Solid Subframe Bushing DIY tips

shirtpants_ · 06-11-2016, 04:41 PM

Ill start off by saying that this was the biggest PITA of any project I've ever done on this car. I would rather do 3 sets of coilovers back to back than go through this again. If you could get someone to install these for less than 500 dollars, I would say go for it. I did this with the subframe still in the car

Getting the stock bushings out is pretty easy.
You can make your own tool from stuff at lowes or home depot for less than 30 bucks. Getting the two rear bushings in is not too bad either, you just have to be sure that the subframe's bushing cavity is 100% free of any burs, or rough spots that stick out.

Now the front bushings are the difficult part. For some reason they are just extremely tough to get in, even with the bushings fresh out of the freezer. I stripped the threads on two rods of my DIY tool, and I was pushing extremely hard on to get it to do that. I ended up making my own little portable press out of a 4 ton bottle jack, and some rods and steel plates i got from lowes. I got the bushing in another 1/4 of the way, and my tool bent beyond repair.

The next day I thought of using some spare wheel spacers I had laying around as the top and bottom of my press, so I put it together, and it worked perfectly. No bending of the tool whatsoever, ad the bottlejack fit inside the spacer perfectly. I did have to cut off the lip of the spacer in order to remove the tool from the subframe however.

I can confidently say this was the worst experience working on any car so far. I had my car on jackstands in the garage for 4 days, and spent every waking moment after work until I went to bed trying to get those bushings in.

Relevant pictures below:

DR-JEKL · 06-12-2016, 06:21 AM

Im sure most shops that do these actually remove the subframe from the car.

I'm unsure if it can be done but from my machining engineering experience fitting solid bushes we use to submerge the bushes in a esky full of dry ice and heat the component up slightly and the plugs used to slide in easily with a small amount of force (this was fitting a splined bush to a railway axle for a train)

Yozh · 06-12-2016, 11:21 PM

I wish we would have taken pictures when we did the solid aluminum ones from Turner on my car. But it literally took 5 min per old bushing out and the same 5 min per new bushing in. We did freeze them in dry ice and had proper tools on hand. I think proper tools is the key word here. Same story on my friend's Turner delrin ones. All props to him for skills and tools.
Subframe was on the car but obviously lowered.

feuer · 06-13-2016, 11:12 AM

@ Yozh! Please share the info on the tools used. Thank you!

shirtpants_ · 06-13-2016, 02:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Yozh

I wish we would have taken pictures when we did the solid aluminum ones from Turner on my car. But it literally took 5 min per old bushing out and the same 5 min per new bushing in. We did freeze them in dry ice and had proper tools on hand. I think proper tools is the key word here. Same story on my friend's Turner delrin ones. All props to him for skills and tools.
Subframe was on the car but obviously lowered.

Yeah, I really regret not trying harder to get ahold of dry ice. and I was trying to save money just building my own tool from stuff at lowes. I guess that's what happens when you try to cheap out on tools, I should have expected as much.

k335d · 06-13-2016, 02:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by feuer

@ Yozh! Please share the info on the tools used. Thank you!

http://www.kochtools.com/index.php?p=product&id=242

Like Yozh said. My delrin and his aluminum bushings took 5min to press in with it.
As for freezing them with dry ice. I can't say it helps a great deal more then maybe just putting them in the house freezer but definitely didn't hurt.

Other then the press we only needed 3 jack stands, 1 floor jack and normal hand tools.

k335d · 06-13-2016, 02:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by shirtpants_

Yeah, I really regret not trying harder to get ahold of dry ice. and I was trying to save money just building my own tool from stuff at lowes. I guess that's what happens when you try to cheap out on tools, I should have expected as much.

Just wondering if maybe you had a m3 set instead of non-m set. I remember reading some where that there is a slight size difference. Could explain why you had a much harder time then me and Yozh did putting them in.

Did you have trouble with just the fronts or the back ones also?

shirtpants_ · 06-13-2016, 04:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by k335d

Just wondering if maybe you had a m3 set instead of non-m set. I remember reading some where that there is a slight size difference. Could explain why you had a much harder time then me and Yozh did putting them in.

Did you have trouble with just the fronts or the back ones also?

