DIY - Solid diff bushing install - No subframe drop method, no c clamp either!
 

EDIT: PLEASE READ POST #12 - AS I HAVE NOW DONE A QUICKER METHOD AND NO LONGER DO WHAT IS SHOWN BELOW:

This thread outlines how to remove the oem diff bushing and install a solid rear diff bushings - the removal process can be used for installing poly bushings instead of solid if you wish to not have solid rear diff bushings.
READ POLY bushing options here:
https://my350z.com/forum/8293651-post24.html


Okay, I used the draw through method!

Tools needed!

1. Big Frankensteins socket: (2.5" tall at a minimum)
https://my350z.com/forum/attachment....1&d=1280764512
Now, the big franky i just called a few local weld shops and found a shop that had a piece of 4 inch steel pipe laying around. explained over the phone and went to go pick it up. paid cash!

if you must, you can call any local steel salvage or metal wholesaler and have them cut you the pieces you need then run it over to a welder.

Also, my Big franky is only 2.75 inches TALL!! as the oem bushing is only 2.5inches long!


2. M12x1.75 - 200mm grade 12.9 metric Allen head bolts and smooth flange nut:
Now pictured I used a 8.8 grade, but they have stronger! so use it!

Edit - A correct size engine header bolt can be used as well - very strong.

https://my350z.com/forum/attachment....1&d=1280764638
As you can see, i got decreasing length bolts where the threads overlap for when you bottom out:
https://my350z.com/forum/attachment....1&d=1280927425
Also, notice that the one on the end is a 8.8 full thread, just in case i need it.

Smooth flange hardened nut:
https://my350z.com/forum/attachment....1&d=1280768865
And hardened smooth washers:
http://i232.photobucket.com/albums/e...g?t=1280768900
I found local to DFW was a company named "Metric and Multistandard"
www.metricmcc.com/
Metric & Multistandard
2200 Century Circle,
Irving, TX‎
(972) 870-1017
:Location here:

now, you can call around locally and see if you can find one, but a fully threaded metric high strength bolt is semi hard to find. I believe metric and multi will ship, but if not, let me know and i don't mind doing it for anyone if needed?

You need more than one as well!
Remember they are 12.9 grade, M12x1.75 Full threaded Allen head bolts.
I recommend one 200mm($4.15), 180mm($3.05), 170mm(3.46), 160mm($2.80) , 150mm($2.59), 120mm($1.40), 100mm($1.33) --- See you need all the way down to about 3.5 inches for reinstall!


All-thread sold at home depot is weak and only made in grade 2 for the most part, so stick with the stronger 12.9 grade bolt, plus it doesn't have a head on the end to keep from spinning. This rig was much easier with a bolt head that can be held from spinning!


3. Metal plate with hole in center:
Mine is 1/2 inch thick aluminum, but steel would work just fine:
Attachment 427948
This is used to draw the bushing in when installing the solid diff bushing.
This is how its rigged - shown with the oem bushing removed:
https://my350z.com/forum/attachment....1&d=1280766867
I recommend using the spl driver tool at the end though. more on this later.

4. Go through socket set:
Now I own this set, and it came in handy due to the length of the bolts, and their protrusion. But a deep socket would work fine, if you change out the bolts when you bottom out.
https://my350z.com/forum/attachment....1&d=1280767128
Found at Harbor Freight for cheap.

5. Allen head socket:
Due to buying a Allen head metric bolt from metric and multi-standard you will need to keep the head of the bolt from spinning, so you would best need a 10mm allen head socket:
https://my350z.com/forum/attachment....1&d=1280769759
most Z owners have this from changing their MT tranny oil/diff oil, etc

6. Ratcheting Breaker bar:
Not exactly needed, but a nice addition..as a regular breaker bar will work, but the ratcheting feature is win!
https://my350z.com/forum/attachment....1&d=1280772879
pairing a ratcheting breaker bar with the go through sockets is awesome!! makes for really easy work! you must use a breaker bar, as a lot of strength and force is needed and nothing short of an 18 inch breaker bar is recommended.

EDIT:
DIY on G35 SEDAN - has spare tire wheel well that hangs down and may be in the way
https://my350z.com/forum/engine-driv...-bushings.html



-J

Rig set up
 

This is a quick diagram showing the rig set up.
https://my350z.com/forum/attachment....1&d=1280767828

This is the SPL driver tool (LEFT) that is supplied when you buy the SPL solid diff bushings. You will notice in the pictures i used the diff plates (RIGHT) from the bottom of the diff front ears, but trust me use the SPL driver tool as its much stronger!
https://my350z.com/forum/attachment....1&d=1280767848
Diff ear plates:
https://my350z.com/forum/attachment....1&d=1280768005

Again, much better to use the SPL Tool!


