zwede

Finally got around to make a webpage on how I did my trailing arm rebuild.

Direct link:

http://www.corvetteforum.net/c3/zwed...railingarm.htm

Retro78

Thanks for taking the time to document this. Just what I needed.

Patrick73

Zwede: Great information and fantastic photos! The photos really help understand the process--whether one does it himself or has someone do it.
Wish you had also done a "photo step by step" of replacing the rubber body mounts to go along with your previously done written paper! Thanks!--Patrick

martinsw

Great documentation! A bit late for me though (just finished some rear end work).

stpman

Bookmarked for when I put my arms back together

Steve

Bullshark

Excellent info Markus Pretty impressive for a Software Engineer

Bullshark

Glassbowtie77

Zwede,
Nice job, very informative. Thanks for sharing.

zwede

SW engineer during the day, mechanical engineer at night.

comp

79VetteMike

Excellent page. Great info!!

Turbo-Jet

radical


good timing. my LR is at .017" and I will go both TAs this winter.

olouieo

I agree, Great job.

GTR1999

Nice job Markus. You do excellant work and can tell you put 100% into the things you do.
I use probably the same press you have,20 ton harbor freight? I get some blocking under the bench plates and position the plates under the spindle flange to press out the bearing. The backing plate will get bent but I usually install a new one anyway. Of course, the quality of the replacement plate is no where as good as the original.

I have the tools made for the job which certainly helps. I do not use all of the tools listed in the catalogs,just the spindle knocker to protect the threads when pressing or installing,the setup tool,and the outer bearing puller. I have never used the spindle press or installer. They just sit in the tool box for now.

I think the stock spindles are ok for most of the cars out there. I think the rebuilds quoted all over don't include new spindles. I wasn't too impressed with the new spindles I bought either.Granted, when you start dropping 400+ ft'lb of torque you may have to upgrade things,but I see your point of doing everything since you already have it apart.

Another thing you guys should consider is replacing the studs,either with the stock 7/16-20 or upgrading to 1/2" depending on use and wheels being used.

I agree with you about the poly bushings too. The only poly I use on the cars are the engine and tranny mounts. I like the flare tool you made up. I made one up out of 5/8" steel plate and still need to use a 2' pipe to flare the ends. I'll have to take some pictures for the post on homemade tools.

The last thing I do is hold the front bushing in a vise and clamp on an indicator to check runout. For you guys not familar using an indicator don't trust the magnet alone unless it is super strong. Just leaning on the bench will move it and throw you off.

Again nice job,
Gary

zwede

Thanks Gary. Sounds like we follow mostly the same procedure. BTW, the strut rod poly bushings the previous owner installad were the real disaster. I could pull/push the rod almost 1/8". That's how shot they were.

Have you noticed this weird thing I saw when greasing the bearings? Both sides did the same thing... set play to 0.001, greased the bearings and suddenly had 0.004. Had to decrease the shim one size and got 0.001-0.0015. I tightened the spindle nut to 100 ft-lbs every time.

MEGALADON

thanks for the info

NHvette

Very nice write-up. You actually note some of the stupid things
that can be overlooked. I remembered to put the backing plate
and brake retaining pin in place before pressing the assembly
for the final time. I just failed to note that the backing plate
was on upside-down. I had to press it apart and flip it over.

I like the 3/8 bolts under the press frame. I jacked mine up with
1/4" angle iron ... pressing against the backer plate/hub.
Like Gary said - it can bend the backer plate - but mine was
not noticable.



Similar setup - pulling off the outer race:

mandm1200

I just finished putting the 2nd trailing arm together last night. The job is both hard and easy. The hard part is getting it disassembled; from removing the trailing arm to getting the spindle out. I used the $20 spindle knocker instead of a press. It took about 20 very hard hits with a 4lb hammer for the one side. Unforunately I could not back off the emergency brake shoes on the other side. That side took 50 to 100 blows to finally come out. The tool to check bearing play is a must have (or old spindle modified to let the bearings slide on and off). I would suggest this is the opportune time to do as much to the rear of the car as possible if it is still factory orginal: replace caliber seals, stainless steel parking brake hardware and new shoes, new bushings everywhere, seals in differential (bearings if needed), new posi lube in the rear, all new bushings, brake hoses (and lines from caliper to hoses if needed), universal joints, etc. Although these items are not very expensive individually, they will add up when you get them all. The good thing is that you'll get many years without having to do a major disassembly on the rear.
I would say it has taken me about 8 weeks to do this, which is about 4 weeks per side. This may seem like a long time but I only get a few hours during the week and a few hours on Sunday. I soaked my parts in vinegar and could not do all at once. In fact I only did 1/2 the trailing arm and then did the other half. I used a grinder to clean up the welding splatter. In order to paint (POR-15) the inside of the trailing arm, I used a small paint brush taped to long, thin piece of wood. Living in the northeast I did have some rust and minor pitting. It took several coats of paint with a sanding before the final coat to get the arm to a smoother finish.

GTR1999

wow that was a lot on those poly bushings. I never use them. Interesting about the grease making up .003" I set mine up with only spindle oil on them,torqued to 100 ft/lbs and grind a shim to size using a surface grinder. This dials them right in. The very last thing I do is rotate them by hand to see how they feel,snug but smooth.
The only problems I had with one of my rebuilds were those dam parking shoes. I had my 69 adjusted so the PB would hold the car on a 30* incline,they rotated smooth but as soon as I drove the car a few miles the shoes were dragging and heating up the area. The wheel near the studs was very hot to the touch. I backed off the shoes and everything is fine except the shoes don't work so good.

Gary

Solid LT1

I think you should have checked the spindle spacers for parallelisim! One thing many people don't realize (including many long term Vette experts) is that the slightest curb shot can cause the spacers to be bent into a non parallel condition. I measure my spacers in a Bridgeport mill with a indicator and have used a grinding stone set-up to bring them back to a parallel condition. The best spindles, side yokes and bearing spacers are made by a company: International Axel Co and lately, I just throw the old spacers away and use their parts. I really think there is probably a problem with the spacers but, many trailing arms have been re-done with bent ones and seem to last over 20-30K miles. I guess we won't see any input from Van Steel on this subject but, I think they would agree with me. Nice information and photos, GOOD JOB!

WESCH

Hi

Thanks. Great info.

I like grinding out the inner bearing so that it is a light press fit.

Do I get this right? Your grinding the inner race of the bearing, not the spindle itself ?

Thanks. Gunther