C3 Tech/Performance V8 Technical Info, Internal Engine, External Engine, Basic Tech and Maintenance for the C3 Corvette
Sponsored by:
Sponsored by:

Now I know

Thread Tools
 
Search this Thread
 
Old Dec 29, 2014 | 07:15 PM
  #1  
labhound's Avatar
labhound
Thread Starter
Racer
 
Joined: Sep 2013
Posts: 361
Likes: 6
From: Jamestown Ohio
Default Now I know

The turmoil of removing the rear control arms. One side was no problem at all, the nut came off, bolt slid out with ease, but, the other side……, it seems the bolt and the inside shims are rusted together. I did get the outside shims out
Soon…. hopefully. I'm out of penetrate spray and patiently waiting for my Free All to show up..
Reply
Old Dec 29, 2014 | 08:07 PM
  #2  
Scottd's Avatar
Scottd
Drifting
10 Year Member
 
Joined: Jul 2011
Posts: 1,697
Likes: 139
From: Syracuse NY
Default

And knowing is half the battle.

GI JooooooooooooE!
Reply
Old Dec 30, 2014 | 09:57 AM
  #3  
MIKE80's Avatar
MIKE80
Drifting
20 Year Member
Conversation Starter
All Eyes On Me
Liked
 
Joined: May 2005
Posts: 1,968
Likes: 44
From: East TN
Default

I used a sawzall with "The Torch" blades.
Reply
Old Dec 30, 2014 | 11:45 AM
  #4  
REELAV8R's Avatar
REELAV8R
Le Mans Master
15 Year Member
Liked
Loved
Community Favorite
 
Joined: Apr 2011
Posts: 6,284
Likes: 1,171
From: Hermosa
Default

Gawd awful job.
Mine were all rusted in. Sawzall , BFH, torch, penetrating oil, and plenty of swearing it finally all came apart.
I used stainless shims for replacement and put some anti-seize and grease on the bolts when I put new ones in.
Reply
Old Dec 30, 2014 | 12:00 PM
  #5  
Ibanez540r's Avatar
Ibanez540r
Drifting
Supporting Member
10 Year Member
Liked
 
Joined: Oct 2012
Posts: 1,524
Likes: 61
From: Medina Ohio
Default

Originally Posted by MIKE80
I used a sawzall with "The Torch" blades.
I did the same.

Same scenario, first came out easy, all confident, then downhill from there on the second. What a b****.
Reply
Old Dec 30, 2014 | 12:02 PM
  #6  
drwet's Avatar
drwet
Melting Slicks
15 Year Member
Liked
Loved
Community Favorite
 
Joined: Dec 2009
Posts: 3,229
Likes: 656
From: Thunder Bay
Default

Originally Posted by REELAV8R
Gawd awful job.
Mine were all rusted in. Sawzall , BFH, torch, penetrating oil, and plenty of swearing it finally all came apart.
I used stainless shims for replacement and put some anti-seize and grease on the bolts when I put new ones in.
Same here. When all was said and done, I was happy to be able to save the control arms. Didn't save much else.
Reply
Old Dec 30, 2014 | 12:29 PM
  #7  
doorgunner's Avatar
doorgunner
2026 Loser of the Year
Supporting Member
10 Year Member
Veteran: Army
Photogenic
Photoriffic
 
Joined: Sep 2013
Posts: 36,573
Likes: 7,016
From: New Or-leens Loo-z-anna
Default

LOL......I finally gave up/gave in after 2 hours on the second trailing arm bolt......

and sawed the offending *&%##$ bolt into two pieces!
Reply
Old Dec 30, 2014 | 01:03 PM
  #8  
doctorgene's Avatar
doctorgene
Drifting
15 Year Member
Conversation Starter
All Eyes On Me
 
Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 1,889
Likes: 23
From: Kansas
Default

I did get mine to turn in the bushing, but sawed them to start with. A friend had already warned me. LOL Happy New Year to All! Gene
Reply
Corvette Stories

The Best of Corvette for Corvette Enthusiasts

story-0

Top 10 Most Explosive Corvettes Ever Made: Power-to-Weight Ratio Ranked!

