2003 AWD Rear Subframe BUILD THREAD :O

[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

reducedIMG_2766.jpg (926.98 KiB) Viewed 528 times

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:

markedIMG_2774.JPG (856.13 KiB) Viewed 528 times

markedIMG_2773.JPG (921.65 KiB) Viewed 528 times

I only drew on the welds that were visible in the pictures, so you know, extrapolate.

[akstonbreakfast]

aaaaand the unedited weld photos

reducedIMG_2773.jpg (917.68 KiB) Viewed 528 times

IMG_2774.JPG (888.53 KiB) Viewed 528 times

reducedIMG_2775.jpg (730.21 KiB) Viewed 528 times

reducedIMG_2776.jpg (814.19 KiB) Viewed 528 times

reducedIMG_2777.jpg (798.85 KiB) Viewed 528 times

[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?

reducedIMG_2757.jpg (872.55 KiB) Viewed 528 times

Whatever it does, I marked where it seemed naturally to go

reducedIMG_2758.jpg (912.5 KiB) Viewed 528 times

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

IMG_2802.JPG (892.71 KiB) Viewed 528 times

softened up the plastic with a heat gun, and stuck it into the hole

reducedIMG_2803.jpg (810.61 KiB) Viewed 528 times

I recommend that you not forget this hose and drill an appropriately sized hole before the subframe is in the car.

reducedIMG_2804.jpg (947.64 KiB) Viewed 528 times

[akstonbreakfast]

Here are some pics of the painted subframe during installation... and some vanity shots of welds that I should have posted earlier.

reducedIMG_2779.jpg (958.89 KiB) Viewed 528 times

reducedIMG_2781.jpg (886.64 KiB) Viewed 528 times

reducedIMG_2782.jpg (991.9 KiB) Viewed 528 times

reducedIMG_2783.jpg (961.22 KiB) Viewed 528 times

reducedIMG_2785.jpg (941.95 KiB) Viewed 528 times

[akstonbreakfast]

reducedIMG_2786.jpg (762.38 KiB) Viewed 528 times

reducedIMG_2787.jpg (872.7 KiB) Viewed 528 times

reducedIMG_2801.jpg (983.87 KiB) Viewed 528 times

The ABS sensor wire now mounts to the bolt that holds down the sway bar bushing. You'll need to let the one rubber grommet out of the metal bracket to do this

reducedIMG_2808.jpg (914.46 KiB) Viewed 528 times

These are the 1/4" spacers to move the diff forward--really to move the bushing back into the rear plate. I'll include files to get these cut from 3/16" like everything else.

reducedIMG_2780.jpg (774.96 KiB) Viewed 528 times

[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

reducedIMG_2788.jpg (820.88 KiB) Viewed 528 times

drilled a 2.5" hole in the center

IMG_2789.JPG (978.36 KiB) Viewed 528 times

reducedIMG_2790.jpg (955.56 KiB) Viewed 528 times

and welded them together--mirrored, of course

IMG_2794.JPG (979.27 KiB) Viewed 528 times

There's really nothing to it.

[akstonbreakfast]

As you can see, the bolt holes aren't exactly 90 degrees to each other

reducedIMG_2791.jpg (994.26 KiB) Viewed 528 times

but a slight twist when tracing the factory holes makes them fit quite nicely on our 90 degree block

reducedIMG_2796.jpg (977.31 KiB) Viewed 528 times

reducedIMG_2799.jpg (916.8 KiB) Viewed 528 times

[akstonbreakfast]

Drill

reducedIMG_2800.jpg (954.75 KiB) Viewed 528 times

paint and install

IMG_2806.JPG (928.33 KiB) Viewed 528 times

reducedIMG_2807.jpg (922.29 KiB) Viewed 528 times

Like I said, nothing to it.