Trailing arms question
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Feb 2008
Posts: 427
Likes: 32
From: North Alabama
St. Jude Donor '24-'26
Trailing arms question
I've got a pair of Global West offset trailing arms that I want to install. My existing trailing arms were rebuilt way back when and don't have a lot of miles on them. Can I simply transfer my spindle/hub assemblies over to the offset trailing arms or do they need to be rebuilt from scratch again?
Drifting
Joined: Jul 2002
Posts: 1,995
Likes: 110
From: Garland Texas
The Global West arms use 7/16 bolts instead of 3/8 studs. You will need to drill out the bearing supports, caliper brackets, and brake shields to the larger size. Also the opening for the bearing support tends to be a little small. I always have to bore them out to achieve a snug fit.
Mike
Mike
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Feb 2008
Posts: 427
Likes: 32
From: North Alabama
St. Jude Donor '24-'26
The Global West arms use 7/16 bolts instead of 3/8 studs. You will need to drill out the bearing supports, caliper brackets, and brake shields to the larger size. Also the opening for the bearing support tends to be a little small. I always have to bore them out to achieve a snug fit.
Mike
Mike
Safety Car
Joined: May 2004
Posts: 4,345
Likes: 1,573
From: los altos hills california
FYI Mako. I had a lot of trouble with the getting the emergency brake cable routed. The arms were delivered with a too small round hole where a bigger hole was supposed to be. Here's the story.
http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c3-t...ficulty-2.html
Hopefully you have the newer arms.
http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c3-t...ficulty-2.html
Hopefully you have the newer arms.
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Feb 2008
Posts: 427
Likes: 32
From: North Alabama
St. Jude Donor '24-'26
FYI Mako. I had a lot of trouble with the getting the emergency brake cable routed. The arms were delivered with a too small round hole where a bigger hole was supposed to be. Here's the story.
http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c3-t...ficulty-2.html
Hopefully you have the newer arms.
http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c3-t...ficulty-2.html
Hopefully you have the newer arms.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 5,727
Likes: 38
From: Fremont CA
Why bother to sweat the little details like proper hole sizes when your one of the big names in the protouring crowd (its nothing that a good "Bubba" can't fix with his Harbor Freight drill motor.) Plus this isn't a part for a big audience like their Camaro/Impala/Chevelle stuff is. Quality stuff just like their jackhole control ARM bushing kit, another parts fail from GW.
Last edited by Solid LT1; Mar 13, 2012 at 07:46 AM.
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Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Feb 2008
Posts: 427
Likes: 32
From: North Alabama
St. Jude Donor '24-'26
Why bother to sweat the little details like proper hole sizes when your one of the big names in the protouring crowd (its nothing that a good "Bubba" can't fix with his Harbor Freight drill motor.) Plus this isn't a part for a big audience like their Camaro/Impala/Chevelle stuff is. Quality stuff just like their jackhole control ARM bushing kit, another parts fail from GW.
Seriously, I looked over my T-arms last night and they are exactly as ignatz described. Called GW and without any hassle at all a new updated set of T-arms is on the way. A big thumbs up to GW from me
It seems making this switch won't be all that tough. I expect my bearings/races to be ok as they don't have that many miles on them. Same with the seals. So just a quick check of the end play and that should have it. I love the look of these T-arms and I need more rubber on the ground!
Safety Car
Joined: May 2004
Posts: 4,345
Likes: 1,573
From: los altos hills california
I'm starting to come down on SolidLT1's side. Here's another thing to watch for. I bolted in my rear calipers and discovered that there is the potential for interference with the forward mounting bolt. The weld where the top tubing intersects the hub cylinder is further outboard and the caliper mounting bolt just clears. There's a 1/2" difference between the LH and RH side welds. I can't get a socket on it to correctly torque it either. I was able to set toe correctly. I think having the spherical bearing helps as otherwise with a poly bushing the arm would have to be at a different angle at the front mount which would aggravate binding at that point. Mako, you may want to trial fit your calipers to make sure you don't have a worse situation than mine before you commit. GW appears to have some serious quality control issues. SolidLT1, guess you've had some other problems you might care to share more?
