subframe removal

[Acidburn]

I've heard of someone going from above on one of the nuts in the passenger footwell

[panzerwagen]

Re: From the footwell...

Either way we are still talking about heavy duty cutting of sheet metal.

[AndyP]

Yup.

Thanks, I'm hoping I don't need this advice, but I have 2 subframes to swap soon.

[stiglet]

Burning the bushes out is by far the easiest if time consuming.

[spink]

Burning the bushes out is by far the easiest if time consuming.

plus life shortening

[stiglet]

plus life shortening

Good fun though

[S2Ian]

easy? BAH! i hated doing my subframe but now tis done the car feels like a completely differnt one! well worth it!

i installed superflex bushes and they went in fairly easily

[lind4hl]

i have mine front and rear on powdercoating atm

the front subframe went down fairly easy i thought, but i also took down the gearbox before (change clutch, nothing else with the subframe)

rear subframe also went down easy

[quattrostyle]

PRAY and PRAY hard that the nut inside the chassis does not break it's flimsy weld and just turns & turns when you attempt to take the bolt out!
Why AUDI thought a flimsy weld would hold the nut after so many years is beyond me!
Water, snow and other things get up in there and weaken the weld. When you attempt to break the nut loose it also breaks the weld. Nothing will make your heart fall flat then when the bolt goes around & around and never seems to comes out. And to weld the nut back in place?! Geeeeez!

yeah i had the same problem a few times, fortunately only on cars that were not going back on the road again, I'm hoping it won't happen again on my project car, Audi made it really weak indeed

[Greg_S]

PRAY and PRAY hard that the nut inside the chassis does not break it's flimsy weld and just turns & turns when you attempt to take the bolt out!
Why AUDI thought a flimsy weld would hold the nut after so many years is beyond me!
Water, snow and other things get up in there and weaken the weld. When you attempt to break the nut loose it also breaks the weld. Nothing will make your heart fall flat then when the bolt goes around & around and never seems to comes out. And to weld the nut back in place?! Geeeeez!

That doesn't sound good at all, fingers crossed it wont come to that. Part of reason for doing the subframe is because they are 15 years old now and secondly we couldnt undo the rear diff mount on the car because the bolts were too tight and access not great.

Ant thanks to 404 for the tool also

[Mr.Crossfire]

If the nut breaks loose, I would suggest cutting the head of the bolt with angle grinder and after dropping the subframe, drilling a small hole next to the nut. Then you can weld the nut to the chassis through the hole? Haven't tried, just a thought.

[kninio]

well the nut is in the midle of the chassis not on the side of it , and i think the plate itself where the nut is located is like 10-15 cm wide if i remember correctly.

i had this issue 10 years a go with one audi 90 quattro us edition , both nuts where turning alone we had to cut the chasis in the outter side (wheel side) and get a thicker plate with a nut and install it inside and weld everything back , long job but in the end its reinforced more then the one it had..

[Skull]

?? there is a hole covered wit a rubber tap, that way you get to the bolts. they are trapped in a "cage" btw...