 Joe Kucinski
story-1

150 hp to 1,250 hp: Every Corvette Generation Compared by the Specs That Matter

 Joe Kucinski
story-2

8 Coolest Corvette Pace Cars (and Replicas) of All Time

 Verdad Gallardo
story-3

Top 10 Corvette Engines RANKED by Peak Torque (70+ Years of Muscle!)

 Joe Kucinski
story-4

Corvette ZR1X Will Be Pacing the Indy 500, And Could Probably Race, Too!

 Verdad Gallardo
story-5

Top 10 Corvettes Coming to Mecum Indy 2026!

 Brett Foote
story-6

Top 10 C9 Corvette MUST-HAVES to Fix These C8 Generation Flaws!

 Michael S. Palmer
story-7

10 Revolutionary 'Corvette Firsts' Most People Don't Know

 Joe Kucinski
story-8

5 Reasons to Upgrade to an LS6-Powered Corvette; 5 Reasons to Stay LT2

 Michael S. Palmer
story-9

2027 Corvette vs The World: Every C8 vs Its Closest Competitor

 Joe Kucinski
Old Dec 30, 2014 | 08:54 PM
  #9  
72LS1Vette's Avatar
72LS1Vette
Safety Car
20 Year Member
 
Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 4,883
Likes: 11
From: North Easton Mass
Default

One of the 2 worst things you will run into on the Vette. The other one is on the other end of the trailing arm - the shock mounts.



Rick B.
Reply
Old Dec 30, 2014 | 10:01 PM
  #10  
jb78L-82's Avatar
jb78L-82
Le Mans Master
15 Year Member
Liked
Loved
Community Favorite
 
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 7,445
Likes: 970
From: Tennessee/Rhode Island
Default

Originally Posted by 72LS1Vette
One of the 2 worst things you will run into on the Vette. The other one is on the other end of the trailing arm - the shock mounts.



Rick B.
I found the shock mounts EASY compared to the control arm bolts...LOL
Reply
Old Dec 30, 2014 | 11:11 PM
  #11  
labhound's Avatar
labhound
Thread Starter
Racer
 
Joined: Sep 2013
Posts: 361
Likes: 6
From: Jamestown Ohio
Default

Oh I've done the shock mounts, those were easy, I tried the sawz all route, but, there's no room to get the blade in there. More heat, spray and bfh, along with beer breaks, cussing and starring at it might work..
Reply
Old Jan 6, 2015 | 11:57 PM
  #12  
Florida 79's Avatar
Florida 79
Intermediate
 
Joined: Oct 2012
Posts: 48
Likes: 0
From: Grand Island Fl
Default putting it together

If I remember right, putting the bolt back in is almost as bad. I believe that was the bolt that I drilled a hole in the end and fished a line through the bolt hole to pull the bolt through. Crazy.
Reply
Old Jan 7, 2015 | 04:00 AM
  #13  
zuendler's Avatar
zuendler
Pro
10 Year Member
Conversation Starter
All Eyes On Me
Top Answer: 1
 
Joined: May 2011
Posts: 722
Likes: 58
From: Karlsruhe (Germany)
Default

ask me why I know



after that had to drill the bolt out and cut the bushing into pieces



Fortunately the shock mounts came right off. But this was so clear, because I had new bearing supports, new shock mounts and new strut rods. If the would not have came off I had scrapped the whole thing.
Reply
Old Jan 7, 2015 | 11:12 AM
  #14  
labhound's Avatar
labhound
Thread Starter
Racer
 
Joined: Sep 2013
Posts: 361
Likes: 6
From: Jamestown Ohio
Default

I finally got them out/off after all the standard cussing, prying, cutting, and pounding. I removed the whole rear end to clean it all, paint it, new bushings and change the gear oil that's 30+ years old.
If it wasn't 30 degree out in the garage, it'd be about done now…..
Reply
Old Jan 8, 2015 | 12:00 PM
  #15  
labhound's Avatar
labhound
Thread Starter
Racer
 
Joined: Sep 2013
Posts: 361
Likes: 6
From: Jamestown Ohio
Default

These snubbers needed some attention…






and a pic of the kids……




Reply
Old Jan 8, 2015 | 12:09 PM
  #16  
tyancey00's Avatar
tyancey00
Burning Brakes
Supporting Lifetime
10 Year Member
 
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 1,019
Likes: 18
From: St. Louis MO
Default