-J

Diff dropped and rig set up!
 

Here is the big frank, bolt and rig all set up with a 18 inch ratcheting breaker bar:
Attachment 427951
As you can see, the 4 inch inner diameter Big franky socket fits over the subframe hole perfectly:
Attachment 427952

HERE you can start to see the bushing being pulled through:
Attachment 427953

Another pic of the bushing pulling through and breaker bar:
https://my350z.com/forum/attachment....1&d=1280769265

Now, here you can see that i had a goose neck 19mm wrench holding the bolt from spinning:
http://i232.photobucket.com/albums/e...g?t=1280769584

With an allen head bolt you can simply use an Allen head socket on the end of a ratchet:
like this:
https://my350z.com/forum/attachment....1&d=1280769759

We have the car jacked up as high as possible in the rear to give us all the room we need. Ensure the car is supported well and jacks are used as back up because cranking on the breaker bar really gets things moving!

Stop and switch to a shorter bolt
 

Here you can see that its a good time to stop cranking and step down to a 180mm or 170mm bolt as the first bolt will be super hot and you dont want it to snap!
Attachment 427954

We snapped one bolt thinking we could continue! thats why i recommend purchasing the stronger 12.9 grade bolts and purchasing so many so you can stop and switch out regularly!

NOTE:
you can drill out the bushing and actually even saw saw out all the rubber center prior if you want...that may help relieve the hoop stress on it and allow for the rig to work easier.

-J

Install solid bushing once oem is out!
 

NOW REVIEW THE INSTALL DIAGRAM AND LOOK BELOW AT THE RIG TO REINSTALL.

Review lower section of diagram for INSTALL:
https://my350z.com/forum/attachments...ng-install.jpg

Note once again, this is only showing how its done using the oem bushing and a simple bolt i had laying around:
https://my350z.com/forum/attachments...te-install.jpg
Also, its good to put a press plate on the square plate side so that it holds the plate centered on the aluminum subframe hole!

-J

Freezing the bushing!
 

Now, i talked to Kual at SPL Parts because the first thing i noticed was that the SPL bushings were different, not just in color but in fabriction aspects as well.

I noticed a significant taper at the driving end and decided to call and talk to Kual about it.

Well it turns out the overall dimensions and press fit were redone and now the bushing is much easier to install with its new press fit dimensions.

Notice the new SPL diff bushings:
Taper on end:
https://my350z.com/forum/attachment....1&d=1280770716
https://my350z.com/forum/attachments...r-034624ed.jpg

So, trust me!!! stick this thing in the freezer! I put ours in a zip lock bag and then i put it in the ice cube tray letting the ice maker drop cubes on it!!! LOL..

Wearing gloves - its cold!!! - With the new significant taper you can easily put the bushing in the hole from the back of the car side and hammer on it to line it up. you can attach the driver to the end if you wish with a short bolt and hammer on the driver.

Then you can set up the rig and pull it through quickly!

-J

What we did!!! Lol!!
 

Okay, our reinstall literally took 10 seconds!!!! :icon9:

NO lie! this is what we did!

We sprayed the hell out of the subframe hole with Brakekleen or PB blaster:
https://my350z.com/forum/attachment....1&d=1280770999
https://my350z.com/forum/attachment....1&d=1280771213
This acted as a lubricant and will evaporate away and be just fine!

We sprayed all in here:
https://my350z.com/forum/attachment....1&d=1280771600


From there, we got a long pipe and a big hammer - used the steel pipe i had from a heavy duty truck jack and got the big hammer ready!!

I ran outside with the frozen bushing and ACIDJAKE75 tapped it with the hammer and put it in place!

Now, imagine that the rear of the car is up in the air ONLY, so its literally a straight shot with the metal pipe on the bushing and Nexx hammered from the pipe end and the bushing was in 10 seconds flat!!!

:icon21::icon21::icon21:
:bowrofl::bowrofl::bowrofl:
:eek::eek::eek:

We let the bushing get warm as we were working in TX heat and later we were able to torque the diff stud down to spec and no movement at all! lube we used evaporated and was no visual sign of it anywhere!


I attribute the freezing method working better for us than it has for others that have posted about this method because of the dimensional tolerances i discussed with SPL and the use of lube.

-J

Ear bushing removal!
 

We did the hammer method: took 2 minutes tops! Thanks to Acidjake75 and his BFH!

