Finally got both trailing arms out. That was some serious torture. I had to cut both of them out on both sides of the bolt. I bought some good quality metal cutting blades and only went through about 3 of them but they were only 6" long so I had to take the guide foot off of the recip saw. Took a long time and I felt like I got run over when it was done. Anyways I have some concerns about how the rear flanges seem to be off center. Are the bearings perfectly centered in the rear opening of the trailing arm or are they off set a little?

 

This Corvette has had a 'fun' life so far. I see this quite a lot when I do trailing arms and it is a toss up. Rebuilding and/or restoring the trailing arms and NOT replacing the actual arm...you COULD run into the trailing arm not being able to be adjusted to set the toe when aligned, When I see the inner bearing flange look NOT centered...it raises a red flag immediately...and in some cases the trailing arm can be aligned....and sometimes...it has to come out and either be replaced or tweaked a little due to the trailing arm DID NOT go through a complete restoration.

The trailing arm in the first two photos has been messed with...that is for sure...the cotter pin is not like the third photo....where it is not using a castle nut.

DUB

 

Forgot to mention that the right side arm had 4 shims on the outside and there were no shims on the inside. The left side arm had 2 shims inside and 2 shims outside. I'll have to go out and see if the arm in the picture with the pin not set in the castle nut is the one with the lack of inboard shims.

 

don't worry about the shims not being equal. that's how you set toe in the rear.

 

I checked out the arms a little more. Here are a few more pictures.
It's kind of hard to see from a phone picture but I took a picture at two different angles and the flange seems to be at an angle comparing the top and bottom. The ears of the flange are flush with one side but the other side is out about 1/8"-1/4" if that makes any sense. They do rotate smoothly and the arms appear to be solid although they are rusty. Good catch DUB on the cotter pin. I didn't even notice that there was no castle nut on there. I just assumed that it was a broken off cotter pin but it looks like somewhere along the life of the arms that someone used a nail in place of a pin and bent it to keep it from coming out. I need to take off the nut and see what I have there and if there is damage to the spindle end.

 

I will write this. You KNOW for a fact that there is an issue with the arms...due to NOT being centered.

The number of shims is 'questionable'...and can not be 100% confirmed that the rear toe was correct before you removed these parts. I NEVER get hung up on if the shims are equal form side to side...that does not mean anything at all...they are there for adjustment. As long as the trailing arm can be adjusted...that is all that matters along with the structural integrity of the arm itself.

So...it will depend on 'how lucky' you feel. Taking the time to do whatever is needed (if you are planning on it at all) to make these trailing arms look good...versus getting new arms.

DUB

 

I bought new trailing arms , rather rebuilt ones ......they came with new arms , and all the other stuff was remanufactured ...like spindle ...everything all new emergency brake components .....everything ready to go.

Just Send the cores back .......your good to go.


Find a reputable service company and trade the old one in on turn key set and be done with it.

 

Any suggestions on where to get the arms from? I've been looking online and most of the vendors claim to have good quality Timken bearings and seals. The prices are all over the map. I think I will have to go with reconditioned arms/bearings because new ones will set me back about $1800.00 and that is a huge hit to an already small budget that I have.

 

This is the dirty secret and why so many corvettes are neglected from the C3 and even the c2 ....eras.

LOL....each new owner eventually finds the past 6 owners neglected the rear suspension , find out the price to have it all fixed correct and then sell the car. So eventually somebody as to do it or it won't even be drivable , much less handle like a corvette should.

Pretty much everybody who isn't buying a high dollar already restored car faces this .....and the yokes and diff rebuild and the brakes, and the front suspension as well.

I used Zip Products ....as they were closest to me distance wise and shipping was minimal for such heavy items. You want USA bearings and somebody who know what they are doing . One of those job , you only want to do it once while you own the car. LOL

 

teamo,

Not knowing if you are adventurous or not. But you can build these and get them set-up yourself and it will save you money ...if your budget is a major factor.

Trailing arms, spindles, parking brake kits and shoes, dust shields, bearings and the tools to do the job....would be less than the price that has got you concerned. I have done countless trailing arms over the years....so all it takes is TIME...ATTENTION TO DETAIL...and having the tools that will do the job effectively. Yes...I have blast cabinets that allow me to clean parts for inspection ,etc. So..I am just writing that you can save money...if you want to invest the time into it. It can also be a learning experience and how you may value that.

