Just ordered Powerflex LCAs from Way Motor Works, plus all ball joints, power steering hoses, steering rack bushing, sway bar bushings, cam sensor O-ring and motor mount from other suppliers. That damn front subframe is coming down!

God help me...

 

I also just replaced all of those, well the shop did. Good luck it's a task, might as well add oil pan gasket to the list.

 

Nah, I'm of the "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" school. I understand and respect preventive maintenance, and "while you're in there..." but breaking a good gasket seal for nothing isn't on that list.

 

if you insist

 

And you don't need to drop the frame to do the oil pan anyhow.

 

Pass door lock actuator R&R - Check!
Motor mount R&R - Check!
Cam sensor O-ring R&R - Check!
L&R strut mounts R&R - Check!

Still have LCAs, all four ball joints, both axles, power steering hoses to do. Strut mounts were a huge improvement: no more groaning, no more steering fighting me while at a standstill.

One note for the motor mount: ModMini's DIY states the long under-bolt is a Torx E10. Mine, at least, was an E12. E10 is actually pretty tiny. So if you're buying specific sockets to do the job, you should go ahead and invest in a set of Torx E sockets anyway.

 

Hey Filmy, PM me? I'd love to know how much this all cost you. I'm getting some unpleasant feedback through my wheel, and my 05 still has all of the stock rubber. Time to do some wrenching.

 

Just did this this weekend!

Don't make the same mistake I did when installing the inner ball joints. Bolt them to the subframe before you bring it back up! I made the mistake of attaching the ball joint to the control arm and waiting to bolt it to the subframe until it was back up...ended up wasting an afternoon fighting the geometry of everything down there just to get the damn bolts in.

I didn't check any DIY's in my overconfidence, I think you might be able to just attach the control arms to the subframe before bringing it up altogether. I didn't because I didn't know how easy getting the bushing on the end of the control arm into the bushing on the bracket would be. The Powerflex grease is really nice, almost looks like it has some copper in it or something.

 

Good tip, thanks! How did your ball joints separate - easily? Did you need a separator tool?

 

Yes, a seperator tool is a must. I got this one and it was really fun to use.

Make sure you back the nut off but do not remove it, when the ball joint pops out, it will shoot if you don't keep the nut on.

 

That's kinda hilarious because I already bought the exact same tool from Amazon, and it arrived today.

Yeah, I was concerned about being F'd if I couldn't separate the joints; car would be up on jack stands, no ride options, AutoZone is miles away... I have a pickle fork which has done me well over the years as long as I'm not trying to save the rubber boot on the joint - which is the case in this case. And while I was on Amazon, I also broke down and bought tie rod ends and new hubs/bearings. I figured what the hell, the car has 107K on the clock, why not just do it all.

 

Okay, this is getting uncanny. You and I are literally copying each other's build/refresh, just on opposite sides of the US, lol. I literally just bought tie rod ends and strut mounts

That is my new favorite tool, by the way. The sound of a ball joint exploding out is just so satisfying. Especially awesome when you get a little magic cloud of smoke from the sheer force of the separation.

 

My mechanic had to cut mine out with a saw. They get fused on there over the years.

 

An update on my front suspension/steering refresh...

I did the strut mounts, RS engine mount and cam sensor O-ring myself. I'd been putting off dropping the subframe and doing the bulk of the refresh (hot weather, fear of busting my hands/knuckles up, etc); I even bought a ball joint separator, pry bar and other tools to DIY all of it.

But at the end of the day, it just wasn't worth it for me to DIY it. I ended up taking the car to a Mini mechanic and having them install the parts I had already bought:
all four ball joints
tie rod ends
poly LCAs
poly steering rack bush
poly sway bar bushings
wheel bearings
power steering hoses
(had them do a brake fluid flush while it was there)

They refused to install my new aftermarket axles, and instead had my one (pass side) OEM axle replaced with a rebuilt (torn boot only). In doing so, they also replaced my tranny fluid with fresh.

Had it aligned this morning. So it's done!

I also bought and installed a D1 Spec 7 throttle controller (similar to the Speed Booster). The jury's still out on the benefits. All I really wanted was for the throttle to respond sooner off the pedal from 0 MPH. The D1 does help a bit, but is more tuned for upper-throttle response. Worth it? Not sure yet.

To date, mods, major repairs and updates are:
4 Kumho Ecsta tires, 205/45-17
Rota RB wheels in hyper black
drilled and slotted rotors (new pads & sensors)
removed the H/K audio system and replaced with aftermarket (amp, speakers, Bluetooth/SiriusXM (never pay Sirius - ever!)/iPod modules, steering wheel buttons adapter)
swapped steering wheel for 3-spoke
wrapped the dash in CF vinyl
dash cam
chrome gauge & shifter trim rings package
cabin filter
rear hatch locking module
Alta short-shifter & CF ****
15% Alta pulley, colder plugs
new belt & tensioner
new plug wires
air filter
crank position sensor O-ring
new harmonic balancer (OEM) "crank pulley"
upper engine mount (pass side)
cam sensor O-ring
Dorman radiator fan resistor repair kit (don't buy this)
coolant flush
R134 A/C refrigerant recharge
D1 Spec 7 Drive throttle controller
upper strut mounts
power steering fan (under warranty)
Powerflex LCA bushings
polyurethane sway bar bushings
poly steering rack bushing
wheel hub bearings
tie rod ends
both power steering hoses
rebuilt RS axle
new trans fluid
flushed brake fluid
alignment...

I'm sure there's more that I can't remember right now; I don't even want to add it all up. The car's kind of perfect right now, but I'll sell it to you for $17,409.00 delivered to your door in the continental United States.

 

how hard a job were the wheel hub bearings?

 

As I said above, I had the shop do them but they're very easy. You have to remove the axle nut, but there are only 4 bolts holding it on after you pull off the rotor.