Hammer method:
Attachment 427955
Call a local steel yard and get a 1-7/8" solid piece of steel about 2 to 3 inches long and use that to pound down on the diff ears.........

Acidjake75 used the little frank socket from the Translink bushing HOW to i made for him, but you can easily have used a large socket thats sized to fit the diff ears!

NOTE:
One side the metal sleeve flares inward and is easy to do, the other side is a thin race, and requires either the 1-7/8" piece of steel or a perfectly sized socket to sit on the race.

PRESS METHOD:
One bushing had silicone liquid in there and when it popped it was JUICY! You can see the liquid all over the floor and on my press..:icon17:
Attachment 427956
To do the press method, i just got a razor blade and started slicing at the bushing to help initiate tear......the press then ripped it out with ease.

Saw Zaw METHOD:
The saw zaw cutting of the "race" is easy as well. It comes right out - it was WAY easier that I had thought - :flex:
Attachment 427957

you can use needle nose pliers once it comes loose and comes RIGHT out.:werd:
Attachment 427958

Ready for the new goodness
Attachment 427959
LOL at diff on jackstands....

From here, you just easily hammer the SPL diff bushings into the diff ears. Its not super hard, but takes a few normal whacks!

Also note,
That the diff has a breather hose on top!!! in order to put the SPL diff ears on, you need to flip the diff upside down! Its best to cap up the breather hose hole or reattach the rubber line and fold it in half and zip tie it so no diff fluid leaks out!!! -- get it??

-J

Now reinstall the diff in the car!
 

Here is the SPL diff bushing installed and done!

https://my350z.com/forum/attachment....1&d=1280772159
Notice the hits on the face of it where we didnt use the SPL drive to pound on. we simply put the 4 foot jack pole right up to it and banged away! LOL...
https://my350z.com/forum/attachment....1&d=1280772220
https://my350z.com/forum/attachment....1&d=1280772220
https://my350z.com/forum/attachment....1&d=1280772220

-J

C clamp method!
 

Okay, using a C clamp is not a bad idea at all.

HOwever, you need to use the right style of C -clamp. The kind with a hex driver on the end and not a cheesy little handle.............and best to get one that has interchangeable tips that can fit in the hole of the big frank socket you have to make and the spl driver tool!

Those types of c-clamps are usually found as most "ball joint press tool kits"

even autoZone rents them out! so thats an option, the problem is finding one large enough to span across the subframe!

Examples here:
https://my350z.com/forum/attachment....1&d=1280772658
https://my350z.com/forum/attachment....1&d=1280772658
https://my350z.com/forum/attachment....1&d=1280772658

Notice how these clamps have a hex on the end to crank away on!!

its an option! but using a normal C clamp - good luck!!
-J

extra in case needed later..

and special thanks to my bud Terrasmack for enlightening me on how he did his install using "all thread"

-J

No longer use this method - update on how its done quicker!
 

OKAY GUYS, :thumbup:

I didn't take pics, and the next time I do this i will be sure to take some and update this thread but this is how i removed the OEM bushing quick!

*Some of the pics shown i have found and edited to use to help show how this was done until i actually take pics of this process.

REMOVING OEM BUSHING:
1. Jack up rear of car as high as possible, placing chalks under front tires and rear on jack stands.

2. Remove the rear wheels (they are heavy and you need to for # - read on)

3. Disconnect drive shaft and place a towel over midpipe and W brace to rest the drive shaft down and out of the way (17mm goose neck wrenches).
Drive shaft on green towel:
Attachment 427960

4. Disconnect the axle nuts and bolts (14mm goose neck wrenches)
Zip tie the drive shafts up to the rear upper control arms so they are not hanging and out of the way (FSM tells you not to let them hang)

5. Remove the two plastic trays (one on each side of the car) in order to remove the sway bar bolts. (Trays require 10mm socket - there are two nuts and one bolt).
https://my350z.com/forum/attachment....1&d=1281022160

6. Remove sway bar from car completely and from endlinks (14mm deep socket), place sway bar out of the way.

7. Remove the two sensors from the back of the diff - one on each side (12mm short socket)
https://my350z.com/forum/attachment....1&d=1281021862


8. Remove the diff breather hose from on top of the diff breather pipe - Used my hands, but sometimes having long needle nose pliers is helpful as some are hard and brittle and wont come off easy.
https://my350z.com/forum/attachment....1&d=1281021862

9. REMOVE THE OEM EXHAUST rear canister (12mm deep socket with extension to remove 6 each bolts from back ends

9a - must remove plastic mud flaps from rear bumper *if car has them* (phillips screw driver)

9b - Then remove 3 each (10mm socket) bolts to remove metal support hidden in corners in order to access the original 3 (12mm) bolts per side, 6 total.

