Changing clutch, help needed!

[Wilko 172]

The last few evenings I've been changing my clutch, it's going alrite, apart from the rain tonight! I've got everything off just need to get the starter off the box and hopefully get the steering rack off so I can drop the sub frame. I'm a chippy not a mechanic, so it's a bit of a learning curve...
I cannot for the life of me get to the top bolt of the steering rack where it bolts onto the subframe. I can only just feel it with my finger, can't even see it. Is my steering rack likely to break if I just drop the gearbox side? And will there be enough room? I'm doing it on my driveway so dropping the entire sub frame would be ideal. I can't seem to find a decent guide that doesn't involve pulling the engine out either. I'm a bit stuck now tbh, a bit of advise would be VERY helpful:S

 

[Dan@SJM]

You don't need to drop the steering rack from the subframe. Just the subframe one side from the car.

 

[Mark_W]

Its not rocket science just to undo the steering column to the knuckle by your feet, I think its just a 13mm then with that, you keep the rack attatched to the frame and you can lower the frame properly, I struggled when I first did mine and I left the rack up and dropped the subframe ! Trust me the rack IS a nightmare to get on and off, if you're giving it ago later on don't hesitate to ring im a stranger not strange, so If you need to its Mark 07810018119

 

[Wilko 172]

Its not rocket science just to undo the steering column to the knuckle by your feet, I think its just a 13mm then with that, you keep the rack attatched to the frame and you can lower the frame properly, I struggled when I first did mine and I left the rack up and dropped the subframe ! Trust me the rack IS a nightmare to get on and off, if you're giving it ago later on don't hesitate to ring im a stranger not strange, so If you need to its Mark 07810018119

Ok cheers mate that's spot on! Ill get back on it after work tomorrow, the weathers terned to s**t!
So the pinch bolts inside the car in the footwell? Does that completely disconnect the rack from the column? Also my upper driveshaft boots split in half but I can't seem to find a new boot? I've heard it might be new driveshaft time... If so is there a boot off maybe another car I could just put over the joint? I've been considering using a bike inner tube

 

[Mark_W]

Tends to do that over here, a lot ! lol weather round here is the route of all evil xD
Yeah the pinch bolt will be just behind the clutch pedal and its of a bizarre shape so it only fits one way so you don't need to worry about your tracking as such, and yeah don't worry about the boot, go to any after market car places and they'll be able to provide you one, if so ask for a stretchy one as if you don't you'll need to split the driveshaft then put the boot on and then rebuild it (The choice is yours but stretchy is much easier) let me know how things go with it all, how are you for lining the clutches up ?

Edit : Yeah, that separates it completely from the column

 

[Wilko 172]

Perfect! I was having visions of getting tangled up in the subframe with a gearbox on my chest hahaYeah stretchy sounds good! Umm hopefully pretty good.. I've never changed one before, I was sort of hoping it'd be foolproof. What needs lining up? The flywheel? It's all a bit foreign really, Ill do a bit of research. The new clutch looks like a road side bomb to me!

 

[Wilko 172]

Gearbox out, clutch changed, fly wheel sanded and box cleaned and back in. Ended up taking the steering rack off the sub frame and dropping it. That pinch bolt wasn't for me. Had a little problem with the heat shield still being attached. The box was a bit of a struggle. Just shook the s**t out of it and it poped in and out easy enough. Glad I dropped the sub frame. f**k lying down with my elbows on the floor, bench pressing a 40kg box between around the sub frame. Getting the frame back up should be fun though. Ill deffently be raising the axel stands a bit. Hopefully it all goes back together ok!