STS2 Miata Build Part Deux - 2008

[aMaff]

I keep chipping away at this thing. As of tomorrow (today?) the only thing that will remain attached to the car suspension wise will be the front sway bar. For now I've got about 1/4 of it apart. And I totally pwned my pickle fork too LOL. 1 of the prong's is a semi s-shape, and the other's just bent haha. Damn ball joint didn't want to let go of the knuckle. Only 3 more to go!

I also replaced the fuel filter, and took half the damn interior out (seats / rear carpeting) to get to the panel to access the fuel return lines. I'm gong to be replacing the check valve and the charcoal canister.

Tomorrow, the single remaining shock assembly comes off, along with the rest of the control arms.

 

[moxnix]

Thinking about more if you bent it you are doing it wrong.
For the top ball joint I was able to just barely fit in one of the pullers from autozone (tie rod end puller IIRC) you need to angle it just a bit to squeeze it by the lower ball joint but it fits in there. The tie rod end I think I might have had to use the pitman arm puller to remove.

The Lower ball joint was a b****. There is no good place to put on either the pitman arm puller or the tie rod end puller so you need to use the pickle fork. I managed to get one off but it took me a week of trying many different things before it finally came off. The other one I ended up taking to a local miata club tech day where the owner of the shop we were at showed me that you just need to take the pickle fork and the 3 pound sledge and keep pounding and it will come off. You don't try to use the pickle fork for leverage to pop the joint like you were doing just keep pounding it. Remove the tie rod end so you can turn everything but leave the top ball joint still fully attached (or at least put the nut back on a bit) and leave the bolts holding the ball joint to the control arm attached but remove the bolt holding the shock to the control arm.

 

[aMaff]

Alright, got a buttload done this weekend . As promised, I am now suspension-less. Completely. Michael (autoxes) is being kind enough to borrow his dad's 12 ton hydraulic press to press the old bushings out for me. Thanks to the tips from Shawn, I shouldn't have too much trouble getting the new bushings in and the car back together. I'll have about 99% of the parts I need to complete the rebuild in tomorrow. I just need a couple of odds and ends (fasteners for interior carpet, alignment eccentric bolts for the rear) and I'll be back in business.

On to some pics:
Today started off 'well.' 3 foot cheater pipe + 16 year old suspension components that have been together that entire time + Harbor Freight = owned

Got a new one (forged) from advance when I picked up the steering rack boot they ordered for me:

Pretty much how every boot on the suspension looked (even pre- pickle fork)

Prototype hover miata:

We don't need no stinkin suspension!

 

[apexlater]

There is a super-trick way to remove the control arms from the hub.

Hold them in your hand, steady. Take a hammer and hit the rounded part that the knuckle is in. Seriously. A couple of good blows and it will just fall out. It's massive pig-iron there so it won't bend it.

I don't understand the physics of it, probably just vibrates it enough. But it is really cool.

 

[autoxes]

harbour freight = pwned in general, we just made matters worse by adding in all of those other factors.

 

[aMaff]

Hold them in your hand, steady. Take a hammer and hit the rounded part that the knuckle is in. Seriously. A couple of good blows and it will just fall out. It's massive pig-iron there so it won't bend it.

and NOW you tell me this!? lol

Any chance I can still take you up on a good one of those long bolts? The driver's side doesn't look bent, but it was WAY harder to take out than the passenger side one, so I have a feeling it's not as straight as it should be...

 

[apexlater]

Let me see what we have that is good that we can spare. You can put it on the table and roll it to see if it is bent. But most of the time you can just look at it and see if it is tweaked.

 

[aMaff]

If you don't have one readily available, don't worry about it. Once I put the arm back on, it shouldn't be going anywhere any time in the forseeable future lol

 

[autoxes]

Okay, since I am a part of this build now...I pressed out all of the old bushings from the control arm, and managed to bend the lower right front...D'oh. It's about 1cm tweaked in.

Those bushings were reluctant to come out, along with the bent arm, it BENT the hydraulic press plunger deal.

 

[mpheinitz]

Nice build. Best of luck in STS2.

I noticed that you are replacing the suspension bushings with the FM poly. I had the same bushings on my other 1.6 Miata and discovered that they were binding within a year of installation, especially in the rear. This caused the car to snap loose and generally be unpredictable during cornering.

Be sure to lubricate the bushings well and inspect often. The control arms should freely move up and down.


/mike
1995 STS2

 

[aMaff]

Thank you sir! I definitely plan on taking my time with the re-install and making sure I get as much grease in there as it'll take . Basically, I'm just going to make a big mess.


Does anyone know if the bushings came with the lube or did you have to supply your own?

 

[autoxes]

must...not...make...sexual gay ass car club reference....

 

[moxnix]

Bushings came with lube but I needed more.

 

[autoxes]

Update, since Muff is a slacker:

Last night we got the bushings pressed out of the last control arm, I didn't bend it this time! The injectors came off and are going out to Witch Hunter to get cleaned and the valve cover came off and is getting a new gasket.

The suspension started to get reassembled, but didn't get too far on that.

 

[TinmanMS6]

Muff, you get 12 hours to make updates!!! After that, it's out of your hands.

 

[autoxes]

Fo' rizzle.

Give me a break dude, I have 5 hours until my next final! Lawl. I'm so bored.

 

[TinmanMS6]

Fo' rizzle.

Give me a break dude, I have 5 hours until my next final! Lawl. I'm so bored.

Which makes it that much funnier. Shouldn't you be a little more worried about the final? Focus, man!

Get off the internets!!!

 

[aMaff]

wait, you're actually supposed to study for finals?

But yeah... uhhhhh... what that autox guy said. Also I've got the new bushings at the house now, so I'm just waiting on a couple small things to show up before I start the reassembly process.
Mike, you also forgot that we got the old boots off the upper ball joints, got the new lower ball joints and outer tie rod ends installed. And it's witch hunter, not doctor . I've already made that mistake in the thread.

 

[autoxes]

It's a performance final in my super FABULOUS theatre appreciation class...I refuse to study for that, and haven't the slightest idea how to.

fale @ calling it Witch Doctor. I knew it was either hunter or doctor.

 

[TinmanMS6]

It's a performance final in my super FABULOUS theatre appreciation class...I refuse to study for that, and haven't the slightest idea how to.

fale @ calling it Witch Doctor. I knew it was either hunter or doctor.

Find your motivation!
(ugh)