im trying to remove my trailing arms on my 79 and im having issues on a couple things... one is the main bolt that runs through the arm inside the frame im assuming that the shims all need removed before that comes out but if the bolt is still siezed up inside there is there any good ways to remove it?

second question on the bottom of the arm where the shock mounts and the stabilizer bar goes how does that stud come out? does it just pull out once the nut is removed or that that still have to unthread after the castle nut is removed?

 

You can cut the trailing arm bolt with a sawzall that has a 9" long fine tooth blade. Pry out the shims first. The shock mount is just pressed in, usually just have to hit it with a hammer but protect the threads.

 

Support the back side of the trailing arm before beating on it. They are known to break from the impact.

 

Buy a lower shock bolt removing tool. They are out there from most if not all of the major corvette parts companies. Its a lost cost tool but worth it. Make sure that you thread this tool to the lower bolt until it is tight. Hit it a few times. Check the other side of the bolt and see if it is moving towards the front of the car like it should be. If it not moving after the few ( 2-3) good sodil hits to the tool. STOP! The shock mount bolt has seized to the inner collar/sleeve of the strut rod bushing. If you hit it any more ( this is if the trailing arm is still in the car) The bearing support housing WILL break and that is something you do not want to do unless you have the tools to set-up the rear bearings. If it out of the car, make sure that you support the backside of the bolt like the other person posting their comments stated. Make sure that is securly supported and hit it again. If it does not move, which has happened to me several times in my shop. You will need to use a oxy/ acetlyene torch and CAREFULLY burn out and remove the rubber bushing. The fumes are nasty so be prepared. When the bushing is removed, you can now see the inner collar/sleeve that is seized to the bolt. There is a seam in the sleeverunning long ways . If the seam is easily seen, heat the seam up with the torch to make the metal swell and then hit the tool again. For me this usually allows the lower bolt to come out. When you have finally hit the tool to the point where it has now come in contact with the bearing support housing, remove it and use a tie-rod end pickle fork from the front side and hit the pickle fork to make the shock bolt slide out further. Some times I have to slide a large open ended wrench in between the pickel fork and the bearing housing so I can get the bolt to come out enough to pull it out by hand. Be sure to not hit the shock bolt without the tool on it because it is a much softer metal and will easily distort , That is if you are going to re-use it. Once you have the lower shock bolt out, inspect the splines on the shaft that were staked into the front side of the bearing support housing. If they are worn down it is a good idea to replace the lower bolt with a new one. These splines are important, and eventhough the bolt is keyed for its specific side the splines aid greatly in keeping the bolt secure when it is torqued into position. I have had the backside of the bearing support housing (where the flat keyed area is)damaged due to the lower shock mount bolt was being allowed to swivel and over time it ate away at the key and the lower shock mount bolt had a mind of its own and was not properly securing the shock as like it was intended from the factory. Good luck and be patient. "DUB"

 

If you have to cut the trailing arm bolts, it is best to remove the shims IF YOU CAN before you begin to cut. It is possible to cut through the shims and the bolt as a unit but it takes a lot longer and more blades to do (don't ask me how I know). If you can get the shims out a reciprocating saw will cut the bolt quickly with a minimum of blades. If you have to cut the shims and bolt together it will require many more blades. You will need at least 8 inch blades with fine teeth made for steel. You will only be using the last 2 inches of the blade to actually do the cutting. I bought 12 inch blades, once the 2 inches at the end were used up I used a side grinder to cut the worn 2 inches off then used the next 2 inches to cut, then cut the blade again and used the next 2 inches. In this way, you get 3 times the blade life and less $ spent for blades. "Cutting" oil, available at an industrial supply, will add life to the blades and make them cut faster. Cheap blades are false economy!

 

Having just finished this job on the 68, here's what worked for me. I sprayed everything down with PB Blaster for a week before starting. You have the luxury of slotted shims where they mount in the ta pocket, the 68's didn't. Once you get one out the others will follow. Make sure you keep track of the number and thickness of the shims that come out on each side of the bushing. Go back in with stainless steel shims when reassembling. I had to work on the drivers side bolt to get it to break loose, an 8 lb. short handled sledge hammer with a stout punch worked wonders. You have to hold the punch at an angle to clear the fender lip so be careful when hitting the punch.

The passenger side was out with 3 whacks which was totally unexpected. If you need a recommendation for a great person to rebuild your trailing arms GTR1999 (Gary) is a wizard with trailing arms, steering boxes and differentials. He did mine.

When you go back together getting the bolt back through is tough because of the tight area. What I did was drill a small hole in the very tip of the ta bolt, get the arm in position, pass a 7" piece of coat hanger with 50 lb. monafilament line taped to it, pass it through, tie the line to the ta arm bolt and pull the bolt back through. It took me about 20 minutes to pull the bolts through both sides. Do not put the shims back in until both bolts are back in place with the castle nuts started on them. Be sure you line up the cotter pin holes for the best access.