NOTE:
-9c The oem mid pipe was not in the way.
-9d AFTER MARKET exhaust may or may not need to be removed - ie single exhaust, etc.

10. Remove the 17mm nut holding the diff stud that is in the BLOW rear OEM Bushing.
https://my350z.com/forum/attachment....1&d=1281011495

11. using a tall jack or transmission jack support the diff and using an impact remove the two diff ear bolts (17mm socket).

NOTE: Careful as there are two black metal plates on top of the diff ears that will come falling down that are unseen. the two gold diff ear plates come down with the bolt obviously.
https://my350z.com/forum/attachments...ess-plates.jpg

At this point, jack down the diff/man handle the diff down and onto the ground.
https://my350z.com/forum/attachment....1&d=1281011495

12. Remove bolts on the rear pin stay - two (17mm socket) bolts in the center.

12a -Remove the two (19mm socket) nuts on the ends common to the rear subframe-to-unibody mounts.

12b -Remove the pin stay and place it out of the way.

12c -reinstall the two end 19mm nuts by bench pressing the subframe back up into the air only enough to catch the first 5 or so threads.

THIS WILL ALLOW THE REAR SUBFRAME TO DROOP DOWN A WEE BIT gaining you even more access to the rear subframe oem blown bushing!!!

PIN STAY IS THIS BLACK STEEL PIECE:
https://my350z.com/forum/attachment....1&d=1281021436


13. Drill holes using a drill and about a 3/8 drill bit into the oem bushing until it is mutilated to all hell!!!
https://my350z.com/forum/attachment....1&d=1281011011

14. Get a saw saw with a typical 4 -6" long wood cutting blade and run it all around and cut the oem bushing center out. (this takes 2 minutes tops for items 13 and 14)
https://my350z.com/forum/attachment....1&d=1281011120

15. Get the saw saw and switch to a metal cutting blade and cut the bushing race at two locations - one cut at 5-O'clock position and one at the 7-O'clock position.
https://my350z.com/forum/attachment....1&d=1281011186

16. Get a flat head screw driver (small one) and hammer on the end to pry up the 5 to 7 o clock section at the bottom and peal it away like a banana peal side.

from there you can easily remove the race as it is so weak and broken at this point using the screw driver and maybe some needle nose plyers.

OEM BUSHING IS NOW REMOVED!

https://my350z.com/forum/attachments...ushing-out.jpg


Take from post 7:
INSTALL OF SPL SOLID DIFF BUSHING INTO SUBFRAME HOLE:

Take from post #8
DIFF EAR BUSHING REMOVEAL AND INSTALL:

Pics attached here on this post because i ran out of real estate...

Oh, if anyone wants to buy my oem bushing, it makes a great paper weight :bowrofl:

Mine is not blown!! its actually still intact!

-J

^^^^LMAO @ post 14


Hell ya man - me you, NEXX, all have the solid diff bushings now - certainly notice a big difference.. cant wait til we do a couple more..

Thanks for this. Better then the one i was hoping to do within the next month. Unfortunately i have the blue ones but this info still helps out. You write the best DIY stuff ever.

How you liking the differences?

Any word when SPL is doing subframe bushings instead of whitelines poly ones?

I'm about to do this install monday, do you notice more diff noise/whine due to the solid bushing?

dude, i dont hear any difference but the car feels so much more solid.

Did you get some from SPL??

LOL thanks, i love paint! lol....

ya man, i need to go back and tally up all these beers, all my how to's i get beer offers......i need to cash them in and get.......well........:d_buddy::chug:


exactly, i have a Nismo LSD, and now the lsd engages more or the tires grab and the diff clunks......its given me a even more predictable feel out of the LSD, when i thought anymore couldnt be felt........making turns, etc, i know exactly how the rear is gonna respond......its a great feeling when you know and can predict the cars responses that well....

-J

Im sure the blues would be fine this way as well?? do you have access or own digital calipers? I measured the spl solid diff bushing black one to be 2.93 diameter....and my calculations on thermal expansion is .0025 with a typical freezer temp change.

as for subframe bushings, i see no real need unless the car is a dedicated hard core track car!.......i have inspected and seen many Z's......the 4 unibody mount subframe bushings don't tear or go out and the performance difference in the whitelines i doubt to be substantial or worth it otherwise....my opinion, but ya...

Example of all out track car and solid 4 unibody subframe bushings: (see the first 4 pics in this thread)
https://my350z.com/forum/autocross-r...verything.html

-J