Hidden tools needed: Torque wrench....sockets for the specific tools needed to set-up the bearings and install the spindle. Possible hydraulic press so you can install the splined studs that hold the bearing housing, brake caliper mount bracket and dust shield. A unique piece of bearing race that I use to install the inner dust shield for the inner bearing. Dial indicator for measuring your set up and rotor when completed. A bearing packer tool unless you care to do it the old fashion way.

DUB

 

Adventurous? Yes I would say that I am. I feel that I could tackle this job but I was looking at cost vs. sending them out. I don't have any of the specialist tools that I will need but I will get them if it is worth it. I have been planning on getting a press and maybe a small sand blast cabinet. Up until now I have been cleaning my rusty parts with an electrolysis tank and it has been working out pretty good. I've seen some cheap presses at Harbor Freight. Is a 20 ton press necessary to do all of the work plus all of the other suspension bushings front and rear that I will need to do in the future, or will a 12 ton pressl suffice? I've been working on cars since I was a kid some 35 years ago and I have all of the basic tools, ratchets, air tools, etc. I will need to pick up a dial indicator and a good micrometer.

 

Well...this is when you sit down and calculate the actual dollar investment . if your time ion doing it is not a factory...then you will see what you actually can do them for.

As for getting a small blast cabinet from HF..I have the small one they offer and also a huge one that can hold very big and long parts from ALC . I need two cabinets at work and I also have to have a vacuum system due to environmental concerns (dusts).

There is a forum member who just bought the tools for doing rear wheel bearings in the C3 section and is willing to loan them out for people who may need them. Something to consider. Look into it...I do not know all of the details...but I saw it

20 ton press is good and 12 ton would more than like work also. I have a 20 ton at my shop and has never failed me yet. the trick with your press if you get one is slowly building up the unique pieces of metal and spacers,etc that allow you to do a specific job. I have some really wired contraptions that I use to do some specific jobs.

I will write this...when you go and do your upper and lower control arm bushings...it would be wise to make sure special spacers/sleeves so you do not collapse the control arms when pressing in the bushings. GM used them for the lower control arms in the 1963 Corvette shop manual...and I made one for the upper A-arm using the came concept as the lower and it DOES make it easier and takes the chance the arm is being damaged lessened.

DUB

 

I've been working on the rear suspension a little at a time. Haven't done much due to work schedule and the hot temps that we have been having here in the northeast. I have the right side trailing arm/bearings completely apart. After getting it all apart I am confident that I can set up the bearings properly. It was kind of hard to understand from just reading and studying pictures of it. It looks doable after I actually broke it all down and saw how it goes together. I didn't bother with pictures because there are loads of posts on here with pictures of the job. I made a jig out of a couple of pieces of angle iron and some threaded rod to suspend the bearing assembly below the press like someone on the forum had shown a while back. As for the left side well that is a different story. That picture that I posted at the beginning of this thread shows a nail being used in place of a castle nut and cotter pin on the spindle end. The nut that was on the spindle was an odd smaller size than the castle nut from the right side. I got the nut off and the spindle only had one hole in the end. I measured from the end of the spindle to the splines and it was 3/4". The good spindle is a little more than 7/8". Looks like someone had cut off the end of the spindle and used a die to thread it for an odd sized nut. Then they just drilled a hole in the new nut at an angle and drove it straight through the spindle end. So I'll need a new spindle for that side. I didn't bother being gentle with it at this point so I just beat it with a hammer to knock the bearings out of the bearing support. Still not sure about the arms themselves yet. They look strong and probably can be cleaned up but I'm not sure if they are tweaked a little. I may go for two new bare arms and install my rebuilt bearings onto them but I don't see too many vendors carrying the arms with the sway bar holes. My original arms have the holes but no sway bar. I would like to have the option of the sway bar at some point should I decide to put one on. I'll post some pictures when everything is cleaned up and ready to be set .

 

I have a set of rear spindles if you want them. Just pay me for shipping.
crn1949@yahoo.com