I looked at the Trailing Arm and it had rusted a big hole top and bottom. And when i went to take the shims and the bolt out andthe Break rotor !! I have beat on it. and it will not come out. i took a saw to it and nothing. What now????????? i can't get the break rotor off eather. :mad


[Modified by bandy123, 6:41 PM 2/14/2002]

 

There have been a couple of threads about what type of Saws-All blades work best on the arm bolts. If I remember correctly, you should expect to go through quite a few blades to get through it.

Have the rivets been drilled out of the rotors?

 

The bolts that hold the rotor are often rusted on. Get some stuff called PB Blaster. It is great stuff- much better than WD-40 etc. Soak the bolts and continue to do so. Use a 6 point socket if you have one to avoid stripping the bolts.

It sounds like the arm is really rusted badly so use a sawzall to cut through the bolt and shims. Also put PB Blaster on the shims and let them sit. Mine were rusted and it freed them up.

 

ok I got the bolt out but now the thing that goes throw the shock i got the nut off it but it will not come out. this hole thing is getting to me. do i have to take the rotor off to take the spindal out?or what do i need to do to get it off i have to use all the parts in my old one because i cant afford new.

 

Bandy- Is it the the lower shock mount that you are talking about? (not the top that mounts to the frame). It is difficult to get that mount off. Do a search under past threads for "lower shock mount" or "shock mount removal" for advice. You need to purchase a tool or makle one. I went through this just 3 weeks ago.
Removing the rotor no matter what you are doing is a must. Those bolts will come out- just let the PB Blaster do its work. It sounds like you are short on $. Honestly, given what you have posted before about holes in your trailing arm etc, it is unlikely that you will get away very cheaply on this repair. For example, those shock mounts which are often destroyed in removal when they are as rusted as your suspension sounds are $45 each. Others may disagree but unless you have special tools, presses and some experience, those spindels are not an easy job to do in your driveway, and again will cost, I would guess around $150 each to have rebuilt professionally if you can get them off the arm and the arm itself is good. The entire trailing arm rebuild is around $300 each but again, this assumes the arm itself is good. Yours sound pretty badly shot and will cost to repair or replace. You will get lots of help here (I have) but just some food for thought. Let us know how your are doing with it. :cheers:

 

The lower shock mount is a press fit. It is serrated on the side opposite the nut, and the side near the nut has a flat on it to keep it from twisting. A common mistake is to pound directly on the threaded portion of the support, both rendering it useless, and mushrooming it so that it is even more difficult to remove. The threads must be protected during the removal process, either by a special tool, or a home-grown method.

The spindles are a press fit and require both experience (or a shop manual) and special tools as well to work on.

The rotors are riveted to the spindle from the factory. If they have never been removed, you will have to drill out the rivets to remove them.

The spindle support is mounted to the trailing arm by four special length, fine pitch, serrated bolts. You can replace these with standard hardened bolts. The fine pitch was used by GM to maximize clamping pressure. The serrations were used by GM to maximize rigidity/durability and to hold them in place during initial assembly, as they have no head to grip.

I agree that you are not going to get away cheap here... the stuff is going to cost.

If you are thinking about doing the bearing job yourself, it is a good idea to get a hold of a copy of the service procedure to see what you are dealing with BEFORE you start. This is not a "typical" do-it-yourself project.

If you have several aftermarket catalogs... check their rear suspension sections to see what tools they offer for doing this work... this will give you an idea of what you are getting into.