72 CE Trailing Arm Installation

TimP

CCCUK Member
Not sure if these hints are of any help or interest but just in case.....

Having rebuilt the trailing arms (TA) I needed a way of reinstalling them on my own in a rather cramped space - my garage was put up in the thirties and not really designed for more contemporary cars. I also have arthritis in my knees and kneeling down for any period of time is tricky. Thus any work I do on the lower half of the car has to be done sitting or lying down.

I built a small trolley out of bits lying around my workshop which although crude, was very helpful in supporting the weight of the TA's whilst I was fitting the pivot bolts to secure the TAs to the chassis. The trolley holds the TA vertically - the 6" nail (see pic 1) on the trolley goes through the holes for the transverse spring bolts and the angle of the TA is set by the relative height of the two posts so that the hole for the TA pivot bolt is the same height and alignment as the bushed hole in the TA.
TA trolley 1-small.JPG

Thus to install the TA all I needed to do was to push the trolley forwards and backwards until it aligned sufficiently to put the bolt in. The trolley, plus a really good tip I read about (sorry I can't remember where but definitely not my idea) to use garden wire to pull the pivot bolt through from the far side worked very well and both sides had the bolts fitted in about 10-15 mins each (pic 2 prior to fitting shims).
TA trolley 2-small.JPG
The trolley came in handy once more after I had fitted the shims, struts and dampers (but not the spring) as I had forgotten to put the washer on the pivot bolt at the bolt head end on one side. Putting the trolley back in position I was able hold the assembly all still, remove the bolt, put the washer on and then put the bolt back again without pulling it all apart. Phew!
 

kentvette

CCCUK Member
Actually, that may just be very helpful! I'm contemplating the replacement of the TAs on our 78 over the winter and having watched a few videos with rather fancy jacking arrangements that are not practical, I was wondering how I might go about it! I'd planned to use fishing line to pull the bolt through, by the way.

Can't pretend its a job I'm looking forward to, but the old car has been calling out for new TAs for a while now!
 

curious bystander

CCCUK Member
Actually, that may just be very helpful! I'm contemplating the replacement of the TAs on our 78 over the winter and having watched a few videos with rather fancy jacking arrangements that are not practical, I was wondering how I might go about it! I'd planned to use fishing line to pull the bolt through, by the way.

Can't pretend its a job I'm looking forward to, but the old car has been calling out for new TAs for a while now!
As long as you're not battling rusted/seized parts it's not that bad Steve.
The trickiest bit is getting the bolt back through when you come to re-assemble - as you mention fishing line or dental floss will do it. And loads of patience because it will take several attempts (y) Well it did for me:rolleyes:
 

TimP

CCCUK Member
Glad this post has been useful - thanks all for the feedback!

I intend to post a few articles on some of the build work that I have been doing this last year. The first one (on headlight housings ) I posted today and I hope to follow on with a post on what I did to refurbish the rear suspension, trailing arms (including fitting new bushes and bearings), half shafts etc in the trailing arm) in a week or two. I am new to this so I'm not an expert but I will post what I did from the perspective of a beginner and share some of the mistakes I made along the way. Hope that will be of interest.
 

curious bystander

CCCUK Member
Tim - have you considered sending these to Mark (editor) for inclusion in Vette News? They will then reach a wider audience.
And help fill the mag. Especially if you've got photos to accompany the description of the work you're undertaking.
To encourage others to follow in your footsteps :)
 
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