Article #4: aluminium rear subframe spacers/inserts install

#1. get spacers. they're cheap. apparently they work!!! try not to gamble for them like this customer. gambling is not for sale to under 18's, and is harmful to the breasts of feeding mothers!!! hmmm, that didnt come out right...

#2. jack up the rear of the s13. put stilts (jackstands) under the chassis arms near the back of the car, because you are going to need the jack again.

once its ass is in the air, place the jack under the diff using a piece of wood between the diff casing and the jack. this protects it, and your wallet!!!

#3. remove the nuts that are on the four subframe mounting points. your jack should be precariously balancing the diff while trying its best not to drop it on the floor.

Remove the front subframe bracket thingy. place the new shiny anodised spacer with the many many step like angles on it (see pic) on top of it, because its going in like that at a later stage!

#4. lower the diff slightly. by slightly i mean enough to get the flattish spacers in the top mounting position. these spacers have a slot cut into them so that you can install them without removing the subframe completely.

#5. replace the front subframe bracket thingy. make sure the shiny aluminium bits are installed. it would be pointless to forget those at this stage!!!

#6. once all the spacers are installed, tighten up the nuts at the front holes, tighten up the rear ones, remove the jack from under the diff, remove the wood, jack the car up again, remove the jack stands, and lower the car back down.

lets hope this mod does not cause your motor to overheat and warp a cylinder head!!!

below are some installed (but not tightened) pics.

nice writeup dude

nice thanks - but one thing (there always is!)

WHATS WITH ALL THE RED PAINT ON THAT UNDERCARRIAGE? is your car a closet case? 🙄

Now dont get upset with what im about to say 😉

Keep an eye on the top spacers, the slotted ones (ease of install) are known for being able to crack in half, especialy on the S13 hatch which has loads more body flex than the S13 coupe or S14.

Every time you go under there just make sure they havent split, when they split they fall out and you can feel and hear the change imidiatly. I have been on the track in 2 S13's in the US when theyve come out, so just keep an eye out for it,

S14 owners shouldnt worry, but S13 owners if you can, rather get solid ones, which require you to drop the subframe much lower to get them in, but safer.

Very very good mod for any silvia!

Just my 2c

Ok Rezlo
I have a S14
What do these spacers do exactly?
I really have no idea.

Nice thanx VC 😉

another question, when you buy one of those complete poly bush kits (like you have, i think) dont they come with bushes for that?

hey guys...

its always a pleasure to help with this stuff! but this is not my car unfortunately!!!

@ Rezlo - didnt know that. thanks man. its a real pity we didnt get the s13 coupe's here, i really dig those!!! i'll make sure to tell the owner to keep an eye for cracking!

@ Stephen - the spacers help to diminish the amount of wheel hop on these cars under heavy launches and when the tires are spinning freely, such as in drifting. they are just spacers, and are not as good as solid subframe bushes, but then again the solid bushes really increase the noise, vibration, harshness of the vehicle. and by solid i mean the whole bush made of aluminium, not just a spacer without a slot!!!

@ Daniel - with the polybush kits, you do get polyurethane inserts for the rear subframe, but they are by no means as good as these! Also, my experience is with the Energy Suspension bushes, and two of the four bushes (the ones closer to the front i think) would not fit into the space available, so i could not use them.

Whats the difference between the s13 hatch and coupe?? I thought we had coupe's and not hatches??

Stephen Swanepoel wrote:

What do these spacers do exactly?

your body (the monocoque) rolls on top of your sub frame, those things lessons the roll, where solid ones eliminate it... but solid ones but much more stress on the mounting rods and fasteners

Gary57 wrote:

Whats the difference between the s13 hatch and coupe?? I thought we had coupe's and not hatches??

not exactly.

our s13's have 3 doors, where the definition of door implies that it has glass.

the coupe's were two doors, with a much more vertical arrangement of rear, and a bootlid that had no glass in it.

all these confusing words, but its easy to spot because the s13 coupe's had totally different lights in the front and back. the front headlights were fixed in position, and were not very tall, but were very wide.

the tail lights were similar. a very boxy rectangular sort of look.

try google images for s13, and you shouls spot the difference easily!!!

Gary57 wrote:

Whats the difference between the s13 hatch and coupe?? I thought we had coupe's and not hatches??

it looks like a Nissan Stanza
Not as pretty as the Coupe

I saw lots of them in OZ.