I ordered the ones specifically for the e90 non-m. The box says e90 non-m, but whose to say what they sent me. I had lots of trouble with 3/4 of the bushings. My 4 ton bottlejack/homemade press barely got the front ones in. They would move only a quarter inch or so at a time, then make a sound like creaking metal, almost like they were getting stuck on something, or were stretching the subframe cavity. They were being pressed in 100% straight, and the subframe was free of burrs or rough spots. I used grease and put the bushings in straight from the freezer...
Couldn't really tell you why I had such a tough time getting them in, as getting the stock bushings out was 5 minutes tops for each one...

nanceman · 06-13-2016, 08:14 PM

Just pulled my whole subframe and pressed them in with a bushing press.

Pulled the differential while at it, replaced sway bar items, and cleaned up the entire subframe with a blast then coating while at it.

Sure it took more time but good god was it more thorough and less stressful.

EDIT: I did TMS Solid Aluminum/Delrin as well. If I'd done M3 or some insert I'd have left the subframe on and froze the new bushings. From what I had read doing the TMS bushings would be problematic at best, so just pulled the whole read end. Did my Quaife at the same time. Just wish I'd been in a position to do everything while in there, but couldn't swing all the control arms and springs/struts on top of the Quaife and diff bushings at the time.

Yozh · 06-14-2016, 12:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by k335d

http://www.kochtools.com/index.php?p=product&id=242

Like Yozh said. My delrin and his aluminum bushings took 5min to press in with it.
As for freezing them with dry ice. I can't say it helps a great deal more then maybe just putting them in the house freezer but definitely didn't hurt.

Other then the press we only needed 3 jack stands, 1 floor jack and normal hand tools.

Quote:

Originally Posted by nanceman

From what I had read doing the TMS bushings would be problematic at best, so just pulled the whole read end.

We should have taken a video, darn....

airick.22 · 08-04-2019, 01:59 AM

Was the performance gain worth it though? Not sure if I should get powerflex black or these...

hellokitty · 08-04-2019, 12:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by airick.22

Was the performance gain worth it though? Not sure if I should get powerflex black or these...

I have aluminum subframe bushings and diff bushings. Totally worth it. Would do it all over again.

airick.22 · 08-05-2019, 01:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hellokitty

I have aluminum subframe bushings and diff bushings. Totally worth it. Would do it all over again.

Aww man, u convinced me to do this dreadful DIY. Was yours done on your own diy style or did you get someone to do it? And big shoutout to the OP I’ll be using some 12mm spare spacers and the thread rod method. Wish me luck.

hellokitty · 08-07-2019, 12:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by airick.22

Quote:

Originally Posted by hellokitty

I have aluminum subframe bushings and diff bushings. Totally worth it. Would do it all over again.

Aww man, u convinced me to do this dreadful DIY. Was yours done on your own diy style or did you get someone to do it? And big shoutout to the OP I’ll be using some 12mm spare spacers and the thread rod method. Wish me luck.

Had a shop do it. I am a basic DIYer. I leave the suspension stuff to the pros lol

Andy198712 · 08-09-2019, 03:10 AM

Is there a massive increase in road noise and virbration?

streetpro · 08-20-2019, 03:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hellokitty

I have aluminum subframe bushings and diff bushings. Totally worth it. Would do it all over again.

I´ve just added a diff lock-down this weekend and it has made a real impact on how the rear is planted now... very happy after all those try/error to fix the fishing while on-off WOT...

hellokitty · 08-21-2019, 10:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Andy198712

Is there a massive increase in road noise and virbration?

Only noise added is if you do aluminum diff bushings. Very minimal. No other NVH.

hellokitty · 08-21-2019, 10:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by streetpro

Quote:

Originally Posted by hellokitty

I have aluminum subframe bushings and diff bushings. Totally worth it. Would do it all over again.

I´ve just added a diff lock-down this weekend and it has made a real impact on how the rear is planted now... very happy after all those try/error to fix the fishing while on-off WOT...

Yes the diff lockdown is a must.

E91Swagger · 12-28-2019, 04:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Yozh

We should have taken a video, darn....

Yozh, what is the part# of the Koch tool? Do you still have it?

