TA Rebuild
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 291
Likes: 0
From: Guantanamo Bay, Cuba (home in Colorado Springs)
TA Rebuild
I just got the bad news from the local Corvette shop. One trailing arm is bent and will have to be discarded. Both need to be rebuilt.
I have already purchased all SS parts, but the local shop rebuild is beyond my cost expectations.
Who does mail-order rebuild services at a "budgetable" cost? OR...
Rebuild or buy rebuilt/new units?
Last idea; DIY, but I'm not real clear on the shim thing and I hear that getting the spendle out usually results in damaging the tight parts.
I have already purchased all SS parts, but the local shop rebuild is beyond my cost expectations.Who does mail-order rebuild services at a "budgetable" cost? OR...
Rebuild or buy rebuilt/new units?
Last idea; DIY, but I'm not real clear on the shim thing and I hear that getting the spendle out usually results in damaging the tight parts.
Race Director
Joined: Sep 2001
Posts: 10,560
Likes: 439
From: Wellington, FL
St. Jude Donor '11 thru '25
I think I spent around $750 on the trailing arm rebuild. That included a spindle tool kit off of ebay (came with every tool all the vendors sell - spindle press, spindle knocker, spindle setup tool). It was a deal so I decided to buy the whole kit...I think I got it all for around $250. That being said, I only used the spindle setup tool for the rebuild...I have yet to touch the other tools (my friend removed the spindles for me at his shop before I got the kit in the mail). I bought two brand new spindles for a total of around $260. I can't remember how much the new bearings, oil seals and new spacers/shims cost me...i'm guessing maybe $170 (I bought quality bearings and oil seals). I probably spent around $20 on misc parts I needed. I also bought new stainless steel parking brakes and hardware for around $50. This all being said, it can be done for a lot less than what I paid. The great thing about doing it yourself is you learn a lot and if it ever breaks on you in the future, it isn't going to cost you a ton of money. I was able to dial in the endplay on one trailing arms at .0015 and the other trailing arm was .002-.0025. I asked tons of questions on the subject before I attempted it, but they look perfect now! Dan at Van steel helped me rebuild my trailing arms by answering any questions I had for him...I don't know any vendor which would tell you how to rebuild your own trailing arms by yourself without having to pay them! They are the best - I contacted him by sending PM's. I also got help from Gary (GTR1999). He is also a great guy and is willing to answer any questions you have for him. If I were to do this over again, I'd still do it myself rather than sending them out to get done. You probably won't be able to dial them in that close to .001 at home using the shim kits. I calculated what size shim I needed and then had my friend machine me up to new shims to the exact size I needed. If you don't have a friend who owns a machine shop, you could always draw up a picture and take it to a local machine shop to have it done - the only difference is that it is going to cost you some money. Keeping this in mind, I am only 18 years old and have done everything else on my car as well. I couldn't have done it without the help of both forums - both here and DC. If you are wary about your skills, you might be better of sending them out to get rebuilt by a professional, VanSteel rebuilds most trailing arms for the industry. I personally would build them myself, but that is just my opinion. My trailing arms are damn near perfect now and I know that no "professional" shop here in Calgary would have set them up any better than I did. I am a pro at this rebuild now - once you do it once, you'll wonder why you ever thought of sending them out to get rebuilt. The first rebuild is going to cost a lot of money, you'll have to buy a cheap press from princess auto (Canada's form of Harbor Freight), the spindle setup tool, a dial indicator with base, and several other custom tools...but if you ever have to do it again, all it is going to cost you is the parts for the rebuild.
Here is what mine look like now, I couldn't be any happier with the end results.
Here is what mine look like now, I couldn't be any happier with the end results.
Safety Car
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 3,930
Likes: 15
From: Calgary Alberta
I forgot to mention - that $750 for the rebuild did not include the offset trailing arms...I swapped those out about a month after the rebuild. This was my first trailing arm rebuild - I probably spent more time researching the damn things than I did actually rubuilding them.
Last edited by stinger12; Feb 11, 2008 at 01:25 PM.
