Anyone near huntingdon with rear beam experience free ?

[milescook]

I think Im biting off more than i can chew here! Bought a replacement rear beam and trailing arms which Im getting bushed up in a couple of weeks. Tried to tackle getting the old beam off but i have either the experience or the tools!

Is anyone free next weekend with experience able to give me a hand? Free beer and pickup!

Got the exhaust off. Looking at the wiki page So far I've not been able to get either the 2 Allen key bolts off near the beam bolt and jacking point, or the drive shafts off the diff. And they are soaked in wd40. Oh dear...anyone able to lend a hand?[/b]

[Grrrmachine]

invest in a breaker bar of at least 0.5m length, and a 1/2" allen bit set. Together, you'll be able to undo all of those, and it's a really handy addition to the toolbox - even just for undoing stubborn wheel nuts.

The other option, unfortunately, might be taking an angle grinder to the allen nuts on the beam support plates.

[bmw9818]

make sure the allen bits are seated in properly give them a good tap with a hammer,

on the driveshaft bolts i just airgunned them off 10min job, the ns trailing arm can be airgunned off the drivers side however is a proper pita, you might need to remove the tank hose,

[milescook]

Cheers i might make another trip to halfords then! I stopped pulling as i was see the Kerry was turning inside the head which would really cock things up! Are torx sets better? They seem to have different numbers will try some heat with a heat gun too

[Grrrmachine]

torx are handy when the allen nut has rounded out, because the teeth bite in. But they're really a last resort, and the bolts are unusable afterwards.

[capri_rob]

Fook trying to undo the allen bolts that hold the beam plate on - unless they come out first attempt they wont come out at all - grind the fookers off and replace them with nuts and bolts.

[milescook]

Cheers all! Chuffed as chips got out there with a spotlamp and wholly hat,used a bit of Mr heat gun -he really is your friend ! Also tapped in some Allen sockets from my gucci halfords socket set i didn't know they were there! A bit of pipe for comfort but really i just needed to tap the Allen sockets in tight and get the wrench on there.

I look forward to the other side in the morn plus those side plates!

[DHFiS]

I am in Cambridge. Let me know what you tools you need and if I have them I can pop over tomorrow.

[milescook]

Superb cheers mate.i look like Im ok for now.longshot - don't suppose you have a press or vice do you? Bought rear bushes was going to give them to a garage to put then in.how's your silver going?

[DHFiS]

Superb cheers mate.i look like Im ok for now.longshot - don't suppose you have a press or vice do you? Bought rear bushes was going to give them to a garage to put then in.how's your silver going?

My car is going well - just flew through another MOT.

I dont have a press and my vice is a woodwork one that I need to keep spotless. Can you use a jack to push the bushes in?

[milescook]

Awesome let me know that garage to use! i could do that but i also have to do the trailing arm bushes as well.i. Confused on jacking points tho: so next to the 2 Allen head screws is a place i will use a jack on,how to you adapt axle stands to support a shall area of metal? To get the old beam out i can support by the bean or diff .yep i am getting the old beam completely off.

[bmw9818]

Use a g clamp and some fairy liquid, I used two control arms on top and underneath used a pair of stilsons and wound it in

[milescook]

Thanks fella. Hmm it appears I can get the sub frame bushes in using the jack, the trailing arm bushes using a g clamp...

Is this any good for the trailing arm bush removal?

http://www.screwfix.com/p/forge-steel-g ... 50mm/87247#

I'll use a large socket to cup the arm and push the bush into that hopefuly...a la wiki page.

To get rid of the old beam (the newer one is in much better nick and I have it's bushes out) it looks like I need to now disconnect the propshaft from the diff, suspend carefuly, and drop the diff. Unless anyone has any easier suggestions?

[Grrrmachine]

Have a read:

http://www.e30zone.net/modules.php?name ... 56#2339456

[milescook]

This is what I couldn't get my head around using the rear jacking points, as I thought I'd be crushing a thin strip of metal:



So all you do with axle stands is use blocks of wood on the rear jacking points, and let the thing dig in??

@ BMW9818 a few months back you commented I'd struggle as I'd only changed an alternator before - yep! But it's "fun" learning...

So far exhaust is out the way, loosend the 4 propshaft bolts (recent clutch change so they weren;t too bad to undo), cable tied and disconnected both driveshafts. I guess next step is diff out, then trailing arms, then rear beam. If anyone fancies giving me a hand the offer is extended to lunch and beer! Think I will need an extra pair of hands anyway.

[milescook]

Cheers Grrrmachine that brings back memories I read that thread about a year ago with interest. A g clamp might be a good tool for the future anyway as I see it. If I could get hold of the right sized bolts I probably would but looking at screwfix its almost cheaper to get a tool?

[milescook]

The weekend's work so far, very slow progress!

[Grrrmachine]

Rear drums? Perfect time for a rear disc swap!

http://www.e30zone.net/e30zonewiki/inde ... conversion

[milescook]

Oh yeah, I've been all over that page for months and the bush renovation pages new disc setup already waiting to go on.

The wiki is top notch mate fair play!

[milescook]

Trying to replace the trailing arm bushes and the rear beam ones.bought a g clamp, and after working most of this afternoon I've butchered one of the trailing arm bushes - still won't come out.and one of my beam bushes is half in and I've broken the clamp! Anyone near me with a decent press or the right tools!

Would be much appreciated!

[bmw9818]

try burning it out with a blowtorch? or get a hacksaw blade inside and then put the rest of the hacksaw body over the trailing arm mount and start cutting it will come out,

should of mentioned i also destroyed about 3 g clamps in the process of reinstalling the bushes! it worked though


i just used force and an air hammer to butcher the sub bushes out,

[DanThe]

Why does everybody seem to grind the captive nuts off the back of the bush plates? If you drill the bolt heads off to remove the plate you can use a vice/bolwtorch/molegrips to remove the rest of the bolt. No need for landrover spec fixings then

[milescook]

I might ask my garage near work do they have a press.if so they can do it all its all off the car and it should be half an hour with the right kit!

[Black_Potato]

I have a box of spare nuts and bolts from doingt his a few times so if you round any off etc let me know and I can post you some.

[milescook]

Is that to cover trailing arm bushes and rear beam? If you could that would be pretty awesome - I've been trying to source threaded bars of the right kind not to mention the right washers - basically I don't have a big enough tool set

Would very much appreciate it!

[suedenim]

Rear drums? Perfect time for a rear disc swap!

http://www.e30zone.net/e30zonewiki/inde ... conversion

16. Place the new trailing arm into the mounting points and fit the mounting bolts, fit the nuts and torque to 62 Lbft, Refit the fuel filler pipe if you removed it

Shouldn't these be torqued up with the car resting on it's wheels, as in not with the trailing arm off the ground and extended??

[harry_p]

yes, ideally all bushes should be tightened with the car at normal ride height.

in reality that's often almost impossible. if fitting the trailing arms to the beam on the ground you can use blocks to prop the subframe and arms into roughly the right position and tighten them up, but this makes refitting the beam a lot harder!

[milescook]

Does anyone have the following OEM/DIY bush removal kit I could borrow? http://www.e30zone.net/e30zonewiki/inde ... hes#Bushes

and

http://www.e30zone.net/e30zonewiki/inde ... #Refitting

I can pickup or pay for postage. Would be much appreciated! This is doing my head in

[milescook]

Bought some bits from screwfix as per the wiki - didn't realise I could get everything I needed there!
Been having some "fun"...



http://www.e30zone.net/modules.php?name ... 79#2511979