Rear Bearing spacers
Race Director
Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 19,294
Likes: 2,754
From: Charlotte NC
Be AWARE that IF you remove your trialing arms....and the bushing is shot....you might need to get the trailing arm bushing tool to compress it so you can stake it when you replace it. Some have found other ways of doing this...but they do make a tool to do this.
And IF you do replace them...make sure you file the tapered washer FLAT so when you lay one of your shims on it...NONE of the inner sleeve you just staked is protruding and causing for interference in how the shims can lay FLAT...which CAN effect your alignment.
DUB
And IF you do replace them...make sure you file the tapered washer FLAT so when you lay one of your shims on it...NONE of the inner sleeve you just staked is protruding and causing for interference in how the shims can lay FLAT...which CAN effect your alignment.
DUB
Thread Starter
Cruising
Joined: Nov 2018
Posts: 12
Likes: 0
Took both shims on one side to get clearance. One shim even the largest .147 was to tight no clearance. It may be a problem with the setup tool, I’ll do a final check with the new rear axle to get the real number
Last edited by Marion Cole; Feb 8, 2019 at 09:24 AM.
Tech Contributor
Joined: Aug 1999
Posts: 15,175
Likes: 3,990
From: Connecticut, USA
I hope you realize that using two shims tells me you have something really wrong going on there. I have built 100's of arms and found some without shims, ( real bad rebuild work there), but never one yet that required 2 shims on the bell spacer. I strongly recommend you recheck things before assembling it on the car.
Pro
Joined: Mar 2014
Posts: 529
Likes: 113
From: Texas
You may need to replace the bell spacers. I never reuse the old ones, I am sure some people reuse the old ones with no problems. Make sure the bearing races are seated all the way that could be a problem to.
Race Director
Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 19,294
Likes: 2,754
From: Charlotte NC
I hope you realize that using two shims tells me you have something really wrong going on there. I have built 100's of arms and found some without shims, ( real bad rebuild work there), but never one yet that required 2 shims on the bell spacer. I strongly recommend you recheck things before assembling it on the car.
Posting photos of the bell space and or its length could help....because something is not right.
DUB
Thread Starter
Cruising
Joined: Nov 2018
Posts: 12
Likes: 0
Thanks for the replies. I agree something is wrong, that was why I posted. I tried the largest single shim with a new axle in the hub and pulled in with the installation tool. It was so tight could not turn axle. The races are seated down flat against the seat in the hub. I was careful and watched as the race was driven in that it was going in square.
I am going to use the setup tool to check the old bearings and spacers for a difference to see if one of the new bearings and face is wider. If that is positiv, i’ll Buy a micrometer and measure. Definitely agree something is wrong and will not put together until I get to the bottom of this!
I am going to use the setup tool to check the old bearings and spacers for a difference to see if one of the new bearings and face is wider. If that is positiv, i’ll Buy a micrometer and measure. Definitely agree something is wrong and will not put together until I get to the bottom of this!
Corvette Stories
The Best of Corvette for Corvette Enthusiasts
Top 10 Most Expensive Corvettes Ever Sold on Bring A Trailer
Brett Foote
10 Things Every Corvette Owner Needs (2026 Edition)
Michael S. Palmer
8 Most "Only Corvette Owners Understand" Quirks and Problems
Pouria Savadkouei
10 Reasons the C6 Z06 is Still A Performance Benchmark After 20 Years
Joe Kucinski
How Much Horsepower Every Corvette Engine "LOST" in 1972
Joe Kucinski
Top 10 DOs and DON'Ts for Protecting Your Convertible Top!
Michael S. Palmer
Top 10 Most Explosive Corvettes Ever Made: Power-to-Weight Ratio Ranked!
Joe Kucinski
150 hp to 1,250 hp: Every Corvette Generation Compared by the Specs That Matter
Joe Kucinski
8 Coolest Corvette Pace Cars (and Replicas) of All Time
Verdad Gallardo
Thread Starter
Cruising
Joined: Nov 2018
Posts: 12
Likes: 0
I’ll post pictures later. The new cone spacer measures 1.66 inches. The old one measured 1.68. The old shim was .137 for a total of 1.817 spacer. I tried the old cone and spacer and it was so tight that I could not turn. I found the new outside bearing width measures wider by 30 millimeter. I am very suspect of the bearings and races. I have ordered new ones from Chevrolet and will see how that works
Thread Starter
Cruising
Joined: Nov 2018
Posts: 12
Likes: 0
Correction on readings of last post. The difference in bearing thickness is NOT 30 mm it is .3mm. That is .0118 in. The shim pack has shims in graduations of .006 sojust selecting a shim two steps down in size should compensate. I’ll be back on this in four days when the new bearings arrive.