Bought me a 74 vette today! WooHoo! Its a project and i`ve got a question. Looking under the rear of the car i noticed the leaf spring hanging on the drivers side of the car. The guy said when he was loading it on the trailer it got hung and he pulled till it broke, not knowing. Well, it actually pulled through the cup that attaches to a housing thats part of the hub assy. I believe. Can anyone tell me the name of the part I`m talking about? How hard is it to change? Thanks in advance!

 

The bolt goes up through the trailing arm, but if that bolt was installed correctly and it has pulled through the arm, you are in for a replacement arm.

 

UUGGGGHHH! I havent picked the car up yet, I just got to look at it today and was trying to notice everything and didnt really spend much time looking at the spring bolt or the trailing arm. Definately wasnt planning on having to dive in that deep right off the bat. I`ve found a few pics on the site and I`ll be looking for r&r info now. Thanks pal!

 

That's a bummer!
Heres all the parts so you can see what they broke...

 

Thanks Pete! I spent a few hours last night looking for just that.

On a scale of 1-10, how difficult is it to change out the TA`s???

 

About 12 if the bolts are rusted in place.

If the spring, bolt and TA broke in the manner you claim, the car would be sitting very low (collapsed suspension) on that side of the car. Is this the case?

 

The guy who loaded it on the trailer and pulled till it broke should be the one liable for the damage, not you. Why should you let him slide?

 

I bought the car sitting on the trailer... The po had pulled the transmission and had it rebuilt but never put it back in. So I knew I had some work to do but really hadnt wanted to get into the suspesion right off the bat.

 

I just found some great videos on you tube from a guy named Gary with a company called Vtech. Everything I need to see was covered! I love you tube! Amazing!

 

Amen to that.

 

Something like this....bad news. (Not my car.)

 

Yes unfortunately that is the case.

 

Exactly!! Could be my car if it were the other side.

 

Exactly!! Could be my car if it were the other side.

You have some serious work ahead of you. But you did choose to buy a "project" car and I presume enjoy restoration. Good luck!

 

I sold my 71 vert project when we moved a couple years ago, I`ve been bitchin ever since. So, yes it not a complete shock but I guess I was hoping to get it drivable without anything major at first.

 

http://www.flickr.com/photos/johnnygascon/

Heres what I`m workin with...

 

On old cars old rusty parts never come off easy, however its not an impossible task.

To remove the Trailing arm..

The bolt securing the T/A to the frame use to rust and get stuck inside the T/A bushings and are therfore impossible to remove.

First take out the pin that holds the T/A shims in position, the work them up with a hammer and a chisel (correct word?) so you get access to the holes in the shims.

Then just pull the shims out.

OK it may take som force to get the shims out so this is how i have done it with sucess.

Yepp, its a bit "cavemen style" but it works.

Slack off the chain and then stroke hard, repeat and eventually the shims come out (picture below).



When the shims are removed use one of these saws (dont know the english name for it) and just cut the bolt and pull the T/A free.

Job done, now paint and rebuild with new parts.



Good luck.

//Ricky.

 

johhnygascon,

Welcome to the Forum and congratulations on your purchase. I have three '74s and have pulled the trailing arms on one of them recently. I agree with the above about the "slide hammer" to remove the shims, but you might not have to cut the TA bolt. Spray it liberally with PB Blaster or Penetrene etc. for a few days before removal.

If you can unscrew the nut from the bolt, then that's one piece you don't have to purchase. Now, as to the damage, it's only steel plate - it can be welded. Luckily you live in the US and it might very well be easier and cheaper to buy a good used TA, but once your damaged one is out, any competent weldor should be able to fix it up.

If you ever plan to put on wiiiiide wheels, then you should look at buying a new pair of offset TAs and save a whole lot of trouble. If you want to keep your existing TAs, then at least consider moving the parking brake bracket to the top of the TA. This will give you another inch of room if you fit wheels with a bigger backspacing.

Once your car is up in the air for the left TA, you would be wise to pull the other and have them both checked out by a competent Corvette repairer as NOW is the time to fix them if there is anything wrong with them.

Good luck with your project and please, consider removing those stripes across the rear end.

Regards from Down Under.

aussiejohn

 

Thanks for the info and the insight guys. This site is unbelievable! I told my wife I couldnt believe that I posted my problem and within a few hours I`ve got the solution with pictures, diagrams and instructions! Thanks again! Hey Aussie, the stripes will be off before the TA!! LOL!

 

The trailing arm repair will be expensive but heck once done you will have a new rear suspension. Think about a VBP rear composite spring and VBP218 shocks to finish things off nicely. Again, good luck. Hope you get some driving in this summer!