EO2K

iTrader: (37)

Wow, that sucks. I've dealt with this pain:

My 1995 Miata was back-halved with a 90-93 so I ended up with a 1.6 diff and brakes. No buen.

My very first car was a ratty-assed 1965 Mustang that had be front-halved with a 67/68 by someone who only had a passing familiarity with the concept of "straight." That car was a mishmash of different year parts and it was almost impossible to get anything that fit right the first time (suspension, brakes, etc.)

I just hope it aligns correctly.

I also got nothin' for you on your hub.

curly

iTrader: (25)

I suggested rotating the driveshaft, but I've never marked a driveshaft before, and between over a dozen miatas with dropped shafts, engines, and diffs, I've never had an issue.

Harv

iTrader: (4)

Whoa.

Mobius

iTrader: (2)

Wow.

turbofan

iTrader: (1)

I can post pics. It looks to me like it was done properly and the car drives perfect so I'm not particularly concerned about it. Michelle still drove it that way

Midtenn

iTrader: (15)

Use a three jaw puller to push the axle out of the hub. Its worked a few times for me with stubborn axle shafts. Put a little anti-seize on the axle shaft when you slide it back it. I hear the ladies love it.

turbofan

iTrader: (1)

This is what I used:



wouldn't come out.

In better news, the eBay seller has shipped me the other (correct) lower control arm as resolution, at no extra cost to me. Woot. I also ordered a new control-arm-to-spindle bolt (the long, sucky, stuck one) from the dealer and it'll be here before Friday.

I'll be taking the axle out of the diff and taking the whole mess to a local machine shop to press it out real quick. This local shop will do super quick easy jobs like that for fwee, and they're around the corner from my house so it's easy.

Doing some research on bushings. I feel silly not replacing bushings while I'm doing all this work.

shlammed

iTrader: (8)

imo, some people would but I would get it driving straight before I spent more than I had to on it.

Mobius

iTrader: (2)

having replaced the bushings in my car ... I wouldn't do it to a car I was going to flip. It's not particularly expensive in terms of parts and it's not particularly hard work but it is tedious and time consuming and if your going to do any of them you should do all of them.

You should instead buy me a beer for saving you from all of the drudgery of replacing the bushings.

turbofan

iTrader: (1)

Lol... I'm talking about doing the bushings in the MSM, not the 10AE. The only way the MSM is getting flipped would be if I have another off-road excursion.

Makes sense about getting it driving straight first. I'm just thinking about it because I will have 3 of the 4 corners torn completely apart. Seems silly to not replace the bushings. I think I'm gonna do it. The car will drive straight when I'm finished.

Shopping commences tomorrow.

Unless you guys think bushings don't make any real difference. But I don't believe that is the case.

shlammed

iTrader: (8)

The bushings only. Make a noticeable difference if your current bushings are worn out.

curly

iTrader: (25)

I REALLY wouldn't bother. Its a LOT of work, and your argument is you're saving a few minutes of jacking and loosening a few nuts and bolts. Getting them off is the quick and easy part. Especially without a garage, I wouldn't tackle this right now.

Also, once you have stiffer bushings, you won't be able to move the bolts a little to fit in the bent tabs. Installing the diff in your 10ae was the easiest one I've ever done, because stock bushings.

Usually you have to raise it perfectly level so both go in exactly at the same time. But with the stock bushings, I shoved a screw driver in the hole, and it easily conformed to my wishes. It was great.

Don't give yourself any more of a headache than you need to right now.

turbofan

iTrader: (1)

That's a great point.

One more counter: many of the suspension parts I've purchased have bushings in them, and I have no idea how many miles are on them. The only part I'm sure about is the rear upper control arm, which is out of a 177k mile 10AE. So I'm not talking about replacing 80k mile MSM bushings, I'm talking about replacing bushings that are from unknown vehicles with unknown miles.

But I know it will be a pita, lol! Especially since I only have a carport: no vice, no workbench...

If you all still think it's best to pass, I will follow your sage advice.

Harv

iTrader: (4)

We did all the bushings on my car. It was a PITA with a full garage and two people working, one disassembling/reassembling (me) and one pressing out the bushings (my friend). Took us all day to do two cars and my friend has every air tool known to man as he was a mechanic for ten years.

Mobius

iTrader: (2)

Pass it for now. Put it on the list of "to-do" projects to make the car better after the car is fixed. You don't want to be in a hurry when doing this, because it's hard to do fast. When you get ready to do it make sure you have extras of the rubber boots for the front, I tore two of them. My personal recommendation would be mazdacomp engine mounts and diff bushings, poly everything else. Possibly mazdacomp everything else since it's a daily. My poly bushings squeak sometimes when it's cold out before they've been worked.

shlammed

iTrader: (8)

I used MMR diff mounts, they are awesome... though I had a professionally built diff as well. de-burred and proper backlash really helped keep the diff quiet.

I stick to my guns. You have a lot of work ahead of you. dropping an arm on a Miata is just a few bolts and an alignment. get the car together and do a DIY string alignment, get the car totally repaired, and then decide if you want to do bushings and then you only have to pay for 1 alignment.

TBH, I do all of my own alignments (string method) anyways.

Mobius

iTrader: (2)

And there's always the possibility one of your arms is slightly bent, even (especially?) replacement ones - you definitely want to know it aligns properly before you go through the PITA of doing bushings.

hornetball

iTrader: (4)

Rubber bushings on a Miata are exceptionally long lived unless you're in an area that heavily salts in winter.

The bushings on my silver car are original with a lot more than 200K on them. They're in great shape.

I've got poly with grease fittings on the red car . . . because racecar!

turbofan

iTrader: (1)

Alright, you talked me out of it.

This MSM won't be a daily, but judging by my lackluster skill thus far, I'll go the easy route for now. Thanks for saving me some headaches for now.

concealer404

iTrader: (3)

Bushings aren't really hard... it's just a day of shitty work. I'll be the dissenting vote and say do it, but with the knowledge that it's not that much more work to do it at another time down the road.

So... do it. But if it's not now, it's not a huge deal.

Shlammed, tell us more about the delrin diff bushings. Stupid/unbearable for a street car? I'm not opening the diff up to re-set all that ****, **** that noise.