Those of you who have removed and reinstalled the rear subframe at some point, has anybody tried some clever means of bolting the exhaust brackets back on in a way that makes them easier to remove in the future? Not that I'm planning on having to do mine again, but given some of the issues I'm having with the poly bushings from Powerflex, it is possible that I will have to at some point. I'm thinking a spring nut may do the trick, like this one:

 

Well, I guess that when you tackle the more unusual jobs and ask questions, you don't get many replies
I received the spring nuts and think they will work. They may try to rotate a bit when I torque the bolts, but the edges of the brackets should catch them.
I'll also need to replace the bolts with slightly longer ones. Flat headed socket cap screws and a lock washer seem like a good idea.

 

Apologies, a tad late, although I was having a look last night:- member RaceDiagnostics welded studs in place to facilitate reassembly:
https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/x...2/#post1410249

Unfortunately, the pics are no longer there.

 

Thanks!
Yeah, welded studs would be the best option by far but that's beyond my current capabilities (I have big plans for both equipment and skills upgrades this summer though!).

 

Assuming we are thinking of the same position, that is each side above the diff pinion, mine has captive welded nuts, obviously factory fitted.
Not an issue for me since l run an under axle system at the rear.

 

Ok, I have egg on my face now, you're absolutely right, there are captive nuts on the brackets. In my stash of remaining hardware, there are four M8-1.25 nuts that I assumed were for the exhaust bracket bolts. I now recall they are for the exhaust clamps that I intended to rotate out of the way, but turned out to be spot-welded. It's clearly been too long since I took things apart.
Not much choice then, the bolts have to go in from above. Damn...

 

Hi I am going to run with the under axle method here in UK, however almost no info, do you have any photos please!

 

Hi I am attempting to run with the under axle method.. Do you have any photos please!

 

Ok, so re-bolting the exhaust bracket is every bit the pain I expected, maybe even worse.
I can get the outboard bolts into the hole, but they insist on cross-threading no matter how I wiggle the bracket around.

New idea: I'm going to attempt the spring nut idea, but in M6 instead of M8. That I may be able to put an M6 bolt through the welded M8 nut from underneath. There should be a minimal amount of strength needed here so I don't see that down-sizing the bolt size will make any difference. I don't think this will work on the inboard side since access is even worse there, but maybe the regular bolt will work in those once the bracket is tightened down on the outboard side. Quite possibly a fools hope, we'll see.

 

Private message sent.

 

well I've been waiting for you to show me an easier way of reattaching...hurry as I'd like to get mine back together this year!
wj

 

No pressure, right?
The M6 will be delivered Tuesday, I'll report back if they make it any easier for me.
What's particularly irritating, as well as a bit ironic, is that I am not sure those brackets are needed on mine. I have the Adamesh over-axle pipes and they are damn near rigid as it is without being bolted to the frame. I doubt I'd ever know the difference if I just removed the brackets altogether.

 

Yeh, I wouldn't take the chance...use the bracket!
wj

 

You know those annoying people that always seem to come up with a great solution when it's too late to be useful? That's me...every time.

Here's what I'd do if I had to do this job again (a revolting thought):
I'd get some M8x1.25 all-thread (or long bolts) and cut four 35mm pieces. Clean up the threads and, while the subframe is still on the ground, screw them into the welded nuts in the exhaust mounts from above until they poke through. Put lock washers and acorn nuts on the exposed threads on the bottom ends and tighten. There are now four studs protruding ~15mm up from the mounts. Once the the subframe is lifted into the place, it'll be easy to force the exhaust brackets onto the studs and finish off with lock washers and regular hex nuts.

Why do it this way? Because in the almost non-existent maneuvering room, I guarantee it'll be a helluva lot easier to fit nuts onto protruding studs than trying to wriggle bolts into holes that do not want to line up, as my numerous failed attempts testify. Tightening the nuts will still be a bit of a pain because of the limited space, can't fix that. A flex-head 72-teeth ratcheting 12-point box wrench will help though.

Since my subframe is already in place, I could only partially act on this idea. I took two 30mm M8 bolts, which I could just fit in the space and screwed them into the outboard weld nuts from below. I then finished with lock washers and hex nuts as described above, see photo. It was very reassuring to find that both exhausts felt absolutely rigid with just the one bolt in place in each mount.

For the inboard ones, I may have no choice but to continue trying with the original bolts as there is not enough clearance to get a bolt in from below in those. Using long needle-nose pliers I was able to get one of the bolts into the hole and begin to tighten, but found that it was cross threaded, and that's where I left it last night. I'll try again tonight, and maybe see if I can come up with a new plan.

 

When i re fitted my rear subframe i put those exhaust bolts back in before i lifted the frame fully up in order to get a little more room. Not the easiest job i agree but easier on replacement. Overall i didnt find the bolts that difficult. Just saying!