z31 s13 subframe swap

  • Cesar H
    Cesar H
    Member
    • 42
    #1

    z31 s13 subframe swap

    Hey Guys,
    The last pieces for my build finally arrived which were my speed sensor and driveshaft pieces for it to be made.My question is before I get this thing on the road when I was fitting my s13 in and welded everything up it was a Very tight fit. I was able to take the subframe out twice and put it back in. At first I thought the problem was my aluminum bushings since I know most people have a hard time putting the subframe back in with aluminum bushings. After closer inspection both of my front mounting points were 1inch lower by that I mean that were not sitting on the the body of the car. What I had to do what use a jack on the bottom of the subframe on both sides and lift it up so they would fully seat in. So what I want to know is should I buy the s13 reinforcement kit and do a couple of extra things to stiffen up the subframe and make it stronger so I do not have any issues or should I be fine since the coilovers hold the weight of the car?
    Thanks again for you support,
    ​Cesar
  • G-E
    G-E
    Junior Member
    • 6320
    #2
    Pics would help… did you clearance all the way around the front hoop? There's many places that hit the body, maybe it's pushing back?
  • Cesar H
    Cesar H
    Member
    • 42
    #3
    Yup everything clears perfectly. What im thinking happend is when I welded the rear bar with the studs they moved a bit causing the two front bushings to not sit flush completely on the two front subframe studs by being 1in lower
  • Cesar H
    Cesar H
    Member
    • 42
    #4
    Also when when I put the jack under the subframe and jacked it up both sides it just popped kind of loud and both studs were fully seated with the bushings
  • G-E
    G-E
    Junior Member
    • 6320
    #5
    Well it's possible the pins are not parallel, and it's possible your front bushing pods weren't welded at the correct height which would have matched the pin angle

    Naturally the least error prone way to do the swap (however you do it) is to make sure the bushings and pins are bolted together before the final welding, the bushings (or sleeves) should keep everything perfectly parallel and at the correct height
  • Cesar H
    Cesar H
    Member
    • 42
    #6
    That could be possible. I just dont want the subframe to bend or crack on me. Thinking of getting the gkteck kit and a bit of reinforcement tubing on the subframe. Or should I be fine I have taken the subframe off a couple of times just need to rough it up to get it in.
  • G-E
    G-E
    Junior Member
    • 6320
    #7
    If you have painted/anodized solid bushings, you should be able to see where the scraping is, that should tell you which pins are misaligned in which way, and should you decide to help it along, a dremel should make short work of changing the hole shape to what you need
  • gardner86zx
    gardner86zx
    Senior Member
    • 381
    #8
    When I was building the mounts for my subframe I noticed the alluminum bushings fit lose on the studs. I wrapped the studs in electrical tap to help center them. It must of worked because my subframe goes on butter smooth
    86na2t + holset

    feedback
    viewtopic.php?f=18&t=6114&hilit=andrew+gardner
  • G-E
    G-E
    Junior Member
    • 6320
    #9
    They were loose on the subframe swap kit's pins? or the z31 pins at the front?