Non-BMW Stuff on a BMW Forum

[gilber33]

I use FCP whenever possible. They just don't have all of the o-rings. RM European actually has the o-rings and the parts I'm looking for a little cheaper than FCP this time. With that said, I would spend a few more dollars to still use FCP if they had the o-rings.

[gilber33]

I got all the holes patched and sealed with seam sealer. Next I’ll paint the floors with Por15 to protect everything and do the same on the patches on the outside.

Then need to replace the heater core, put down new sound deadening, dye the carpets and the interior can go back together. 

[gilber33]

Can anyone chime in if this looks correct? Installing the revshift TAB are a pain in the ass. I got one side in but it seems like there’s a gap where there shouldn’t be. The metal sleeve feels like it’s a 1/16” too long which means when the bushings are fully pressed in the sleeves protrudes past the bushing on each side a bit. So when they’re mounted to the subframe, I had to pound the trailing arms into the mounts, then because the sleeve is longer than the bushing, it creates a small gap between the trailing arm and the inside edge of the bushing  

 

here’s the other side where you can see it a little better. 

 

[Jdesign]

I don't believe you want a gap in the bushings. A quick internet search I found a lot of images of them tight against the arm with a little gap between the subframe and arm. I would need to look back through my thread to see how mine looked, but I can reassure you the bushings should be tight to the arms.

[gilber33]

Jdesign said:

I don't believe you want a gap in the bushings. A quick internet search I found a lot of images of them tight against the arm with a little gap between the subframe and arm. I would need to look back through my thread to see how mine looked, but I can reassure you the bushings should be tight to the arms.

Everything I have found suggests the same thing. I would believe that the sleeve should be the same length as the bushing when it's pressed in so you hare tightening the arm into the subframe and remove all gaps. But the sleeve being longer than the bushings when they're pressed in is giving me this gap. I know the rubber bushings have a small gap between the arm and the subframe, but they're fixed to trailing arm, they can't slide side to side, where these can. 

Fucking revshift.

Now - do I trim the sleeves or call revshift and deal with that bullshit again. 

[Jdesign]

Return them and buy something else. Thats super annoying. I would have wanted a refund before they even arrived.

[gilber33]

Jdesign said:

Return them and buy something else. Thats super annoying. I would have wanted a refund before they even arrived.

I'm so excited to talk to them again. 

Looking at Garagistic's, they're sleeve is flush with the bushings: 

I am incredibly annoyed. My wife is due on the 29th with our third kid and this is one thing I wanted done before the baby came because it's a relatively time consuming and dirty job. I need to order something today so they're here by this weekend hopefully.

[Boris3]

see last post here. Revshift replies on same issue

https://www.r3vlimited.com/board/forum/e30-technical-forums/suspension-unsprung/brakes-subframe-arms/253855-revshift-rtab-issues

[gilber33]

Boris3 said:

see last post here. Revshift replies on same issue

https://www.r3vlimited.com/board/forum/e30-technical-forums/suspension-unsprung/brakes-subframe-arms/253855-revshift-rtab-issues

That person has the opposite issue. Their sleeve is too short.

I can try installing them again with their method. But even when the bushings were fully seated, and the sleeve installed, the sleeve stuck out one side 1/16" or so. I had to use a mallet to pound the trailing arms into the subframe brackets because the sleeve was that much wider than the bracket.

[Boris3]

Just out of curiosity if you assemble the pieces without installing them in the trailing arm, like the garagistic picture above, does the sleeve fit flush?

[Boris3]

Reason I ask is that the trailing arms bend. It would help to rule out if the issue is the arms or the revshift setup.  No dog in this fight. I've got the Garagistic reenforced subframe and bushings in my car.    

[gilber33]

Boris3 said:

Just out of curiosity if you assemble the pieces without installing them in the trailing arm, like the garagistic picture above, does the sleeve fit flush?

I'll try tonight. When I took them out of the packaging I noticed that with the bushings "installed" on the bench - not in the traling arm - the sleeve protruded out quite a bit. I thought it was weird but assumed that's how it was supposed to be.

[straight6pwr]

so the bushings fit fine, but you've pulled one side out (and created that gap) to match it to the length of the metal sleeve?

does the length of the metal sleeve match the gap between the subframe brackets?

[gilber33]

straight6pwr said:

so the bushings fit fine, but you've pulled one side out (and created that gap) to match it to the length of the metal sleeve?

Bushings fit into the arm fine. I installed both bushings flush. Pressed in the sleeve and it sticks out one side pretty significantly. The gap is shown between the arm and the lip of the bushing because they must have shifted around during install. I didn't intentionally create that gap there. I had installed the arms with the bushings flush against the arms and the gap at one side (as shown in my pic below). But the act of pounding them in must have created the gap where it is.  

straight6pwr said:

does the length of the metal sleeve match the gap between the subframe brackets?

Not at all. I needed to use a mallet to pound the trailing arms into the brackets. Here's a rough sketch to show the difference between the bushing and the bracket. 

Edit: I finally got a hold of someone at Revshift and they said that the small gap is to be expected. He said that their bushings and sleeve have a small amount of "play" in them to ensure they fit for variations in the size of the subframe brackets due to age of the car and inconsistencies in production of the car. He said that once everything is put together; springs, shocks, swaybars, etc., that little bit of gap will not affect anything. He did say he has had customers trim down the sleeve to fit their car better, but that you need to be careful doing that because you do not want to be tightening the subframe brackets against the bushings since the bushings need to rotate on the sleeve, and the not the control arm rotating on the bushings. 

Still a little skeptical. Part of me wants to toss in OEM rubber bushings and call it a day.

[The Full Banana]

Looks like they've designed them to enhance snap oversteer for additional ditch trajectory.

[Jdesign]

Just shave it down a hair and be done with it. you will find out later if it matters or not when you are winching the car from a ditch.

[gilber33]

I'm taking them out and trimming the sleeves.

[jc43089]

Maybe measure the length of the sleeves on the original bushings and trim these to match?

[gilber33]

jc43089 said:

Maybe measure the length of the sleeves on the original bushings and trim these to match?

That is a really good idea had I not thrown the old ones away after I melted them.

[gilber33]

Bushings flush on the arm and the sleeve flush on one side. This is how much it sticks out. 

 

Sleeves trimmed and test fitted. I have new poly grease coming from amazon to lube it all up.