The trailing arm bushings are shot and need to be replaced. I dont know if I should just replace the bushings or have the TA's rebuilt. There is alot of surface rust on the arms, but every thing else seems fine right now. With the difference in money I could almost afford to have the radiator replaced which leaks every now and then. Any ideas?
Trailing arm pic from the back...

thanks

 

sounds alot like my situation (except I don't have near enough money to rebuild the T/As) I just bought the rear poly bushing set which includes T/A bushings, and I plan to put those in. Anyways, if I were you I'd test for looseness in the bearing assembly, use the bearing greaser if you don't find any, strip the rust with a drill/wirebrush, repaint with Rustoleum. Use the extra money for things you know you need.

 

If you can scrape up the beans, I'd suggest sending them to Van Steel and getting them rebuilt. I did a bubba rebuild on mine, took them off wire brushed the rust off, POR15, new bushings, new emergency brake shoes and a new rotor. I didn't touch the rear bearings so now I worry about them failing on me.
I guess I spent about $220.00 doing mine, bushings, rotor, e-brake hardware, new SS shims.

 

The first set of rear bearings I did was around 1974.

I filled the spindle support completely full of grease, thinking... if some is good, more is better.

Wrong.

When I drove the car, the grease heated up, expanded, and oozed out past the outer seal, all over the parking brake shoes.
I had to replace the shoes, and disassemble the bearings again to remove some of the grease. (This was the first slip-fit bearings I executed because I was ticked)

Since then I have done hundreds of rear bearings. I never pack the cavity full of grease.
Only to about 80% +/- to allow for heat expansion. Air compresses a lot more than grease.

The bearing greasing tools etc (greasable flanges too), by design, force grease into the cavity until it is full. If the cavity is not filled all the way, the grease will not get to both bearings..... which defeats the purpose of using the tool. The air will be forced out before the grease.... then the cavity gets completely full. You can also accidentally pop the outer seal out of its bore and not be aware that you did it. In order to actually verify that you did in fact grease BOTH bearings, you have to force grease out past both seals. (unless you have x-ray eyes)

People who have used these tools and have had no problems, did not lubricate the outer bearing... they only succeeded in lubricating the inner bearing if any.... or they only drive the car in cold weather or for short runs.

Enough said.

If the bearings need work, take 'em apart and do it right or pay someone to do it. Don't use the funky greasing tools and/or flanges etc. or you could cause a mess like I did on my first set 30 years ago.

 

It doesn't pay a poor man to buy cheap. Go the VanSteel route & you can sleep peacefully.