20CiviC02Si

iTrader: (3)

Front control arms and spindles removed. Now time to install the new Wicked Tuning control arms. Should be in tonight!

As for the spindles, i'll have to hit up my buddies to see if any of them are willing to help me with the ball joints. Don't have room in my garage for a work bench and vise.....

20CiviC02Si

iTrader: (3)

Well the car gods officially HATE me.... after removing the front control arms by hand, didn't use the impact at all. Turned out the nut on the inside of the front subframe that is supposed to be welded in place is no longer there. Didn't realize it until i began bolting in the new Wicked Tuning lower control arm. Went to tighten the bolts and realized that the front bolt was free spinning. Removed the control arm and realized there wasn't any threads at all.....

Robin6

that civic has seen some hard days.
better to fix this stuff now I guess and not at the track.

20CiviC02Si

iTrader: (3)

Tell me about it.....

Now that i spent the last hour undoing all the progress i thought i was making. I'm starting the process of removing the front subframe and power steering system. I have a spare front subframe with a manual rack already mounted. Now it's trying to figure out what all needs to be done to get the subframe removed from the car with the motor still in the bay. If i had the shop space and tools i would just pull the motor and make life a hell of a lot easier on me.

50 days until my first track day.... already paid.

20CiviC02Si

iTrader: (3)

Ok, today mission is to get everything out of the way so that i can drop the subframe. I have to disconnect the catalytic converter and o2 sensor, remove front sway bar, then disconnect the power steering system and remove it from the car.

Robin6

the suspense is killing me!

redzcstandardhatch

Yup....50 days to go...


3 hard days of work to do. Kill It bro

20CiviC02Si

iTrader: (3)

Going to try, to bad my family decided to come over and visit. Lost a day of working on the car. Tomorrow getting back to work.

Robin6

Right, the old "family came over" excuse again, get to work buddy!

Ive been out sick for the last few days myself but the coupe is still in the shop until next week...so im off the hook for working on it. lol

Hope you don't run into any more issues but good that you ran across the one you did. 8|
Hang in there it is all worth it once all sorted out.

20CiviC02Si

iTrader: (3)

Well my mother and step father left. So finally i was able to get back to work on the car. Disconnected the power steering pump and removed it from the car, as well as freed the lines from the chassis. Removed the mid pipe so it's out of the way. Next up is removing the shift linkage and front sway bar.

Should be able to drop the subframe and steering rack today hopefully.

20CiviC02Si

iTrader: (3)

Still need to figure out how to unbolt the trans from the trans mount on the subframe without having to remove the intake manifold.

Robin6

you are close...so close!

20CiviC02Si

iTrader: (3)

Need to go and pick up an 8mm pin punch in order to remove the shift linkage.

Billy Elliot

Should be able to access the bolts from underneath the car? Are you just trying to remove the bolt through the mount w/ bushing? Or are you actually trying to remove the bracket from the engine? Because the subframe mount isn't directly tied into the trans.

You unbolt all the bolts holding the trans to the block, remove the trans mount to the frame rail, pull off trans.

No need to remove the intake manifold.

20CiviC02Si

iTrader: (3)

Not trying to remove the trans. Dropping the front subframe from the car because the threads for the driver side front lower control arm broke free from it's weld and dropped into the subframe. So i'm trying to figure a way that i can access the bolt through the bushing on the subframe mount that won't require me cutting up my arms.

20CiviC02Si

iTrader: (3)

Well have to figure out how to get this damn thing out of the car. I don't have the proper tools in order to remove the bolt from the trans mount on the sub frame. I've tried under and above and my wrenches have too much slack in the gearing in order to get any leverage on the bolt. Frustrated all to hell right now and gave up before i started to break ****.....

redzcstandardhatch

Buy tools yo!

Robin6

Just keep at it and work through the issues... one by one.

Good house cleaning in a way. You were going to need to do this at some point.

solo-x

Huh? You mean the rear engine mount? The one with two 19mm bolts on the bottom, one 17mm bolt at the top? I usually use a 3/8" ratchet and deep socket to get the bottom two, and add a 3" extension to the mix for the top one. If you're dropping the sub-frame, you don't need to unbolt it from the sub-frame side, but getting the exhaust and axle out of the way will probably make it easier.

20CiviC02Si

iTrader: (3)

The 17mm bolt connecting the rear mount to the engine and trans had to be removed before i could drop the subframe.

Speaking of dropping the subframe......

Pic of the prep work that had to be done yesterday in order to drop it. Midpipe removed as well as the shift linkage. No pic of the removal of the power steering pump.




Guess what happened today. Finally.......



FTMFW!!!!!



The reason i had to drop it in the first place.... Notice there aren't any threads.

20CiviC02Si

iTrader: (3)

Question now is what steering rack to use.....?

Do i stay with the stock power steering unit and just loop it or just rock the manual rack that i have already mounted to the new subframe?

HellaFab

why not run a longer bolt with a nut?

20CiviC02Si

iTrader: (3)

Because it's enclosed in the subframe. There isn't any openings to get a nut let alone a wrench in there. Besides that was my first thought, until i realized that i couldn't.

Robin6

he has a point, why not run a longer bolt?

Billy Elliot

I'd keep the power steering. Makes it nice for not feeling like you wrestled a bear after a track day. I run a Coleman 1.5:1 quickener as well with my power steering. Little over 2 turns lock to lock is very nice.