I feel your pain. I took this pic Monday.... now gotta figure out that bolt fishing trick to put it back together. I will not be using any antiseze. I want the next guy to know my pain!!!
Reply
Old Jan 8, 2015 | 12:43 PM
  #17  
labhound's Avatar
labhound
Thread Starter
Racer
 
Joined: Sep 2013
Posts: 361
Likes: 6
From: Jamestown Ohio
Default

\I thought about painting the floor but after some cleaning, out came the original fiberglass. I'll paint only the frame and suspension so the non-judging eye won't know the difference, I'm one of those that like having a clean under side.
Reply
Old Jan 9, 2015 | 12:38 PM
  #18  
kdf1986's Avatar
kdf1986
Safety Car
20 Year Member
All Eyes On Me
Liked
Loved
 
Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 4,652
Likes: 80
From: Lakeland Florida
Default

I got lucky on getting the left side TA out. It was tough, but I didnt have to use a sawzall or a torch.

Because this was the only one needed work at the time I left the right side alone. After reading previous threads on this topic I decided to relieve myself of anticipated aggravation.

On the upside, I could have justified the purchase of a new sawzall tool!

Maybe next time

kdf
Reply
Old Jan 22, 2015 | 06:02 PM
  #19  
labhound's Avatar
labhound
Thread Starter
Racer
 
Joined: Sep 2013
Posts: 361
Likes: 6
From: Jamestown Ohio
Default

The rear is all done. mostly, took it for a test drive and wow! what a difference with the new bushings, shocks and bigger sway bar out back. It handles and drives much better, plus it looks better all cleaned up and painted.
Now I need to secure that battery, it was sliding back and forth……
Next is the interior.
Reply

Get notified of new replies

To Now I know





All times are GMT -4. The time now is 07:52 AM.

story-0
Top 10 Most Explosive Corvettes Ever Made: Power-to-Weight Ratio Ranked!

Slideshow: The 10 most explosive Corvettes ever built based on power-to-weight ratio.

By Joe Kucinski | 2026-05-20 07:23:03


VIEW MORE
story-1
150 hp to 1,250 hp: Every Corvette Generation Compared by the Specs That Matter

Slideshow: From C1 to C8 we compare every Corvette generation by the numbers.

By Joe Kucinski | 2026-05-12 16:54:12


VIEW MORE
story-2
8 Coolest Corvette Pace Cars (and Replicas) of All Time

Slideshow: Some Corvette pace cars became collectible legends, while others perfectly captured the look and attitude of their era.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-05-11 09:50:51


VIEW MORE
story-3
Top 10 Corvette Engines RANKED by Peak Torque (70+ Years of Muscle!)

Slideshow: Ranking the top 10 Corvette engines by torque output.

By Joe Kucinski | 2026-05-05 11:58:09


VIEW MORE
story-4
Corvette ZR1X Will Be Pacing the Indy 500, And Could Probably Race, Too!

Slideshow: A Corvette pace car nearly matching IndyCar speeds sounds exaggerated, until you look at the numbers.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-05-04 20:03:36


VIEW MORE
story-5
Top 10 Corvettes Coming to Mecum Indy 2026!

Among a rather large group of them.

By Brett Foote | 2026-05-04 13:56:44


VIEW MORE
story-6
Top 10 C9 Corvette MUST-HAVES to Fix These C8 Generation Flaws!

Slideshow: the top 10 things Corvette owners want in the C9 Corvette

By Michael S. Palmer | 2026-04-30 12:41:15


VIEW MORE
story-7
10 Revolutionary 'Corvette Firsts' Most People Don't Know

Slideshow: 10 Important Corvette 'firsts' that every fan should know.

By Joe Kucinski | 2026-04-29 17:02:16


VIEW MORE
story-8
5 Reasons to Upgrade to an LS6-Powered Corvette; 5 Reasons to Stay LT2

Slideshow: Should you buy a 2020-2026 Corvette or wait for 2027?

By Michael S. Palmer | 2026-04-22 10:08:58


VIEW MORE
story-9
2027 Corvette vs The World: Every C8 vs Its Closest Competitor

Slideshow: 2027 Corvette lineup vs the world.

By Joe Kucinski | 2026-04-24 16:12:42


VIEW MORE