B1ondini
1 posts
Joined: 21/02/2005 09:05:25
Location: Kings Lynn United Kingdom (Excluding channel Islands)
Rear Subframe mounting bolts.
Hi, hope someone can help. I have, unfortunately sheared the bottom two bolts (1 LHS, 1 RHS) on the rear subframe mounts. These are the ones that mount the subframe to the car. While drilling one out very carefully, my drill bit snapped! Following this, I was gently tapping the snapped, part drilled screw when it dissapeared into the sill along with the captive nut!! Is there anything that anyone can recommend to remedy this situation? My thoughts are to cut a hole in the sill (I have a replacement oversill already) and tack a new nut on the inside of the mounting point. Hope there is someone out there who can help.
Posted: Mar 09, 2005 03:50 PM
Tim
1849 posts
Joined: 18/10/2004 09:40:59
Location: Bournemouth United Kingdom (Excluding channel Islands)
Front Tower Bushes
I think you'll have to undo the subframe to floor mounting bolts as well, and possibly the subframe to front panel mounting bolts, but in theory you should only have to lift the body about 1 inch off the subframe to get at the rubber bushes that sit on top of the towers.
Posted: Jan 22, 2007 09:00 AM
front subframe mount
Do you mean the rubber-bonded mounting that holds the rear of the subframe to the front of the floor-pan? If so, and it's just the rubber that's come apart, they're very easy to replace: just jack up that corner of the car, undo the 4 bolts (two that go through the floor, two that go through the subframe) remove the old mounting and insert the new. The only tricky bit is aligning the holes to put the bolts through again - use a small screwdriver to wiggle it about, and don't tighten any of the nuts until you've got all 4 bolts back in.
Posted: Mar 27, 2008 04:43 PM
kevin shaw
26 posts
Joined: 24/01/2005 13:37:30
Location: Boston United Kingdom (Excluding channel Islands)
knock knock
have you looked at the rear front subframe to body mounts. or even the steering could be loose in the u bolts
Posted: May 16, 2007 09:14 PM
drivetrain noise
A single clonk is more likely to be a loose engine stabiliser or possibly one or more loose subframe mounting bolts.
Posted: Aug 29, 2008 12:43 PM
pickme
672 posts
Joined: 08/09/2004 23:10:14
Location: Chippenham United Kingdom (Excluding channel Islands)
Framed
Depends on which seats you get. Youve probably noticed (or not) that seats are available with base or side mount points. Generally, the more expencive and sporty they are, the more likely they are to have side mounts. Base mount - The easiest option because the tailored subframes bolt on to the standard brackets and even use the anti-tip brackets like the standard seats. Side mount - Bit tricker because the brackets for these are the long alloy ones that bolt onto the floor. Normally, these would be mounted behind the cross member the standard seats fix to, but this puts the seat too far back for normal road use (reaching the gear stick in the standard position is almost impossible) So, get ones with base mounts and get the tailored subframes for a mini and youll need nothing more than some spanners and a big screw driver (for the seat to subframe bolts) Also watch out for the shoulder width on some seats as it gets very close to the post the seatbelt mounts to.
Posted: Jul 07, 2005 07:26 PM
Crashnburn1981
158 posts
Joined: 04/12/2004 16:50:02
Location: glastonbury United Kingdom (Excluding channel Islands)
rear subframe again
Hi all, After all my woes with my rear subframe everything is now starting to take shape, on of my concers is that since the panel where the front of the rear subframe bolts up, has been beaten about a bit, will the rear subframe bolt up in the wrong position, all of the other mounting holes have stayed the same, ie the floor mounts and shock absorber mounts, so can i fit the subframe up to these holes and then use packing pieces where the subframe may not quite meet the panel, and how do i check if the subframe is lined up correctly, Cheers Nick
Posted: Feb 27, 2006 11:12 PM
Barry Brown
511 posts
Joined: 23/06/2008 12:08:31
Location: New Barn United Kingdom (Excluding channel Islands)
whole front panel
they are a pain to change as you have to drop the subframe a few inches to get them in which means undoing the track rod ends at the steering arms, undoing the intermediate exhaust hanger, the remote gearchange release mountsthe upper engine mount, speedo cable, fuel input line and both brake and clutch hydraulic lines at the bulkhead. the carb may have to come off as well to clear the bulkhead. Engine earth strap right inner wing, shock absorber top mounts and all the lower subframe mounts. You may need to remove the windscreen wiper motor as well to get to the left hand tower bolts. Personally I am surprised that the tower mount rubber gives this much looseness in the positioning but without the benefit of seeing them first hand the call is yours. I am going to differ from Tim on the choice of subframe mounts. Having fitted solid alloy front subframe mounts I can tell you that they much improve the handling. yes you do get more vibration but if you aren't doing lits of motorway work then most mini driver expect to live with a lot of noise. If you have a Mk3 bodyshell onwards then stick with the standard rubber rear subframe mounts as they stop the heelboard being turned into a one man jamaican steel band. On my Mk2 I have no rubber spacer - it is metal on metal as per the factory and this works well. you could try simply bolting your tower up tighter and changing the front subframe mounts. If that doesn't work then you know you have to drop the subbie.
