A friendly warning!

[yellow77]

Dont forget, our Corvettes are getting old, things loosen over time, sometimes the effect could be catastrophic.
Under the differential, is a double ended bracket which locates the inboard ends of the two lower camber adjustment rods. My car has been getting squirmy recently, and I couldnt figure why, the entire front suspension and steering has been replaced and still, she squirms.
Yesterday, driving to work, the squirm turned into a feeling of being on ice, the whole back end of the car was swerving right and left :eek .
Well, after very carefully getting the car home, I discovered that all four bolts holding this bracket to the differential were gone!

They have now been replaced with grade 8 bolts, really tightened and Loctited.


Anyway, the long and the short of it is, it is never a bad idea to have a check round with some wrenches looking for loose nuts.

Cheers

Richard

 

[CQRT]

Good call Richard-
Hard to imagine that such things manage to work loose all by themselves, but I am convinced these cars have minds of their own.

From one loose nut to another - -thanks !

 

[gary55r]

Hey Richard,
I have a rear end wiggle or squirm when I get off the gas too quickly at freeway speeds. Is this what you are describing?

I was thinking it was worn u-joints but I'm checking those bolts tonight.

Gary

 

[lnirenberg]

Dont forget, our Corvettes are getting old... Anyway, the long and the short of it is, it is never a bad idea to have a check round with some wrenches looking for loose nuts.

Cheers

Richard

You said it brother, although sometimes I get the feeling the only loose nut associated with my car is me. This was a long winter and spring couldn't have come soon enough. So far, however, the spring has been less than a panacea for the winter blues. Its been 3 weeks since my car was rescued from hibernation and I have been visited by a couple of old car gremlins. First, an explosion of an unidentified nature happened while traveling XXX mph in the passing lane on the Mass Pike--honest officer, I was just keeping up with traffic. The explosion was followed by a smell of steaming coolant and 2 hours later the flatbed showed up and took my son and I home. Next morning I surveyed the damage and my best theory is an air conditioning hose exploded next to the hose connected to the bottom of the expansion tank with such force it ripped the hose off and bashed in the end of the expansion tank. New expansion tank and hose clamp later I trace the problem to prior owner who had an after market AC installed w/o a high pressure cut off. Out a few bucks but no serious damage. Last night, slowing down to pay the tolls my brakes are less than stellar and the pedal goes to the floor and I was pretty sure I was stopping on half a system. I was surprised that it stopped so well. Lucked out today and found a drive on lift in a service station around the corner. I stood on a ladder and pumped the brakes with my hand while the mechanic looked for the leak--hidden hole in the rear crossover line beneath one of the clips. I'm thinkin' that my vette first aid kit for Carlisle is looking like it might leave me with no room for a change of clothes--radiator/heater hose and clamps, brake lines tool boxes and who knows what else by August. Oh well, I guess its the roll of the dice for me.

They sure don't make them like they used to which in the case of the automobile is both good (a 400 hp vette getting 25+ mpg) and bad (though not born with of a golden wrench in my hand, I am handy enough to diagnose and fix "minor" problems myself on the old car as oppossed to the computer controlled electronic gadget loaded cars of the 21st century). As long as its not life threatening, I have concluded that it's all part of the rich pageantry of life and there certainly must be some character building quality for those of us who actually drive our old cars. If I wanted to look at an old car I would have just bought the photograph.