tintedpane.com

Weekend Breakdown:

• Went to Autoscope for alignment. instead found out front subframe has a hairline crack. also found out control arm bushing brackets i installed two summers ago was put in backwards.
• A guitar concert — stuffy british guy. thanks will!
• R&R’d shihab’s ITR brakes. took two days. two hurdles: rotor locator screws/bolts, incompressible rear piston. solutions: drilling and chiseling. (chiseling works better.) use web, found out due to integrated disc parking brake, piston screws in clockwise to retract. (just remember to pump the brake pedal before complaining about too much parking brake handle travel.)
• Decided I didn’t want to miss next sunday’s autocross due to sick car.

So this week:

• Order lots of car parts. A lot of two day and 3 day shipping. Slaps meself.
• Monday: disconnect swaybar. remove control arm bushing bracket from chassis
• Tuesday: Bought more chains and D-rings for engine jack, MagLite Xenon Bulb — lots brighter btw, rented 3 arm fixed puller ($80 deposit — ouch!). Figuring out how to remove bushing bracket from control arm (and actually doing so), priceless. The technique:
1. Use puller to stretch bushing out to cracking point. Snip/cut at bushing while lubing with PB Blaster.
2. Wriggle for a long time.
3. Bust out propane torch and heat metal/burn rubber. Blow out flames while torching. Watch out for burning other stuff.
4. Repeat until rubber breaks completely from control arm and all that is left is the metal/rubber sleeve.
5. Now take puller and easily remove the rest. (Since the puller can now pull directly on the metal sleeve.
6. Repeat for other side.

Voila!