get a clean thread before using a wrench). I didn't want to break anything so I stopped tightening. I noticed that the bushings started smooshing a lot, which didn't look right to me at all. I backed off the bolts until it felt tight by hand without a huge torque wrench.

The bushings are less smooshed now, looks closer to your picture and Whiteline's picture. I understand that poly doesn't torque down the same as stock bushings, but I don't like how they never had that solid, tight, clamped feeling. It's tight, but just "mushy" tight, if that makes sense. Just trying not to have my diff fall off while going down the road.

F2CMaDMaXX

iTrader: (2)

Hmm, interesting, you've given me a thought.

Mine are torqued down, they did go solid in the end, i think maybe based on the little metal pole inside the new bushings. However, mine never squished anymore than you see in the pic.

You did insert the tubes, right?

bmyles

Yes, the metal sleeves are in there. I have it in the exact order it should be.

Top hat
Thin bushing
Thick bushing
Rubber washer
Metal plate

What did you torque them down to? 75 ft-lbs or thereabouts?

edit: Just had a thought. I'm looking in the service manual and it almost looks like the top hats have the tapered end toward the bushing? I could have sworn when I lowered the diff, the tapered end was toward the subframe....maybe I should try flipping them and see what happens. Should be able to do that without taking anything else off of the car.

F2CMaDMaXX

iTrader: (2)

I don't recall as it was several months ago now, but i followed the service manual specs.

At first i agreed with you on the top-hat position, now it's been so long, and even looking back through my pictures, i can't find which way up it was/is. I DO remember putting it back as it came off.

The service manual doesn't state any direction, but i agree with you that it looks to be that way round. I just don't know which one i remember now.

bmyles

It makes more sense for the tapered part of the top hat to be toward the subframe because it is more or less the shape of the bushing. I am really confused why its not torquing down. I might take it for a drive as-is and see if it loosens. I have blue loctite on the bolts, so we will see. Not going to fall off from a few easy test miles.

bmyles

Looks like I just had to take a breather and re-attack. I loosened the rear bushing, loosened the ear bushings, then tried retorquing. I think I was hesitant my first time because I was afraid of snapping the bolt or stripping threads.

F2CMaDMaXX

iTrader: (2)

Sweet, it's all fastened up now, tophats the same way?

bmyles

Indeed. You have to admit that torquing down semi-soft poly has a weird feeling. It almost feels like the bolt is stripping, but you just need to keep going and trust in your torque wrench, heh. I've also had a lot of bad car luck in my life, so whenever something doesn't feel right, I tend to back off.