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Hi Tampa Jerry, I got under the car to find that the snubber bushing is good, the trailing arm bushings are shot, as well as the strut rod bushings. The shims in the trailing arms are still tight. Not looking forward to trying to get those trailing arms off. I know they are a MF! My passenger side trailing arm has a bend in it. Is it supposed to be that way? Also the drivers side trailing arm appears to have been welded. See attached pics. Weld on Drivers side Trailing Arm Drivers Side trailing Arm Bushing Drivers side Strut Rod bushing Passenger Side Trailing Arm with bend. Is the bend normal? Passenger Side Trailing Arm Bushing Passenger Side Strut Rid Bushing Snubber Bushing
2025 c3 ('74-'82) of the Year Finalist - Unmodified
2019 C3 of Year Finalist (appearance mods)
Good job inspecting all the bushings and I agree they are all shot.
The snubber rubber does look OK but take a closer look near the arrow, is that a crack?
It looks similar to Rescue Rogers pictures.
Here's a list of most of the parts that have to be removed,
You might want to apply some penetrating oil for the next few days.
You will need a 3/8" pipe cap to remove the shock mount.
It's not that bad a job I did it 20 years ago and again last year after about 50,000 miles.
2020 Corvette of the Year Finalist (performance mods)
2019 C3 of Year Winner (performance mods)
2016 C3 of Year Finalist
I dont think those kinks and bends in your trailing arms are normal, especially with the need to weld in a plate on the drivers side. When you have them out you may want to consider having them inspected or replace them...guess its a good time to consider some offset trailing arms....
I see you are in South Florida. Consider using Van Steel in Clearwater. They are local for me. Give Danny a call and he will set you up. It may be worth a 3-4 hour drive to bring everything to them. They have everything you need to refurbish the rear. Consider replacing the rear bearings if they are original or suspect. Jerry
Hi Rescue Rogers,
Dont really need offset arms as I do not plan to put wider rims and tires on the car. Apparently the slight bend in the passenger side arm is how the arm is manufactured...
Does anyone have an opinion on adjustable strut rods? They seem to be better than the original cam type adjusters...
i have OEM non adjustable (poly energy )..and have no issues.. BUT it was VERY hard for me anyway to get the rods aligned to re assemble. i was going to buy another reasonable adjustable set recommended but they were out or for me big $. those look reasonable!
Thanks Rescue Rogers,
I think I'm going to buy a set. If you are often adjusting your ride height, I assume you are bringing the car to a shop for final alignment after you adjust?
