SPL diff bushings

tranceformer · 11-02-2011, 11:34 PM

I broke my rear diff bushing a few months ago, and I had a set of these bushings laying around (never got to install em on my 350Z). Can't have the diff flopping around like that so I dropped off the car & some parts at jnaut's shop (J Spec Auto). J Spec Automotive Inc.

Yep, solid aluminum diff bushings from SPL. These are a set made for a 350Z but I had Jason aka jnaut squeeze them into my Z. What a royal pain in the *** these were. It took quite some time & effort to remove the rear bushing. Squeezing the aluminum bushing was slightly less annoying (but still a pain the ***). NOTE: The 350Z bushing was slightly oversized and needed some work to be squeezed into the 370Z subframe. Installing the front set were cake by comparison. The entire rear subframe had to be dropped from the car to get the job done. And yes an alignment was needed afterwards. Perfect opportunity to install a set of rear camber arms.

How do they drive? I picked up my Z from the shop and went on a 180 mile road trip to the other side of FL. DAMN these bushings are LOUD. Any and all gear whine is transmitted throughout the entire cabin. Certain mph ranges are worse than others but highway speeds are tolerable. Note: I had Jason install another pumpkin with 4.08 gears at the same time. These gears had a little bit of a whine (in comparison to my stock 3.7 gears). On the brightside, shifting seems smoother but then again I had all the fluids replaced for this visit as well. No wheel hop on the street. Car feels planted onto the road.

The road trip gave me some time to think about what to do about this? So I grabbed a sheet of 45mil (approx. 1mm) thick EPDM rubber liner and gave it to Jason to squeeze between the bushings & subframe in an attempt to quiet down the noise. He ended up putting a few pieces between the subframe and body as well to reduce the noise. In the end it helped. Noise was reduced and now it is liveable (but still noticeable over stock). Would I daily drive the bushings w/o the rubber insulation? HELL NO. Would I daily drive with the rubber insulation? Yes.

Props to Jason @ J Spec Auto for all this work done to my Z!!! I had decent amount of work done on this visit and the car feels awesome. THANKS!!

http://jspecautomotive.com/

PICTURES!!!!!

tranceformer · 11-02-2011, 11:44 PM

CLIFFS NOTES:
-stock bushing is a piece of sh*t
-SPL aluminum diff bushing set (from a 350Z) adapted to my Z
-350Z bushing is slightly larger diameter than 370Z bushing
-removing stock rear bushing sucks hairy ballsack
-installing aluminum rear bushing sucks hairy ballsack (could have been avoided if I had access to a lathe)
-installed bushings feel great but noisy as f*ck
-fitted 1mm sheets of EPDM rubber between subframe & bushings and between subframe & body; helped make the noise tolerable
-should be less noise w/ stock gears
-I wish I knew someone was working on a set of urethane bushings earlier

modme · 11-02-2011, 11:47 PM

So the 350z bushing is not the same size as the 370z? Or was it just sanded down because it was difficult to install?

tranceformer · 11-02-2011, 11:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by modme

So the 350z bushing is not the same size as the 370z? Or was it just sanded down because it was difficult to install?

350Z bushing is:
1) slightly larger in diameter (requires some machining)
2) slightly longer, not important, it just sticks out a little bit on our subframes

Just contact SPL for the 370Z specific kit, or wait for a urethane replacement set. I didn't feel like waiting for the SPL bushings and already had these on hand. Someone had to try it.

Thanks again to Jnaut, I would have burned my car to ground out of frustration if I attempted this myself.

6mtg37s · 11-03-2011, 04:20 AM

I'm just worried about the bushing comming off of the subframe. I want to do this myself, hope it goes smoothly.

tranceformer · 11-03-2011, 07:17 AM

from what i saw, it was a ton of fun getting the stock bushing out. i'll let jnaut chime in and put in his 2 cents.

