Firstfives.org

It just says to remove the 17mm bolt(s).

Ha ho ho, right. A standard 17mm box wrench starts it loose, but the top of the bolt begins contacting the frame to restrict taking the wrench off to reposition. If that bolt is anything but a stubby, good luck.

No way I see to use the open end of the wrench. So,...what's the trick ? BMW special tool #...

I have not replaced my bushings here yet just because of this. I believe that the subframe must be lowered in order to do this operation. I'm going to find out soon for sure

Maybe someone else who has done it can say how far one has to go: is it possible to loosen the subframe bolts and get a little room? Enough just to get the sway bar retainer out?

^ yuck. I want to do this eventually too

I thought of, "Loosening the subframe," just a small dab. For a mili-second. Sure, the thing the engine is sitting on.

I had a '60 Austin Healey 3000. The clutch pedal went to the floor, to get out the fix it book. Remove clutch master cylinder, Step 1. Remove engine.

So far four sources say very simply to remove the bolts. Apparently to save the ink necessary to add the sentences necessary to explain how.

I've done it, but it was ~20 years ago. I do not recall doing anything like loosening the subframe. I removed it from an E12 and installed it on an E3. I don't remember any extra clearance, but it fit.

You've made me laugh, like the instructions in the books.

Review, they say, " Remove the bolts." I say o.k., how ? I can't get a wrench to fit over the bolt, around the bolt,...

To just have read your reply, " You've done it."

Cool.

How ?

Thank you,

I have done it a few times and it is a tight fit to be sure. Lowering the subframe a smidge does help and is really not that big a deal if you want to go that route (4 big bolts; Do be careful not to loosen too far, but if you are, things should be fine.)

That said, I have gotten them in and out without moving the subframe at all. I believe my tool of choice has been the box end of an SK 17mm stubby combination wrench. And a mallet to get it started/to finish it. Yes, it takes a little patience moving 15* at a time or something but before long it comes loose enough to spin with fingers and then it's whee whee whee.

What's special about the SK stubby, I guess, is out of all my tools, I suppose it has the thinnest walled box end. Find yours.

KenB

T.Hanson wrote:You've made me laugh, like the instructions in the books.

Review, they say, " Remove the bolts." I say o.k., how ? I can't get a wrench to fit over the bolt, around the bolt,...

To just have read your reply, " You've done it."

Cool.

How ?

Thank you,

Well, I wanted to confirm it could be done. And since it was ~20 years ago I'm not sure of the details. My best guess is either all open end or I cracked it with a box and then used an open end. Nothing fancy though.

Nothing fancy is right. The perfect thin 17mm box, open end wrench that works great is in the tool assortment inside the boot (trunk lid.)

D'oh.

Back to zero. To remove the front stabilizer bar the sub frame must be dropped. Fact, unless one wishes to custom cut a 17mm thin box wrench and spend a day thumble fumming starting the bolts back in, once one spent the other day fumble thumbing the bolts out.

I have seen the enemy and it is (no) clearance.

I think it's a close enough call that it may actually vary from car to car whether it's possible to do. Of course, the right box end and some patience will make all the difference. The ideal tool would be a ratcheting box end with thin enough walls to fit in there. Doubt such a tool exists in reality, though.

Still, as I said above, dropping the subframe a tad to make the little bit of extra space you need isn't a huge project.

Good luck!

Ken

I just did this a couple months ago. I'll throw in another vote for doable w/o removing the subframe. I'm almost positive that the tool kit Heyco wrench with fairly thin wall was critical. I may have started it with the open end.

It's certainly a tight fit there. If the bolt was just a little longer, the head would hit the frame before it's out.

I changed mine back in the winter and had to drop the sub frame slightly. It's not a big deal, just be sure not to screw it out too far...
About 1 cm or a third of an inch should be enough. But it's still hell to get those damn bolts back in with the new bushings.