Kapoosta Posted October 17, 2012 Share Posted October 17, 2012 Hello all, I recently had an inspection and found out that the rear subframe is rusted so much that it cannot pass inspection (metal is paper thin in some areas, cracks, etc). How hard is it to change out the subframe? There may be a parts car here in town that I can pull the subframe from but I'm not too sure how hard it would be to do this. Would it be easier to transfer the engine, transmission, etc. to the other vehicle instead of switching subframes? Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Towncivilian Posted October 17, 2012 Share Posted October 17, 2012 Your name means cabbage in Russian Also, WD21s have a frame, not a subframe like a unibody vehicle. Otherwise I have nothing to add, sorry. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kapoosta Posted October 17, 2012 Author Share Posted October 17, 2012 Haha yes it does. Hmm.. that sounds like it may be even more difficult to change frames then. Maybe it's better to switch the engine, transmission, etc instead... still sounds like a lot of work.. especially with the first snow fall just around the corner. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nunya Posted October 17, 2012 Share Posted October 17, 2012 People on here have swapped frames and patched/plated some really nasty looking ones. Might be worth looking into some solid patchwork, make it more solid than Nissan ever did! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ahardb0dy Posted October 17, 2012 Share Posted October 17, 2012 I don't know what is available where you live but you may want to look into finding another frame from a junkyard or another PF with a blown engine that has a good frame. It may be cheaper especially if you can not weld or do not have access to someone that can weld to swap frames than to try to fix what you already have. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kapoosta Posted October 17, 2012 Author Share Posted October 17, 2012 Much appreciated for the help. I do indeed have two PF's nearby that have blown engines/transmissions and are going for relatively cheap. Just have to go check out the condition of their frames. The only problem is I've never removed/installed a full engine before. I am also looking into patching it up. I used to work at a welding&machine shop so hopefully I can get someone to do me a favor. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ahardb0dy Posted October 17, 2012 Share Posted October 17, 2012 Well either way I'm sure you could find someone local to help. If you did decide to swap the frames, once the body is off it would be easier to pull the engine/trans. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kapoosta Posted October 17, 2012 Author Share Posted October 17, 2012 After talking with my friend at the welding shop, he said that he'd rather due an engine & transmission swap than trying to mess with welding patches on. I have done a bit of research but most of the time people are either swapping the engine or the transmission by itself instead of both. I'm assuming it's not possible to remove the tranny and engine at the same time (I will have a crane to lift the engine out). So basically the plan is: 1. Disconnect all wires, tubes, air intake, etc from engine/transmission. 2. Remove radiator and shroud. 3. Remove drive line components 4. Unbolt transmission from engine and frame. 5. Remove transmission and TC (is it easier just to pull it back, remove engine, then remove tranny from the engine bay?). 6. Unbolt engine from frame and lift it out using crane. 7. Repeat on other vehicle and then install in reverse order. When transferring these components to the other vehicle, is it better to take the drive line components with it? On my other car I always marked the location of the drive components with respect to the tranny and diff so that I can mate them in the same configuration to avoid unbalancing issues. This is an automatic transmission by the way.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andrewt6447 Posted October 17, 2012 Share Posted October 17, 2012 You could always cut the rear off a good frame and weld it into your buggered one.....may be easier depending on how far forward it's rusty. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slartibartfast Posted October 18, 2012 Share Posted October 18, 2012 You could always cut the rear off a good frame and weld it into your buggered one.....may be easier depending on how far forward it's rusty. My dad an I considered doing that with mine, but the cheapest local yard wanted $400 for just the rear frame from a WD. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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