BuckeyeZ · 11-03-2011, 07:27 AM

Out of curiosity.....how do you break a rear diff bushing??

fuct · 11-03-2011, 09:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BuckeyeZ

Out of curiosity.....how do you break a rear diff bushing??

good question. i have no idea how i did it.

tranceformer · 11-03-2011, 02:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BuckeyeZ

Out of curiosity.....how do you break a rear diff bushing??

everyone that i know personally who has done it either has FI and/or track abuse (1/4 mile).

1slow370 · 11-04-2011, 04:59 AM

or drives it like he stole it*

6mtg37s · 11-04-2011, 05:06 AM

You can also break it if you like going sideways.. true story.

tranceformer · 11-04-2011, 10:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 1slow370

or drives it like he stole it*

or driving iit the way it was meant to be driven!

Wantom · 03-03-2013, 06:01 PM

Damn... I got out of my car today and heard some hissing coming from the rear.... Looked under and saw oil dripping on the hot exhaust.....hoping extended warranty covers this....

tranceformer · 03-10-2013, 10:54 AM

UPDATE

Swapped out the SPL diff bushings for the urethane Whiteline bushings. It's a night & day difference! And I think the Whiteline ones are a bit cheaper too. I wish I knew about these before I installed the SPL ones.

modme · 03-10-2013, 11:50 AM

How was the fitment? Did you have to modify it to fit?

11-02-2011, 11:34 PM	#1 (permalink)
tranceformer A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Palm Beach, FL Posts: 1,213 Drives: 2009 370Z PW 6MT Rep Power: 268	SPL diff bushings I broke my rear diff bushing a few months ago, and I had a set of these bushings laying around (never got to install em on my 350Z). Can't have the diff flopping around like that so I dropped off the car & some parts at jnaut's shop (J Spec Auto). J Spec Automotive Inc. Yep, solid aluminum diff bushings from SPL. These are a set made for a 350Z but I had Jason aka jnaut squeeze them into my Z. What a royal pain in the * these were. It took quite some time & effort to remove the rear bushing. Squeezing the aluminum bushing was slightly less annoying (but still a pain the ). NOTE: The 350Z bushing was slightly oversized and needed some work to be squeezed into the 370Z subframe. Installing the front set were cake by comparison. The entire rear subframe had to be dropped from the car to get the job done. And yes an alignment was needed afterwards. Perfect opportunity to install a set of rear camber arms. How do they drive? I picked up my Z from the shop and went on a 180 mile road trip to the other side of FL. DAMN these bushings are LOUD. Any and all gear whine is transmitted throughout the entire cabin. Certain mph ranges are worse than others but highway speeds are tolerable. Note: I had Jason install another pumpkin with 4.08 gears at the same time. These gears had a little bit of a whine (in comparison to my stock 3.7 gears). On the brightside, shifting seems smoother but then again I had all the fluids replaced for this visit as well. No wheel hop on the street. Car feels planted onto the road. The road trip gave me some time to think about what to do about this? So I grabbed a sheet of 45mil (approx. 1mm) thick EPDM rubber liner and gave it to Jason to squeeze between the bushings & subframe in an attempt to quiet down the noise. He ended up putting a few pieces between the subframe and body as well to reduce the noise. In the end it helped. Noise was reduced and now it is liveable (but still noticeable over stock). Would I daily drive the bushings w/o the rubber insulation? HELL NO. Would I daily drive with the rubber insulation? Yes. Props to Jason @ J Spec Auto for all this work done to my Z!!! I had decent amount of work done on this visit and the car feels awesome. THANKS!!* http://jspecautomotive.com/ PICTURES!!!!! __________________ Ray 2009 370Z Base Sport 6MT / 12.860 @ 109.09mph / 1.921 60ft / street tires official 1/4 mile track times Last edited by tranceformer; 11-02-2011 at 11:45 PM.

