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Re: 2003 AWD Rear Subframe BUILD THREAD :O
Posted: Sat May 20, 2023 3:27 pm
by akstonbreakfast
Next step: WELD EVERYTHING
I started by filling in all of the pass-through joints in the front and rear plates, adding a bead on the inside faces each time
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No shame in using flux core, guys. Don't let anybody tell you different.
As a rule, I made sure everywhere that two pieces joined was either fully welded or had 3 welds minimum.
To give you an idea:
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- markedIMG_2773.JPG (921.65 KiB) Viewed 573 times
I only drew on the welds that were visible in the pictures, so you know, extrapolate.
Re: 2003 AWD Rear Subframe BUILD THREAD :O
Posted: Sat May 20, 2023 3:34 pm
by akstonbreakfast
Re: 2003 AWD Rear Subframe BUILD THREAD :O
Posted: Sat May 20, 2023 3:44 pm
by akstonbreakfast
Weird hose:
So there's this weird hose that connected into the original subframe. Anybody know what it is? It runs back to the vapor canister, but for what? Does it suck? Does it blow?
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Whatever it does, I marked where it seemed naturally to go
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aaaand forgot all about it until after I had painted and done the final install.
So I drilled as big a hole as I could with a step bit (limited access), cut the 90deg elbow straight
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softened up the plastic with a heat gun, and stuck it into the hole
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I recommend that you not forget this hose and drill an appropriately sized hole before the subframe is in the car.
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Re: 2003 AWD Rear Subframe BUILD THREAD :O
Posted: Sat May 20, 2023 3:51 pm
by akstonbreakfast
Re: 2003 AWD Rear Subframe BUILD THREAD :O
Posted: Sat May 20, 2023 3:56 pm
by akstonbreakfast
Re: 2003 AWD Rear Subframe BUILD THREAD :O
Posted: Sat May 20, 2023 4:13 pm
by akstonbreakfast
Lift blocks:
Because my Matrix is lifted and the new subframe corrects the suspension geometry by moving the upper and lower control arm mounts down by 2" relative to the car, I need to make some 2" lift blocks for the front mounting location of the lower control arm too, otherwise my rear caster angle would be horribly wrong. I tried designing a version of these that would use laser cut 3/16" plate, but making them out of 1" x 2" tube is just so easy that it wasn't worth the trouble. I don't have the measurements written down anywhere, so I'll have to come back and edit this post to add them (Don't forget this, future me)
I started with these
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drilled a 2.5" hole in the center
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- reducedIMG_2790.jpg (955.56 KiB) Viewed 573 times
and welded them together--mirrored, of course
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There's really nothing to it.
Re: 2003 AWD Rear Subframe BUILD THREAD :O
Posted: Sat May 20, 2023 4:19 pm
by akstonbreakfast
As you can see, the bolt holes aren't exactly 90 degrees to each other
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but a slight twist when tracing the factory holes makes them fit quite nicely on our 90 degree block
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- reducedIMG_2799.jpg (916.8 KiB) Viewed 573 times
Re: 2003 AWD Rear Subframe BUILD THREAD :O
Posted: Sat May 20, 2023 4:21 pm
by akstonbreakfast
Drill
- reducedIMG_2800.jpg (954.75 KiB) Viewed 573 times
paint and install
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- reducedIMG_2807.jpg (922.29 KiB) Viewed 573 times
Like I said, nothing to it.