Hello all!

I Have the 1985 on the lift and finished installing Prothane rear bushings. The car has 108,000 and it looks like the tie rod ends are original; the rear did wander around a bit when driving. I called NAPA for some rear inner/outer tie rod ends and the guy couldn't seem to find them. He found the front inner and outers but not for the rear.

Does anyone have part numbers for the rear?

ALSO: how many miles do guys get out of their wheel bearings with a car that's only a highway/Sunday cruiser? Do the rears go before the fronts?

Thanks all!

 

Corvette Central has them for $50 each

For wheel bearings, I just replaced the original rear hubs on my '87 after 6 years worth of track days and 8 years of autocross with race slicks. The car has 76K on it but the events took the toll on the hubs.

I have also replaced both front hubs but again, autocross and track day events are hard on them. For a street car, I don't see why they shouldn't go 150K miles or more before they start to show signs of wear.

 

Thanks for the link!

How do you know when the wheel bearings should be changed. I have my right rear one is tight but the other 3 have a small amount of movement. At the rim, it might measure 1/8 or 3/16 of movement.

I see Raybestos are $88/$93 and Moogs are $102/$130 and Timkens are $102/$130. Is there a favorite in this forum? I don't want to change them unless they need to be change, but then I want good parts going on.

 

Based on what I've read, with the wheel elevated, if you grab it at the 6 & 12 o'clock positions and you get movement, the hub is bad. If the caliper is off the rotor or pads are compressed back so they don't touch the caliper and you rotate the wheel and you get noise, it's bad. If the hub feels gritty, you have a bad hub.

Good luck.

 

Rule of thumb in diagnosing wheel bearings..........

if you can FEEL movement rocking the elevated wheel by holding at 12 & 6:00....they are BAD and need to be replaced asap.

If you can SEE movement (re: 3/16.....) PARK THE CAR until it can be repaired ! Wheel/hub assys DO come apart on the hiway....

Regarding the REAR tie/toe rods...that is an assembly that CAN get new outer ends BUT the inners are a sealed assembly that has to be changed as a unit. DO inspect this as the inners CAN separate and pull out of the sockets. The test is to raise the tie rod and place some weight on it (???) if the rod will support it and NOT fall, its ok. If the rod falls to the ground it must be replaced. the Inner cups/wear parts cannot be serviced.

 

I will get new bearings on before the car is off the lift; thanks everyone!!

Concerning the inner rear tie rods; are the parts called inner tie rods or a "rear intermediate shaft"? The NAPA parts guy is having trouble finding the inner rear assembly. I thought I read somewhere that cars need to use a later model's inner rear. What specific parts/year piece do I need?

Are the rear outer tie rod ends the same part as the front outer?

Thanks for all the help! Hope to do my first auto-x this weekend IF I get it all done :/

 

The inner assemblies are not tie-rods but spherical ball-socket connections. The sockets are molded plastic Delrin parts and the ball ends steel. All the toe-in adjusting is done with the outer tie rods. If you need replacements and plan on auto-x I'd consider replacing the whole assembly with heim joint ends. Banski or Vansteel sell them for around $300.00.

http://www.vansteel.com/index.cfm?fu...&subgroup=1906
https://banskimotorsports.com/C4_Rear_Suspensioin.html

 

Thanks!

I had made the decision to avoid heim joints because I do travel on some gravel roads to the family farm and also want longevity of the system, even if it might be less than optimal performance.

 

Its actually called the "rear toe assy"

As previously stated, its an assembly with outer tie rod ends that CAN be replaced but the main assy is a throw-away to be replaced as an assembly. Cost around $200 IIRc...heim assys vary in cost with the wide variety of strength and extra features. The nice thing about many of the heim assemblies is that they can be greased, so the dirt road can be flushed OUT of the heims where your stock inner cups are subject to living with whatever they collect from the environment.

 

Hmmm . . .

 

Well put. Heim joint toe rods are a lot more durable than stock style, bar the ones made in China.

 

I will do more research on the rear toe assembly. It's funny how all the rest of the suspension and bearings are shot but the rear toe seems still rock solid. It must not be a high wear item??

How many street miles can one get out of the heim joints before they start to hammer?

 

I can't speak to the life of heims joints , BUT I CAN speak to the bushing life....

bushings wear from dirt and grit that collects on and IN the bushing when the car is street driven in rain.
IF that trash is allowed to stay, its like sand paper and it grinds away slowly at the rubber. Oils do the rest of the damage by softening the rubber in the bushing.

You CAN prevent this from happening again AFTER you change the loose/sloppy bushings.

once or twice a year, get the rain suit out and go to the local quarter car wash with your floor jack. Raise the car and lay down.....

pressure wash every inch of the underside. Sterilize it. Especially the suspension parts.

Go home and jack it up AGAIN.

spray WET silicone spray on EACH bushing. Soak it.

There. Your bushings will NOW last longer than YOU will ! When you remove the abrasives and add the correct lubrication they do not wear at all.
I've done this on my current C4 and its just now needing some of the rear bushings...and this car has well over 350,000 miles on the chassis....! Still has stock bushings in the rear ! and, its only a few that have worn out. Many are STILL tight with no sign of dry rot or cracking.

Use silicone because it does NOT soften or interact with rubber. Most petroleum based lubes are BAD for most rubber compounds. Ever see diesel on wiper blades? That's an extreme example but any oil on rubber gets a similar result. ALL rubber mfgs and plastics recommend silicone since its non-destructive and compatible with all rubber and it last longer and is NOT messy.
IF you get poly bushings with grease zerks, (I am) use ONLY silicone grease and they will last forever. Silicone grease is costly,.....and hard to find some places, but its benefits are endless.

good luck !

 

One thing about the Banski units is that they are teflon coated so no grease is required. Banski also has rubber covers available for the heim joints and those will protect the surfaces if the car is driven a lot in the wet or even dirt/gravel roads.