11-02-2011, 11:44 PM	#2 (permalink)
tranceformer A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Palm Beach, FL Posts: 1,213 Drives: 2009 370Z PW 6MT Rep Power: 268	CLIFFS NOTES: -stock bushing is a piece of sht -SPL aluminum diff bushing set (from a 350Z) adapted to my Z -350Z bushing is slightly larger diameter than 370Z bushing -removing stock rear bushing sucks hairy ballsack -installing aluminum rear bushing sucks hairy ballsack (could have been avoided if I had access to a lathe) -installed bushings feel great but noisy as fck -fitted 1mm sheets of EPDM rubber between subframe & bushings and between subframe & body; helped make the noise tolerable -should be less noise w/ stock gears -I wish I knew someone was working on a set of urethane bushings earlier __________________ Ray 2009 370Z Base Sport 6MT / 12.860 @ 109.09mph / 1.921 60ft / street tires official 1/4 mile track times

11-02-2011, 11:47 PM	#3 (permalink)
modme Enthusiast Member Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: NY Posts: 345 Drives: G37 Rep Power: 16	So the 350z bushing is not the same size as the 370z? Or was it just sanded down because it was difficult to install? __________________ GTM Twin Turbo Stage 2\|GTR Turbo/Engine Gauges\|KW V3 Coilovers\|HKS Exhaust\|Oil Cooler\| Vossen CV1

11-03-2011, 07:17 AM	#6 (permalink)
tranceformer A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Palm Beach, FL Posts: 1,213 Drives: 2009 370Z PW 6MT Rep Power: 268	from what i saw, it was a ton of fun getting the stock bushing out. i'll let jnaut chime in and put in his 2 cents. __________________ Ray 2009 370Z Base Sport 6MT / 12.860 @ 109.09mph / 1.921 60ft / street tires official 1/4 mile track times

11-03-2011, 07:27 AM	#7 (permalink)
BuckeyeZ Enthusiast Member Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: Music City Posts: 291 Drives: 370Z BMW M4 Rep Power: 65	Out of curiosity.....how do you break a rear diff bushing?? __________________ Stillen \| EVO-R \| HPS \| K&N \| Hotchkis \| Modshack Oil Cooler \| SPL

11-03-2011, 04:20 AM	#5 (permalink)
6mtg37s Base Member Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Los Angeles, CA Posts: 102 Drives: 10 G37S 6MT Rep Power: 15	I'm just worried about the bushing comming off of the subframe. I want to do this myself, hope it goes smoothly.

11-04-2011, 04:59 AM	#10 (permalink)
1slow370 A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: In the D Posts: 3,732 Drives: v8 74 260z ;) Rep Power: 7251	or drives it like he stole it* __________________ ANSWER PRICE LIST Answers - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - $0.75 Answers (requiring thought) - - - - $1.25 Answers (correct) - - - - - - - - - - $12.50

11-04-2011, 05:06 AM	#11 (permalink)
6mtg37s Base Member Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Los Angeles, CA Posts: 102 Drives: 10 G37S 6MT Rep Power: 15	You can also break it if you like going sideways.. true story.

03-03-2013, 06:01 PM	#13 (permalink)
Wantom Base Member Join Date: Jan 2013 Location: Virginia Posts: 63 Drives: 2011 silver manual Rep Power: 12	Damn... I got out of my car today and heard some hissing coming from the rear.... Looked under and saw oil dripping on the hot exhaust.....hoping extended warranty covers this....

03-10-2013, 10:54 AM	#14 (permalink)
tranceformer A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Palm Beach, FL Posts: 1,213 Drives: 2009 370Z PW 6MT Rep Power: 268	UPDATE Swapped out the SPL diff bushings for the urethane Whiteline bushings. It's a night & day difference! And I think the Whiteline ones are a bit cheaper too. I wish I knew about these before I installed the SPL ones. __________________ Ray 2009 370Z Base Sport 6MT / 12.860 @ 109.09mph / 1.921 60ft / street tires official 1/4 mile track times

03-10-2013, 11:50 AM	#15 (permalink)
modme Enthusiast Member Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: NY Posts: 345 Drives: G37 Rep Power: 16	How was the fitment? Did you have to modify it to fit? __________________ GTM Twin Turbo Stage 2\|GTR Turbo/Engine Gauges\|KW V3 Coilovers\|HKS Exhaust\|Oil Cooler\| Vossen CV1

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