[V8] Not just headache, butbone numbing cold too!

[NIck Miller]

So, the short and skinny of today's V8 e-mail Diary Brought to You By Nick
is my friend and I were driving around in the V8, and went to check out a
Passat for him.  Stopped to grab a bite, and the nut holding the passenger
side swaybar into the control arm backed out and let go.  I am beyond lucky
that this happened at the entrance of a parking lot 35 feet from our final
parking spot.  We got out, and he gave me an "Oh Shit" before I got to the
other side, where I naturally found the tire to be jammed all the way back,
but luckily still attatched.

We got the car back together with very few tools in the parking lot with it
actually being a nice 28 degrees, but snowing and wet.  We found the
bushing, washer, and nut all in the parking lot or in the brake caliper dust
shield.  Sure am glad I left those on when I did the brakes.

So, I've got my etka thing here, I grabbed all the drawings of the
suspension.  I've had control arms, bushings, some other stuff for awhile, I
need torque specs.  If anyone can give me anything they know, I'd appreciate
it.  I also could use a suggestion as to anything I might miss.  I've got I
think all the control arms, most of the bushings, tie rods, ball joints.  I
don't have wheel bearings yet, I think this would be a good idea.  I've got
bilstein sports, H&R springs.  I've got a rear subframe from a 92 S4, going
to have new bushings for that, and new bushings for the front part of the
subframe.

Hopefully, I can get a new subframe in the next 10 days.  Mine is in tough
shape.  We also know we will need to redo the nuts that hold the subframe in
in the rear. I'm going to take and use standard nuts/bolts, and make a new
upper nut with a metal backing plate and weld those in, the old ones had the
welds crack.



Well, that's as short and skinny as it gets coming from me, at least its not
one of Rogers academy award nominated monologues :-D  Any help is, as
always, appreciated, and perhaps life saving.  Didn't want to have to do
this till it was sunny and dry out, but I think this sort of moves it up a
bit in the book..