Did you happen to snap off the captive nuts for the chassis brace that bolts onto the bottom of the front subframe? Those snapped while removing mine and it doesn't seem like there's any way to access those bolt holes to weld new nuts in, or even enough access to use a free nut to bolt it up. I'm probably going to have to drill a couple access holes to address it, which I'd rather avoid if possible. Anyway, great video! Was curious about getting the plate in the pocket welded up right.
Cheers for taking the time to watch the video! Sounds like you're in a bit of strife with those captive nuts. I didn't have such an issue, sounds like yours might've rusted perhaps? Or the subframe bolts were torqued too much? Not sure exactly, but yeah it sounds like you're going to have to cut an access hole on top of the chassis rail to weld nuts back in there. Will be a bit of work, but should come up good once done, if you're handy with a welder it shouldnt be a major issue, just a solid few hours of work. Theres no other way to fix it that I know of...if it wasnt holding the whole engine up, I'd suggest Rivnuts as an easy alternative, but wouldn't use them in this situation. All the best with it!
@@DomsE36Garage Yeah I figured that's what I'd have to do. As I've done a resto-mod on my E36 I've realized the previous owner was quite foolish with their work lol, so who knows what caused the break. I've been practicing with the MIG for the last year in preparation for this project so I'm fairly comfortable with it. Appreciate the quick response! All the best.
Also the strut tower reinforcement plates does it really help? My front strut tower paint is starting to crack n I’m afraid the strut tower body might crack in the future.
Just do it, saves heartache later. I have done my rear strut tops, not the fronts yet but i run a strut brace so that helps spread the load similar to a reinforcement plate
Mate what do you think do I have to do these reinforcements if put it on the tracks? Did you reinforce your rear end subframe and trailer arm bushing brackets?
I completely tore a front subframe mounting point back when the car was my daily, so I'd definitely think about doing it. Havent said that, I've haf this subframe in and tracked the car for the last 5yrs without reinforcements and no issues to date, not to say it wouldnt start cracking soon. Plus if you run stiffer than normal mounts, it would help prevent cracks
And yes, my rear subframe is reinforced as well as the RTAB pockets. My rear subframe was completely shot (again when it qas a daily driven car) and cost a lot to repair. So definitely recommend reinforcement everywhere before problems occur if you can
DomsE36Garage thanks for these information! Only think worry about is the cost. As a student I can maximum invest $2000 currently for this otherwise I’ll get a mx5 for track instead.
@@lalala-ky1sp trust me, it'll cost you a lot more if you actually crack one of those weak spots. If you can do the welding and wrenching yourself, you can do all the work for under $500