06-11-2016, 04:41 PM	#1
shirtpants_ Second Lieutenant 94 Rep 268 Posts Drives: 11 335i Join Date: Jan 2015 Location: orlando iTrader: (1)	Solid Subframe Bushing DIY tips Ill start off by saying that this was the biggest PITA of any project I've ever done on this car. I would rather do 3 sets of coilovers back to back than go through this again. If you could get someone to install these for less than 500 dollars, I would say go for it. I did this with the subframe still in the car Getting the stock bushings out is pretty easy. You can make your own tool from stuff at lowes or home depot for less than 30 bucks. Getting the two rear bushings in is not too bad either, you just have to be sure that the subframe's bushing cavity is 100% free of any burs, or rough spots that stick out. Now the front bushings are the difficult part. For some reason they are just extremely tough to get in, even with the bushings fresh out of the freezer. I stripped the threads on two rods of my DIY tool, and I was pushing extremely hard on to get it to do that. I ended up making my own little portable press out of a 4 ton bottle jack, and some rods and steel plates i got from lowes. I got the bushing in another 1/4 of the way, and my tool bent beyond repair. The next day I thought of using some spare wheel spacers I had laying around as the top and bottom of my press, so I put it together, and it worked perfectly. No bending of the tool whatsoever, ad the bottlejack fit inside the spacer perfectly. I did have to cut off the lip of the spacer in order to remove the tool from the subframe however. I can confidently say this was the worst experience working on any car so far. I had my car on jackstands in the garage for 4 days, and spent every waking moment after work until I went to bed trying to get those bushings in. Relevant pictures below: Attached Images
	Appreciate 0 Tweet Quote

06-12-2016, 06:21 AM	#2
DR-JEKL Major General 898 Rep 6,285 Posts Drives: Space Grey E92 335i 6MT Join Date: Jul 2012 Location: Newcastle Ozstraylia iTrader: (3)	Im sure most shops that do these actually remove the subframe from the car. I'm unsure if it can be done but from my machining engineering experience fitting solid bushes we use to submerge the bushes in a esky full of dry ice and heat the component up slightly and the plugs used to slide in easily with a small amount of force (this was fitting a splined bush to a railway axle for a train)
	Appreciate 0 Quote

06-12-2016, 11:21 PM	#3
Yozh Colonel 870 Rep 2,615 Posts Drives: 2011 335d M-Sport Join Date: Mar 2014 Location: Wet Coast iTrader: (4)	I wish we would have taken pictures when we did the solid aluminum ones from Turner on my car. But it literally took 5 min per old bushing out and the same 5 min per new bushing in. We did freeze them in dry ice and had proper tools on hand. I think proper tools is the key word here. Same story on my friend's Turner delrin ones. All props to him for skills and tools. Subframe was on the car but obviously lowered.
	Appreciate 0 Quote

06-13-2016, 11:12 AM	#4
feuer Major General 4276 Rep 9,206 Posts Drives: wife crazy! Join Date: Apr 2015 Location: Chicago, IL iTrader: (5)	@ Yozh! Please share the info on the tools used. Thank you!
	Appreciate 0 Quote

06-13-2016, 08:14 PM	#9
nanceman First Lieutenant 91 Rep 346 Posts Drives: 11 335is 6MT, 15 GTI 6MT Join Date: Jun 2013 Location: Metro Detroit iTrader: (0)	Just pulled my whole subframe and pressed them in with a bushing press. Pulled the differential while at it, replaced sway bar items, and cleaned up the entire subframe with a blast then coating while at it. Sure it took more time but good god was it more thorough and less stressful. EDIT: I did TMS Solid Aluminum/Delrin as well. If I'd done M3 or some insert I'd have left the subframe on and froze the new bushings. From what I had read doing the TMS bushings would be problematic at best, so just pulled the whole read end. Did my Quaife at the same time. Just wish I'd been in a position to do everything while in there, but couldn't swing all the control arms and springs/struts on top of the Quaife and diff bushings at the time. __________________
	Appreciate 0 Quote

08-04-2019, 01:59 AM	#11
airick.22 New Member 0 Rep 5 Posts Drives: e92 Join Date: Jun 2018 Location: AZ iTrader: (0)	Was the performance gain worth it though? Not sure if I should get powerflex black or these...
	Appreciate 0 Quote

08-09-2019, 03:10 AM	#15
Andy198712 Major 145 Rep 1,006 Posts Drives: 2010 E91 325d Join Date: Mar 2017 Location: Cornwall iTrader: (0)	Is there a massive increase in road noise and virbration?
	Appreciate 0 Quote