And thanks for the feedback okes Im now a little more in the know.
Cool

Stephen Swanepoel wrote:

Gary57 wrote:

Whats the difference between the s13 hatch and coupe?? I thought we had coupe's and not hatches??

it looks like a Nissan Stanza
Not as pretty as the Coupe

hmmm thats fighting talk 😂 😂 😂

no - i must say that i only prefer the track coupe's, the stock ones are naff!!!

also - the combination of front coupe fixed lights and rear hatchback, in other words the sil80, is my best in track-car form!!!

I saw an old banged up S13 silvia in PTA once, tried to follow but lost him. Would have bought the car on the spot just so i could make a Sil80.

Heh, there is a black guy in PE with a S13 coupe convertible, one of the rarest Silvia's in the world. Obviously its a out of country car, runs on sellenbosch plates.

The hatch (ones we have in SA) have the massive rear window, it decreases the body stiffness by huge amounts, S14 is 80% more ridged than and S13 hatch, yet only 20% more ridged than a S13 coupe,

Jack your car off the ground and put jack stands under the pinch welds, then grab the back wheel and move it around, youll be amazed how much it moves, most of it is from the subframe, soacers stop this movement, never go with complete solid mounts, they tend to damage the body, just use the ones like above or the ones like above without the slots,

all these confusing words, but its easy to spot because the s13 coupe's had totally different lights in the front and back. the front headlights were fixed in position, and were not very tall, but were very wide.

Actualy the mass majority of S13 coupe's had the same front end as the hatch, very few had the sil80 style head lights, it was a common swap though for the guys to convert to sil80 look because the parts were way cheaper (till the yanks wanted to be like the japs and then became one of the most expencive)

Oh ok, our ones are much prettier I think. The S13 "hatch" body does flex alot, I remember when I used to jack the one front wheel of the car up I could barely open the doors let alone close them, but since I fitted my strut braces front and rear that is gone now.

Rezlo wrote:

Actualy the mass majority of S13 coupe's had the same front end as the hatch, very few had the sil80 style head lights, it was a common swap though for the guys to convert to sil80 look because the parts were way cheaper (till the yanks wanted to be like the japs and then became one of the most expencive)

i dunno, i must be wrong then... here's what i've concluded.

i thought it was the other way around. i thought the silvia had only fixed headlights and a bootlid, and the 180sx had flipup headlights and a glass hatch.

hence i thought the sil80 was named because of the combination of front end of a silvia (fixed headlights) and rear end of 180sx (hatchback). so its SIL from the front of Silvia (and therefore literally from the front of the word), and 80 from the rear of 180 (and literally from the end of the word) = SIL80.

its also why the one-via is named as it is. cos its the popup lights from the one80 and the coupe bootlid from the sil-via.

veecee wrote:

i thought it was the other way around. i thought the silvia had only fixed headlights and a bootlid, and the 180sx had flipup headlights and a glass hatch.

hence i thought the sil80 was named because of the combination of front end of a silvia (fixed headlights) and rear end of 180sx (hatchback). so its SIL from the front of Silvia (and therefore literally from the front of the word), and 80 from the rear of 180 (and literally from the end of the word) = SIL80.

its also why the one-via is named as it is. cos its the popup lights from the one80 and the coupe bootlid from the sil-via.

100% correct... And a

Strawberry face is a 180SX with a S15 front end

Not what they call a S14 with a S15 front end

Gary57 wrote:

Oh ok, our ones are much prettier I think. The S13 "hatch" body does flex alot, I remember when I used to jack the one front wheel of the car up I could barely open the doors let alone close them, but since I fitted my strut braces front and rear that is gone now.

good to know gary.

i'm seriously in the market for a set. i was gonna get a set of 4 struts for my s13, but my connection didnt come through for me!

it was the front and rear ones that you have, and a C-Pillar strut, and a lower rear subframe strut - but unluckily it didnt work out!

I only have front and rear struts. I did some reading and they say the lower strut brace dont make much of a difference, maybe thats because not many people have tried it. I am more than happy the way my sx handles now, the polyurethane bushes, koni adjustable dampers and the best of all strut braces really help it out alot.

Gary57 wrote:

the polyurethane bushes, koni adjustable dampers and the best of all strut braces really help it out alot.

now i'm quite jealous. i've only got the bushes.