Corvette Rear suspension

[johnd]

Ok here is the deal I was at pomps yesterday and I was trying to get an alignment and a friend of mine said I could not get it done because the front suspension need new lower ball joints that was fine I can get those, then he pointed out the rear tires and he had never worked on a corvette like mine before, but as in the front the tires on the back, if you were to push in on the top of the tire it would kinda wobble now in the front I know it means new ball joints but I was wondering if that means the rear also I mean they were not moving much maybe a 1/4 inch but they were moving, and my friend did not know if that was normal or not because to say the least there are not corvettes like mine running around, so what do you think is it rear ball joints or what??

Thanks,
John Dykstra

 

[woobie1966]

i dont believe there are any rear ball joints, at least on my 1970.
the play may be normal due to the independant rear suspension. I replaced the rear spring, shocks, and strut rods on mine and it made a world of difference! the strut rods are cheap (about 70$) for the pair. they may be the problem, the attach to the rear differential out to the trailing arms, one of mine was bent. as far as alignment, make sure your friend gets a manual on corvettes, some require shims to properly align the rear suspension.
hope some of this helps
mike
ps, get a catalog like ecklers, or mid america, they have diagrams and exploded views of the suspension, maybe that will help you figure out which, if any, part needs to be replaced

 

[Bob Chadwick]

I would start to replace some of the easier bushings to see if that takes care of the problem.

 

[Copdogcorvettes]

Many times this is caused by The rear bearings on the rear spindles. The old vette did not have a way to lube these once installed and they have to be replaced from time to time. The bearings alone cost around $150 for everything. Plus it takes special tools that must shops don't have to change them. Take it to someone that knows corvettes and have it checked before doing anything; That would be the best way to start.

 

[venom94558]

I had the same problem, as it turned out I burned out the bearing. I had a very hard time finding a shop that could do that work. CALL FIRST! I had the whole rear swaying by the time I got it over to the shop.

 

[venom94558]

I had the same problem, as it turned out I burned out the bearing. I had a very hard time finding a shop that could do that work. CALL FIRST! I had the whole rear swaying by the time I got it over to the shop.