On our 69 I notice that after backing up into a parking space the driver side rear wheel looks tilted in at the top. The other side looks stright. After you drive forward a ways they both look stright. The car seam to drive fine. Any Idea if this is normal or what might be causing this.

 

I'm a non stock guy. The best thing that can be done to a Vette rear end is something called a "Smart Strut" Vette Brakes sell them and others.

On an IRS rear the camber alignment is just the lower rod.

Poly bushings and adjustable rods is the only way to go!!!!!

 

Since I had the fiberglass rear spring installed my car sits to high. I want to drop my rear end where it should be when I put my 17's back on and thinking about doing the adjustable strut rods while I'm at it. What is the correct rear camber spec?

 

http://www.stingray.nu/tips/alignment.htm

 

Definitely not normal. Sounds like you may have worn bushings in the strut rods. For bearings to cause visible camber you'd heard the noise when driving but, since you say it drives well, that can't be an issue. I'd check the struts and the end play in the halfshafts.

 

Not just the strut rods, but the trailing arm bushings could be worn too. Mine were so bad that when I got the trailing arm completely removed from the IRS I could twist my trailing arms on the bolt about 20 degrees in each direction. It was totally unsafe, but didn't cause as much problems as I would have expected. The negative camber was horrible before.

 

with both 75 Hot One and Steve

 

Im thinking it may be the trailing arm bushing. The strut look almost new and the play does not appear to be in the bearing. What is the easiest way to do this can it be done by removing the pivot bolt and rotating the arm down with out removing the entire arm from the car? Anybody have a procedure?

The side that has the camber issue does seam to have a lot of Yoke movement at the differential. I would estimate by grabbing the tire at 12 and 6 possition I can see the yoke at the differential move 1/8" to 3/16". The other side is vertualy 0

Thanks

 

The degree of difficulty in removing the trailing arms is directly proportional to the amount of rust on the trailing arm bolts. You have to remove the whole arm, and furthermore, it requires a special tool to get the new bushings pressed in. There are drop in poly bushings, but I recommend you stay away from those. They have a tendency to make a lot of noise as they get some wear on them.

If the bolts are really rusted, prepare yourself for a job. Some people end up using a sawsall to cut the bolts out. I soaked mine with penetrating oil and tapped it out with this:



It's a huge nail,about a foot long, that I bent in a vise so it woul go under the fenderwell and clear it enough so I could hit it with a hammer. A few whaps and the bolt was out.

Another thing. MAKE SURE YOU DOCUMENT AND REPLACE THE SPACERS EXACTLY WHERE THEY WERE BEFORE YOU REMOVED THE TRAILING ARM WHEN YOUR REINSTALL IT. That will ensure your alignment stays close to what it was when you put the arms back on, make it a hell of a lot easier to go get a 4 wheel alignment.


When you rock the wheel, does the arm pivot a lot with it? You could have a bad wheel bearing too. If I were to do it all over again, I would have just bought a new trailing arm. Van Steel above is a good guy to do that with, at least that's what I've heard.

I had new rubber bushings pressed in, but I have a shop nearby that does ONLY corvettes. I wouldn't have it done at bubba's garage. If you don't have a Corvette specialty shop nearby, I would just order new trailing arms, just my opinion.

 

Before you start major work, think about what you're trying to accomplish:
Problem: Camber change.
Findings: 1. Large end play in differential yoke & therefore also in
halfshaft. This can cause camber change.
2. You think camber change may be due to worn bushing in
trailing arm. Why? It is unlikely that the worn bushing will
cause camber change because of the geometry. It will
more likely cause a toe-in change. Do you have a toe-in
problem? If not, leave the trailing arm alone.
Conclude: Based on info you supplied, you should repair end play in
differential yoke. Of course, if you decide to repair the
trailing arm while you've got the rear end apart, that's
another matter.

 

Thanks for the input. I am convinced it is not bearings, and the strut appears to have no play in the bushings. Does the half shaft actualy carry horizantal load on these cars. If so then you may be correct that the half shft yoke movment may be the problem.

 

1/2 shafts should have a slight angle to them. If you have that much play in and out, replace the yoke.