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 291
Likes: 0
From: Guantanamo Bay, Cuba (home in Colorado Springs)
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Instructor
Joined: Oct 2005
Posts: 147
Likes: 0
From: Lafayette IN
I had both mine rebuilt a couple years ago for ~$750 at a place called Ikerds (ikerds.com) a couple hours south of me. I just brought in my old arm assy's and they gave me two new arm assy's without any hassles.
Banned Scam/Spammer
Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 518
Likes: 0
From: Oldsmar FL
you might check with VBP, if you don't want the off set's I believe they are right at $800 -10% for CF members...I just bought the off set TA's from them and they are nice people to deal with...
Instructor
Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 200
Likes: 0
From: Whitmore Lake MI
I just got the bad news from the local Corvette shop. One trailing arm is bent and will have to be discarded. Both need to be rebuilt. I have already purchased all SS parts, but the local shop rebuild is beyond my cost expectations.
Who does mail-order rebuild services at a "budgetable" cost? OR...
Rebuild or buy rebuilt/new units?
Last idea; DIY, but I'm not real clear on the shim thing and I hear that getting the spendle out usually results in damaging the tight parts.
I have already purchased all SS parts, but the local shop rebuild is beyond my cost expectations.Who does mail-order rebuild services at a "budgetable" cost? OR...
Rebuild or buy rebuilt/new units?
Last idea; DIY, but I'm not real clear on the shim thing and I hear that getting the spendle out usually results in damaging the tight parts.
They did a great job and at a very reasonable price.
For mail order rebuilds, I'd recommend Van Steel every time.
Jeff
Racer
Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 294
Likes: 0
From: Nanty Glo PA
You'll get alot of GREAT tech info from these guys listen to what they tell you.
One thing that bothers me about your post is that you stated that they told you your T/A is bent..... I'm no old hat when it comes to Corvettes but I have wrenched on ALL my cars that I've owned and if that T/A is bent I'd be looking for other damage as well. The T/A on any car is a pretty sturdy piece of equipment and they don't just get 'tired' and bend. I'd do some reading real quick and then ask the 'local Corvette shop' to show me the damage and explain themselves. It's the least they could do if they wanted your $$.
I'll cite my local shop as an example. I trust my mechanic implicitly! When I took my 76 to get it inspected and aligned he called and told me he couldn't and that both my T/A's were bent. This was right out of his mechanics mouth that works on Vettes. I had to see this for myself as I wanted to take pix for reference. Turns out the bent T/A's were actually bent Strut Rods. The T/A's were OK. I still ended up rebuilding the entire rear end, minus the T/A's of course, of the car to my satisfaction before returning for the inspection and alignment. But that was my call. In the end the mechanic used the wrong nomenclature. He had some other name for the T/A's....
Sorry to be long winded. T/A replacement would cost me approx. ~$950 using rebuilt cores. That's alot of money to me and I make a pretty decent living. Don't want to see ya spend your hard earned money unless ya have to!
Bri
One thing that bothers me about your post is that you stated that they told you your T/A is bent..... I'm no old hat when it comes to Corvettes but I have wrenched on ALL my cars that I've owned and if that T/A is bent I'd be looking for other damage as well. The T/A on any car is a pretty sturdy piece of equipment and they don't just get 'tired' and bend. I'd do some reading real quick and then ask the 'local Corvette shop' to show me the damage and explain themselves. It's the least they could do if they wanted your $$.
I'll cite my local shop as an example. I trust my mechanic implicitly! When I took my 76 to get it inspected and aligned he called and told me he couldn't and that both my T/A's were bent. This was right out of his mechanics mouth that works on Vettes. I had to see this for myself as I wanted to take pix for reference. Turns out the bent T/A's were actually bent Strut Rods. The T/A's were OK. I still ended up rebuilding the entire rear end, minus the T/A's of course, of the car to my satisfaction before returning for the inspection and alignment. But that was my call. In the end the mechanic used the wrong nomenclature. He had some other name for the T/A's....
Sorry to be long winded. T/A replacement would cost me approx. ~$950 using rebuilt cores. That's alot of money to me and I make a pretty decent living. Don't want to see ya spend your hard earned money unless ya have to!
Bri