What a pain in the **** to do!

Here's some pics:

 

Even though the bushing supposedly isn't pressed on, mine seemed frozen on... This is the hardest part of the whole install, getting this off:





This bushing easily presses out:

 

Here's the replacements:


We just lubed this one up good, and stepped/jumped on it until it slid on:


Slides right in:

 

Finished product:

 

Here's a before and after of the ES Motor Mounts:





FYI - Tony did these in 22 minutes with NO PRESS!

 

Installed:

 

How was Tony able to remove and press in the motor mounts without a press?

Thanks.


steve...

 

Here's his exact quote:

A drift, a vice, and a hammer. Oh, and of course, some good old fashioned elbow grease!

T.
---- Roy <Roy.xxx@xxxxxx> wrote:
> Sweet! How'd you get the old ones out and the new ones in?

 

Basically, I believe he took a BFH (big freakin' hammer) and pounded the old ones out... He said the new ones went in pretty easily...

 

When you were removing the lower control arm ball joint from the spindle, what did you use to get it off?

 

We didn't remove the ball joint from the spindle...

We removed the nut from the top of it and removed it all as one unit...

 

sorry if this seems dumb..but what exactly does the control arm do?

 

Sorry, I should have worded things diffrently, but I assume you are saying that you took off the 19mm off the lower ball joint and seperated the lower ball joint from the spindle. I think you thought I was asking how you seperated the lower ball joint from the lower control arm. Is that what you thought I meant or are you saying you took the spindle and lower control arm all off as one unit? From your pics it doesn't look like you did that. When I was replacing the wheel bearings I used a pickle fork to detache the lower ball joint from the spindle but almost ripped the ball joint boot. Had I done so I wouldn't be able to buy just the lower ball joint because Nissan sells the lower control arm and lower ball joint as a unit. That is why I ask what kind of tool you used to seperate the lower ball joint from the spindle without tearing the boot.

 

I think we're on the same page now... if you look in the pics, you can see that the ball joint is still attached to the control arm...

Here's what Tony said about removing it:

"... hit the knuckle (part that holds the bearing, caliper,etc.) with a hammer to shock it free. Not the ball joint itself... One good whack (with a brass hammer). A ball joint seperator should not be used because it could possibly damage the grease boot."

 

Yeah I just got my car back from a shop that changed my LCA bushings like 2 hours ago. I am really glad I let someone else do it. I was just too lazy to have to deal with changing them and the problems that were going to pop up.

I didn't know the 5th gen LCA bushings had become available.

I already feel that my steering response is a little better. Although I was just trying to rush back to work and really couldn't test them out too much. I hope you like yours.

 

is there a step-by-step anywhere? i want to get comfortable with it before i do it on sunday. i've done spring/strut installs twice now and am fairly mechanically inclined. i'll also have help, but it's always nice to know exactly what you're doing.

 

AFAIK, Roy's pics are as step-by-step as there is out there. Did you check the Motorvate site or VQPower (pretty sure they don't have it either though)?

 

I need to get this done as well. I'm glad I saw this, I don't feel like paying someone else to do this job. This past weekend I finally did the shifter bushings and front sway bar bushings, and what a difference. I wonder how she will handle after this mod.

This thread should be in the stickies of the Advanced Suspension Thread as well, Joel. Maybe you can hook that up with one of your post already in that section.

 

You = pwn3d by teh Stickies

2nd How To link...

http://forums.maxima.org/showpost.ph...14&postcount=2

 

If you check out Kimberly's thread in the regionals section, i posted that i don't read stickies, they're overrated.....

 

all newbies have to read the stickies...us veterans already know everything

 

that or we make up the rules as we go....

 

neither has it. i think both sites were last updated before ES got these back in stock. although vqpower has a supplemental writeup on the LTB install that i actually found easier to follow than matt's http://www.vqpower.com/v2/modules.ph...howpage&pid=72

 

am i a veteran yet?

 

You have to be 18 or older.

 

registered Aug 2005? nah, not a veteran

 

961 posts?? nah, not a veteran

 

I would have to disagree with you on that statement.

High post count = a bunch of useless typing

However, I just made myself a hypocrite with this post.

 

PWNED!!

 

more OG than you


oh yeah, FYI, the energy suspension products come with instructions and pictures. These help ALOT. i'll check with the ES people to see if they're cool with me posting them here.