Title says it. :)

 

Wow, Eckler's is no help. Thats ok, I'll get em' from someone else. :)

37847 Spindle Control Rod Lower 84-96 w/Rubber Bushings Discontinued
37848 Spindle Control Rod Lower, 84-96 w/Urethane Bushings Discontinued
37850 Spindle Control Rod Upper 84-96 w/Rubber Bushings Discontinued
37849 Spindle Control Rod Upper, 84-96 w/Urethane Bushings Discontinued
37846 Spindle Control Rods, 84-96 w/Urethane Bushings Discontinued

 

If you are refering to the 4 aluminum parallel links in the rear suspension, technically, these are called trailing arms or trailing links. What hyped up name does GM call them? I dunno.

"Dogbones" are also known as halfshafts.

 

I definitely don't mean the halfshafts. "Trailing arms" huh? Man... they look NOTHING like my dad's 67's trailing arms. :) Yeah, the two of them on each side, parallel with each other.

 

Are you looking to replace all them,or will you just rebuild your own with new bushings?
Ive always wondered..when they become discontinued,where do the parts go?DO they only say disc. when the last left over ones are gone or do they throw them in the trash?
If they sell them off to vendors,who the heck gets them?
As for the technical names,seems everyone calls it what they want.Ive heard maybe 3 different names for these items.
:)

 

Well, my rear end is dancing on me when I get on/off the gas at all. These are suspected, but I've been too lazy to pull the wheels off in the cold and/or rain.

If possible, I'd rather just rebuild them with some poly bushings.

 

Ok my http://www.alldata.com parts explosion says they are officially the Control Arms even though they look nothing like the front ones. Check out the nutty OEM prices they have listed.

Control Arm

Front Suspension
Upper

Right 14067598 $371.00
Left 14067597 $392.00

Lower
14067624 $460.00
14067623 $460.00

Rear Suspension
17999723 $70.50
17999720 $70.50


[Modified by scorp508, 6:50 PM 12/24/2001]

 

...And check out how many are discontinued...All the first 4... :(

Hopefully, they've been superseded by some other numbers...

 

If it helps, all the control arms and support rods are fairly easy to change the bushings in them.I went with a pro thane kit and it does the entire car,and was able to replace all the bushings in the rear end area.I have to say I was amazed at how far gone the GM bushings were and then how much tighter the rear felt after the job was done.
The worst bushings meaning most worn out were the long camber/support rods or the long support arms that bolt the bottom of the knuckles/spindles to the rear end bottom itself by the leaf spring to adjust for camber alignment.
It was metal on metal wear on mine and another forum members car that we changed out.
The dog bones werent that bad considering,but Id do it all the same time anyways.
Just thought id pass that along.
:)

 

They have been superseded. G.M. also found a new vendor for them and I can tell you that you will not be happy with them. They are now Aluminum ends with a composite rod that is pressed into the aluminum end. To be honest I think they look like crap and that they would break or fall apart. I know that they won't, because Chevy would not sell it if it did, however it would be a cold day in he** before I ever put them on my car. Besides there are tons of them floating around used. Scorp put the bushings in yours and you will be happy. Don't forget your toe rods, they can cause the problem you are describing.

 

Even worse for me, they are stock on the 96 Vette. You can't replace the bushing (so I've been told), so I'm stuck looking for some used 84-95 "control arms".

Eric

 

Called Rear Control Arm Rod
GM Part # 17999723 (Lower) TLD #663279 $60.00
GM Part # 17999720 (Upper) TLD #660279 $60.00

 

How difficult is it to change out all of the bushings? Are there any special tools required for this job. I'm a good mechanic and I was wondering if this is something I can do myself so my wallet dosn't get raped at the dealer. Thanks. :cheers:

 

No it is very easy. They just press out and the new poly slip right in.

 

Are any of the supsension components under any tension or will they simply unbolt and come off "safely". :confused:

 

The rear pieces come off pretty easy...didnt notice any tension on them to remove.

Once the spring is unbolted,the knuckles pretty much are released from any force except their weight.The shocks will keep the knuckle from falling all the way down.I used a extra floor jack to support the knuckle while the car is on jack stands.

Its wise to loosen all the bolts just a tad bit so when you go to take the suspension parts off the car and knuckles,its easy.Unbolt one at a time, and the suspension moves too much to get leverage for the next set.The half shafts and lower camber arms will hold the suspension still to loosen the bolts some.Then go from there to remove.

You may need a big breaker bar to loosen the big bolts and nuts on the long camber arms and possible others...corrosion is the biggest reason some of the bolts and nuts are so hard to loosen.Aside from that,I thought it was easy.
Penetrating oil helps alot beforehand.

The Easiest way I pressed out the bushings at home was once I got the parts off, I drilled several holes around the inner bushing sleeves to loosen the sleeve from the rubber.
I also used some pen. oil to get in there easier.

Then I used a bench vise and a 6 inch or larger puller.I put the puller in the bench vise and locked one of the puller arms in the vise.Then rested the bushing eye in between the puller arm ends,locked the puller arms down tight, and turned the long puller bolt with a 1/2 inch bar/socket and it pushed the inner sleeve out.
Easy home made press.

Once the inner sleeves come off, the old one piece GM bushings can be pryed out with a screwdriver.Corrosion makes them a little hard to remove.There will be alot of white powder corrosion that will need to be sanded clean.
Once cleaned up, the new 2 piece bushings are easy to install.

The dog bones when off,and bushings are out, dont feel like they weigh a pound.Theyre so light its unreal.Yet pretty strong.
Youll see what I mean when you do the job.
:)

 

These are the times I like having a hydraulic press at my house. :D

 

Hydraulic press=Priceless
I envy ya dude!Will make your work a breeze.
:)

 

Thanks for the info and letting me step in on this post. :cheers: Scorp, didn't you have roughly 16,000 posts last week? WTF man.


[Modified by KYVette90, 9:27 PM 12/25/2001]

 

The upper and lower spindle control arms, yes, we meet again...

Piece of cake. But like the man said, the new pieces you'd get from GM don't look anything like the cast AL pieces that are on your car.

Hardest part for me was unbolting the knuckle bolts - factory spec is 140 ft-lbs or something like that. Not much room in the wheelwell to rotate a long-arm wrench when the car's teetering on jackstands.

Then an arbor press will squeeze out the old bushings, and the new high-quality urethane bushings (mine are ProThane) will slide right in with their super-lube liberally smeared all over them. There's probably nothing wrong with the arms themselves, just clean them up and use them again.

As long as you're in there, (and you've already tackled the u-joints, so this is a piece of pie) think about upgrading your rear shocks. Another easy bolt-in repair. Just pay attention to the torque spec. on the shock mounting bolts...they say 22 ft-lbs, and they mean it. Those bolts are either hardened or made of pot metal, because I snapped one off and had to drill it out at around 50 ft-lbs.