How to drop front subframe?
#1
MBWorld Fanatic!
Thread Starter
How to drop front subframe?
I want to strip a written off E55. I've done it before but took the engine out from the top, which was extremely annoying.
So the car in question is lifted right now. I'm thinking of just dropping the whole subframe from the bottom.
Does anyone know if that's possible with the engine attached?
So the car in question is lifted right now. I'm thinking of just dropping the whole subframe from the bottom.
Does anyone know if that's possible with the engine attached?
#3
MBWorld Fanatic!
Thread Starter
I had a look today, it looks possible. The only reason I ask is because when I was pulling apart this M5 V10, I had help from this guy who told me Mercs have some irremovable bar across the body shell or something which I knew was probably not true. It's alot easier dropping it from the bottom especially is you're gonna throw the body shell away.
#4
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#8
MBWorld Fanatic!
Thread Starter
Yes I did and it was VERY easy.
You need to disconnect the steering, one bolt, hard to see and reach but once you undo it, the 2 ends slip off each other.
You need to undo all the pipes and wires and fittings.
I did the rear subframe at the same time, both dropped at once so I had to undo the gearbox support (jack the gearbox prior a little and put a wooden piece under the sump, you need to do this as the gearbox will drop and DO NOT BE UNDER IT).
Undo the driveshaft crossbeam and the middle part (jack the driveshaft too). Also there's that heat shielding, you only need to undo the ones under the driveshaft, in it's way.
You need to disconnect an electrical cable for the starter I think and also the ground wire on the gearbox.
You also need to disconnect the handbrake.
You need to take off the calipers and hang them.
The ball joint for those 2 metal arms at the front attaching the body and subframe needs to be undone. It's the one in front of the front strut. The front strut needs to be undone from the top too.
The rear subframe is 4 bolts and the front is 6.
The exhaust also need to be dropped but only the piece after the cats. The headers and 2 cats don't need to be unbolted.
NOTE: YOU NEED TO BE VERY CAREFUL WHEN WORKING LIKE THIS. I jacked up everything in a very safe way to eliminate all risk. Don't start unbolting things that are heavy and under tension.
Also, I dropped both, you probably don't need to do that. If you're gonna do the front only then unbolt the driveshaft, 3 bolts. Never be directly under the thing you're unbolting if it's a driveshaft or gearbox crossbeam, subframe.
The subframe bolts can be accessed from the side, no need to even be under the car. You need to jack the subframe up before unbolting to take the tension and weight off those bolts to make them easy to open and also avoid the subframe falling.
I did it perfectly smoothly because I made sure everything I needed to unbolt/remove was done.
There's ALOT of ways to do this, it depends on the equipment you have. If you have a hoist then you could technically lift the car off the subframes.
I took off the wheels because I didn't have the car high enough to clear the subframe being able to come out from the front with the wheels on but if you have the car jacked up high enough you could just leave the wheels on.
Again, be very careful when doing things like this, jacking up cars and dropping subframes. Crush injuries are no joke, be safe and have extra safety measures in place. Personally I don't trust jack stands but if you're gonna use them, have wheels with tires on them under the car at a height enough to at least protect you if the car falls.
You need to disconnect the steering, one bolt, hard to see and reach but once you undo it, the 2 ends slip off each other.
You need to undo all the pipes and wires and fittings.
I did the rear subframe at the same time, both dropped at once so I had to undo the gearbox support (jack the gearbox prior a little and put a wooden piece under the sump, you need to do this as the gearbox will drop and DO NOT BE UNDER IT).
Undo the driveshaft crossbeam and the middle part (jack the driveshaft too). Also there's that heat shielding, you only need to undo the ones under the driveshaft, in it's way.
You need to disconnect an electrical cable for the starter I think and also the ground wire on the gearbox.
You also need to disconnect the handbrake.
You need to take off the calipers and hang them.
The ball joint for those 2 metal arms at the front attaching the body and subframe needs to be undone. It's the one in front of the front strut. The front strut needs to be undone from the top too.
The rear subframe is 4 bolts and the front is 6.
The exhaust also need to be dropped but only the piece after the cats. The headers and 2 cats don't need to be unbolted.
NOTE: YOU NEED TO BE VERY CAREFUL WHEN WORKING LIKE THIS. I jacked up everything in a very safe way to eliminate all risk. Don't start unbolting things that are heavy and under tension.
Also, I dropped both, you probably don't need to do that. If you're gonna do the front only then unbolt the driveshaft, 3 bolts. Never be directly under the thing you're unbolting if it's a driveshaft or gearbox crossbeam, subframe.
The subframe bolts can be accessed from the side, no need to even be under the car. You need to jack the subframe up before unbolting to take the tension and weight off those bolts to make them easy to open and also avoid the subframe falling.
I did it perfectly smoothly because I made sure everything I needed to unbolt/remove was done.
There's ALOT of ways to do this, it depends on the equipment you have. If you have a hoist then you could technically lift the car off the subframes.
I took off the wheels because I didn't have the car high enough to clear the subframe being able to come out from the front with the wheels on but if you have the car jacked up high enough you could just leave the wheels on.
Again, be very careful when doing things like this, jacking up cars and dropping subframes. Crush injuries are no joke, be safe and have extra safety measures in place. Personally I don't trust jack stands but if you're gonna use them, have wheels with tires on them under the car at a height enough to at least protect you if the car falls.
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BoostedAero (07-28-2016)
#9
Sooooo I come from a 440WHP Snaab Club so yea... I like to plan...ahead bc you like 600 instead of 440
you know you know what I am saying
live learn be beter
you know you know what I am saying
live learn be beter
Last edited by BoostedAero; 07-28-2016 at 03:49 AM.