Strut Rods wont fit after Trailing Arm rebuild

[Enrico R.]

[Rich P.]

Re: Strut Rods wont fit after Trailing Arm rebuild

Enrico,

disconnect the leaf spring and raise the trailing arm up. Then swing the strut rod up into position. If it is still off a little thats ok, just tap the strut rod into place enough to get a drift pin in the spindle housing and strut rod. then as you tap, wiggle, and raise and lower the trailing arm the strut rod will line up enough to tap in the shock mounts. I have done hundereds of installs like this with no trouble.

Rich
Forgot to say, YES move the cam bolts that will help some.

[Enrico R.]

Re: Strut Rods wont fit after Trailing Arm rebuild

Rich:

Thanks for the reply. I'll give it a try. I am a little fuzzy on what you mean by using a "drift pin." I guess you mean using a bar of lesser diameter than the shock mount and threading it through as if it were the shock mount. Then, using it as part of the "tap, wiggle and raise and lower" to achieve the final alignment. Did I get it right?

Thanks again
Enrico (Rick) Ricci

[Michael G.]

Re: Strut Rods wont fit after Trailing Arm rebuild

Enrico,
This is why your bottom of the tire is pulled inward when you jack up a corvette of this era. Follow Rich's advice and lift the arm up to the point that the half shaft is near horizontal. You will then be able to easily connect the strut. Mike

[Rich P.]

Re: Strut Rods wont fit after Trailing Arm rebuild

Enrico,

a drift pin looks like a taperd punch BUT it is not hardend so you can put lateral force on it with out it breaking.

Rich

[Enrico R.]

Re: Strut Rods wont fit after Trailing Arm rebuild

Rich:

It worked!! Thanks a bunch.

Mike:
I had the half shaft up horizontal and that helped, but the forks remained cocked at an angle. The rod ends, when secured to their bracket, would not align themselves with this cocked position of the forks.
I loosened the bracket bolts and that gave me a little angular movement on the rods. Disengaging the springs gave me some movement on the forks. Then, as Rich suggested, I tapped, wiggled, sweated and cussed the rod ends into position. I have not yet tightened up the strut rod bracket bolts. It looks to me like I am going to put some torque forces on the fork when I do. So, I'm going to be careful. I'd hate to screw up my shinny new (and expensive!) trailing arms.
This experience has renewed my interest in adjustable strut rods.

Thanks
Rick

[Rich P.]

Re: Strut Rods wont fit after Trailing Arm rebuild

Rick,

Glad that did it for you. Now you just have to fight and get the spring hooked back up.

Rich

[Enrico R.]

Re: Strut Rods wont fit after Trailing Arm rebuild

Rich:

I did not have to take the springs off completely. I jacked them up until I the spring bolt was loose. In this condition, I noticed the springs no longer had an effect on the TA's. So, I took the nut off and just held them in that position with the floor jack. Using another floor jack, I carefully moved the TA's to get the rods on. After that, I lowered the springs and secured them without a problem.
I know what you mean when you say "...now you just have to fight to get the spring hooked back up." That's exactly what I wanted to avoid and I was lucky enough to to do just that. It helps to have more than one floor jack.
In fact, I bought four to do this job. I wanted the car up on cinder blocks and 2x8's before I even started thinking about working under it.
Now, it's on to brakes.

Thanks again for the help.
Rick

[Paul J.]

Re: Strut Rods wont fit after Trailing Arm rebuild

[quote=Enrico Ricci (50080);448658]

I wanted the car up on cinder blocks and 2x8's before I even started thinking about working under it.
/quote]

Enrico, you did'nt mean to say cinder blocks (or actually concrete blocks), did you.

You meant to say wood blocks, because we hope that is what you did.

Never, ever use concrete (cinder) blocks. They're for houses that don't move and can't break them.

Paul

[Enrico R.]

[Joe R.]

Re: Strut Rods wont fit after Trailing Arm rebuild

Rick,

I think it would be much safer to use jack stands to hold the car up. They're designed for the job.

Joe

[Paul J.]

Re: Strut Rods wont fit after Trailing Arm rebuild

Rick:

That was quite informative, and certainly shows that you are being careful. We just want to be sure that we don't lose "one of our own".

According to ASTM C-90, concrete blocks must have a minimum compressive strength of 1900 psi. This is what is usually required in most residential building codes. Stronger blocks are available. I believe that the concern of using these to jack up cars was two-fold. First as you mentioned, cinder blocks (made in the mid 1800's through the mid 1900's from clinkers from coal furnaces) had little testing and no engineering standard that I'm aware of. These could crack and break readily, with no warning. Second, the engineered concrete blocks meeting ASTM C-90 (usually made with fly ash from coal-fired power plants, and other fillers along with at least 2400 psi portland cement concrete) could also fail through undetected cracking.

I'll be straight up and tell you that I've never seen it happen. And it's possible that all of this is just an "old wives tail", but several mechanics that I have respected in the past warned me about this.

I use 6"X8" standard (not nominal) wooden guardrail spacers, and also jack stands as Joe suggested. However, I was just at Lowes and they have 8 foot long 6"X8" nominal landscape timbers for just under $20. The blocks and jack stands are also a lot lighter and easier to move around than a standard 35 lb block.

If you use the concrete blocks remember that the holes go up and down.

Paul

[Steven G.]

Re: Strut Rods wont fit after Trailing Arm rebuild

When using cinder blocks to support heavy loads, wood should be used between all masontry, this will help prevent block from cracking due to uneven surfaces. Steve