Well, I finally got down to business on my rear end work on my '76.  It was a good thing too.  One side had no needle bearings in the half shaft U joint (heard that clunking over last summer), and the other side's wheel bearing was sloppy.

First off, let me thank everyone for their past experience and advice. such as to use a sawsall to cut the trailing arm bolt, and what new parts to buy.  I bought 2 fully rebuilt trailing arms from Penn-Ohio Corvette, new tie rod style strut rods, new half shaft U joints, stainless shims, and new rotors.  It will also have new tires when it's all said and done.  I'm switching from 255/60, to 225/70 to improve my ride, and handling in the rain which it doesn't see much of anyway.

Now I was wondering if anyone had any tips on the reinstall procedure, mainly on how to rough align the rear wheels for the trip to the alignment shop.  Also, any tips on the order of reassembly would be a great help too.

Thanks in advance.

Dave K.

 

Order the $20.00 tape from VanSteel on C3 suspension..it has everything you'll need.

Alan

When I reinstalled my trailing arms the toughest part was putting the bolt back in.  I tied a piece of string through the hole where the cotter pin goes, fed it through everything and used that to help line up the bolt and get it through.  The space is tight for tools and hands in there!

Was this the best price on parts - Penn Ohin Corvette?  I am gonna need the same parts soon...vette74

I paid just over $400 for each rebuilt trailing arm with new rotor riveted on.  There is a $150 core per side.  The trailing arms came ready to install and carry a 3 year/unlimited mileage guarantee.

I recommend replacing or at least inspecting 1/2 shaft universals while you have everything tore apart.  I found one U joint where there were no needle berings left (probably that loud clunking noise I heard last summer!)  I would also recommend buying the trailing arm bolts and stainless steel shims.  You will probably have to cut the old bolts out and the original shims will probably be unusable as well due to excessive rust.  It took us 3 hours just to get the shims out of one side due to rust.

Good luck!

 

V tech corvette has rebuilt trailing arms for $250/side exchange. I was able to get the shims out OK, I recommend keeping them together and replacing with the same thickness shims, should get you close. I also recommend the Van Steel video, there are alot of good tips on there.

Matt

If I were you I would let Van Steel do the work.  They are the experts in the industry and have the best warranty.  Remember a warranty is one thing, but the last thing you want is to have to make a claim on that warranty.  That means you have to start all over again by tearing everything back apart. Not Fun.

I have not heard of any of those other rebuilders.

[QUOTE=bacre]Was this the best price on parts - Penn Ohin Corvette?  I am gonna need the same parts soon...vette74[/QUOTE]

Never heard of those guys either. I may not have the prices but you really can't beat my quality. I also offer free shipping to all forum members so you may want to check me out. www.vansteel.com

Dan

I'm waiting for the shipment from Van Steel next week. I can tell you that these folks know what they are doing, and they were great to deal with. I highly recommend them for your trailing arms.

I put trailing arms and other components from Van Steel over 1 yr ago & haven't had a problem. It was fast & easy dealing with them. This is a job you don't want to do again so go with the best ...it'll make life easier.

Alan