Posted: Apr 22, 2013 09:51 AM
Principools
95 posts
Joined: 25/10/2005 00:47:23
Location: Crowborough United Kingdom (Excluding channel Islands)
,
Proabably worth getting assistance, with one doing the rocking turning etc and the other listening, check steering rack u bolts aswell. Other than that its a pain staking job of checking everything including subframe mountings suspension arms and knuckle joints untill you find the fault,,,,sorry if thats no help
Posted: Jan 12, 2006 04:12 PM
front subframe
The rear mounts on the front subframe will always look fine on the car. Its only a few bolts so they are simple to take off but you might find they fall to pieces once removed.
Posted: Apr 05, 2006 12:30 PM
wings
Most of the weight of the front end of the car is taken on the turrets and is held in place by the two big bolts, one on each side. Youll see these near the master cylinders on one side and the wiper motor on the other. The rear front subframe mounts hold the subframe on square and take a lot of the accelerating and braking loads. The mounts onto the front panel are mainly there to keep the panels in place and not a lot more. If this wasnt the case, flip fronts wouldnt be possible. So, make sure your turret bolts and rear front subframe mounts are done up tight before you cut the front off and for goodness sake dont undo them until its all back on again and you should be fine.
Posted: Apr 10, 2006 12:35 PM
Bad creaking/clicking noise!!!
I don't think it can be a driveshaft problem. It has to be either the engine steady bar, or the top subframe mounting on the driver's side, because either of those would transmit the noise to the bulkhead in front of the driver. the steady bar is easy to check - just grab the top of the engine and try to rock it backwards and forwards, but the top subframe mountings you can't do much about without dropping the subframe except check that the big bolts on the top are done up tight.
Posted: Jul 28, 2006 12:24 PM
Front subframe to floor mountings.
If I remember correctly, there should be two bolts holding the mounting to the floor, and another two bolts holding the mounting to the subframe. Are you saying you haven't got all 4 bolts fitted? A recipe for disaster, if you ask me!
Posted: Jan 18, 2007 09:18 AM
Nick
10 posts
Joined: 13/09/2004 23:16:10
Location: Inglewood New Zealand
Subframes in New Zealand
I have fitted the later subframe with the large tower mounting bolt, up to the Mk1 body which is currently on its side. The tower mounts fit!!!, the rear mounts fit but are in a different place (and I will need to flatten some strenghting ribs and drill new holes), but the front mounts will not fit with the teardrops between the subframe and body so will have to be solid mounted!! Will this cause any problems??
Posted: Dec 23, 2004 07:38 PM
Jake Holmes
172 posts
Joined: 14/02/2009 21:39:11
Location: Walton on Thames United Kingdom (Excluding channel Islands)
re
I'd check the balljoints, subframe mountings and ride height before worrying about things like CV joints. Jack car up, axle stands etc and rock the roadwheels back and forth at 6 and 12 and look for any movement. Worn balljoints, saggy rubber springs and loose or deteriorated subframe mountings can all cause this noise. Another thing worth checking/tightening is the steering rack to underbody u bolt nuts. They can become loose causing odd noises.
Posted: Mar 01, 2010 12:49 AM
abs
98 posts
Joined: 08/11/2007 20:20:11
Location: cornwall United Kingdom (Excluding channel Islands)
Re
Being a rally mini you would have the brake lines running inside the car along the exhaust tunnel so you could fit the valve there some where. I have seen them under the rear seat base but both my mini`s have them mounted on the bracket above the front subframe tower bolts on the drivers side.
Posted: Dec 11, 2010 06:43 PM
handling, cooper sportspack
The lack of welding between the front panel and the inner wing shouldn't affect the location of the subframe - if the subframe is moving it's because the front or rear mountings are disintegrating, and/or the top bolts and mounting rubbers are loose. Normally, you would feel subframe movement via the steering wheel, particularly when accelerating/decelerating.
Posted: Jul 16, 2007 11:47 AM
taffy1967
1783 posts
Joined: 27/09/2006 18:58:07
Location: Rhondda-Cynon-Taff United Kingdom (Excluding channel Islands)
Dry or rubber.
But the 1974 shell will have different subframe mounts, because for start it has the 2 bolt type tower mount. Where as the later Mini will have the single bolt.
So your going to have problems getting that subframe to fit.
Posted: Mar 19, 2007 11:57 PM
On a 1967 car the front of the front subframe should be bolted directly to the valance, I think - no rubber mounting involved. You may need to use some thick washers to pack out the gap, if there is one. If you've got two holes, that sounds like the later valance, where the rubber mounting is bolted to the top hole and the bottom one is for the locating stud (or it may be the other way round - can't remember). There should still be a big hole in the middle.
Posted: May 22, 2008 03:00 AM
need to change the rear subframe.
The difference between the two types of subframes is simply the exhaust pipe mountings. On the earlier ones the mountings are bolted to the subframe (and it should have holes in the appropriate places), and on the later ones the subframe has some metal hooks that take the rubber doughnut type of mounting, but it's not really a problem interchanging them as your local exhaust shop should be able to get you the necessary bits and pieces to mount your exhaust however you want.
I can't see any reason why you shouldn't use a subframe from a 1998 model, provided it's in good condition - remember that's 10 years old now and over here at least subframes can rot through in less than that. Make sure you give it a good clean up and several coats of paint before fitting it - you don't want to have to do the job again in a year's time.
Be aware that you may have problems unbolting your old subframe. In particular, the bolts at the front of the subframe that go into the back end of the sill (behind the rear seat) can rust solid and snap off when you try to remove them. The best thing is to soak in penetrating oil for several days. If you can get access to the ends of the bolts inside the sills (via the bottom of the cubby boxes at each end of the rear seat) soak them as well.
Posted: Jul 31, 2008 12:45 PM