Other than that it's the reverse process for reassembly.

To get the half-shafts out mark where your camber cams are now and then swing the ta's out as far as the cams will allow to get the half-shafts out.

As far as shock mounts I used a brass hammer and taped the old ones out and tossed them for new ones. Don't beat on them to hard as you don't want to break one of the bearing retainer ears off.

 

well i have read all the posts and its is just like i thought if removing these last two shims dont work im going to have to cutt the bolt out which was something i wanted to try to stay away from... i dont mind trying to rebuild my ta arms though its something i think i can do i have all the tools but the dial caliper which isnt hard to get... and if i find myself in to deep ill just farm it out or buy new ones... but i would like ot know if anyone could tell me how to make sure the arms are not bent and etc..

 

Rotate (pry) the shims upwards until you have a clear shot at the hole in the end. Then get a good slide hammer, hook onto them, and beat the living daylights out of that hammer. Slowly but surely, they will slide out. After that, cutting the bolt is very easy and literally only takes seconds with the right blade.

 

I used a two-jaw puller to remove the shock mount. It worked really well and no pounding.

Temvette72

 

I just removed these items from a junker 76 for parts. I soaked the bolts and shock mount with rust penetrant, let sit for a while and the trailing arm bolts slide right out after a tap with a punch and hammer. As for the shock mount, soak and then protect threads and tap with hammer, also a little heat from a propane torch could help. The shock mount does not unthread from the bearing support, it is pressed in and has a tight fit even with the nut removed. It just takes some force to remove it. I always use anti-seize lube at reassembly for easier dissasembly later.

 

The shock mount tool and a big C-Clamp go a long way toward making life better. Put the big clamp on the bearing support just above the shock mount and tighten the bejeebers out of it. Make those arms on the support and the strut one big solid part. Then have a buddy back up the forward part of the support with the biggest baddest hammer you can find, and use another BFH to smack the tool. Hit it a hard and square as you can. AFTER you soak it with your favorite penetrating oil. My personal fav is Hoppe's #9 Gun Solvent.
Good Luck!

 

Just one other word of caution. Those shock mounts have a flat side on the bottom so don't twist and turn them while removing them. Just go straight out then when re-installing them pay careful attention to alignment.

cc

 

I will chime in with my experience. nobody can prepare you for what kind of problems you will run into removing the trailing arms. I spent several days "evenings" with pb blaster and pliers just to remove the shims. then several sawszall blades to cut the bolts. next was the shock mounts, beat them to death with a BFH till the nuts got rounded over. wound up using a torch and heating them up till I could hammer them out. I was lucky and the shock mounts were reuseable. I would rather has another vasectomy or better yet get divorced again. I have not driven the car in the rain since I put it all back together.

 

Funny how that works, isn't it?

I drive in the rain, but knowing there is so much anti-seize on both the shock mounts and the trailing arm bolts that rust won't stand a chance helps.

 

I did use the anti sieze. I won't live long enough to have to remove it I hope. does anybody else also use it on the lug nuts?

 

Anti-sieze should NOT be used on lug nuts. The lug nuts require 90-100lbs/ft of torque. When anti-sieze compound is applied it changes the properties and thus lubricates the threads and requires less torque. This is a FACT. Lug nuts shoulds be tighten DRY! AND if any oil is used it does require lowering the torque value. Anit-sieze compound can cause the threads to pull out of the nuts. And if anybody doubts me on this it was written in an article dealing with SAE grade bolts and their strengths in an article long ago In "hot vw's " magazine. I still have the article to show those who do not believe me.

 

Anti-sieze should NOT be used on lug nuts. The lug nuts require 90-100lbs/ft of torque. When anti-sieze compound is applied it changes the properties and thus lubricates the threads and requires less torque. This is a FACT. Lug nuts shoulds be tightened DRY! AND if any oil is used it does require lowering the torque value. Anit-sieze compound can cause the threads to pull out of the nuts. And if anybody doubts me on this it was written in an article dealing with SAE grade bolts and their strengths in an article long ago In "hot vw's " magazine. I still have the article to show those who do not believe me.

 

As you can see, trailing arm removal can be unpredictable. The bolts may come out easily or you may have to cut them out. Shock mounts may come out easily or you may destroy them taking them out. Pipe caps available at home centers can take the place of the vendor-supplied shock mount tools for a lot less $. Just take your castle nut with you and match up threads.

If you don't want to rebuild the arms yourself, Van Steel has rebuilt arms available on an exchange basis. I bought a pair and the quality was top notch. Looked like new.



Rick B.

 

interesting thoughts on the lug nut and anti sieze question. I wonder what others think?