Rear Control Arm Bushings

[Spdfrk]

Hi guys.

My 77' rear control arms needed new bushings so I removed the old ones and put in some new poly bushings that came in the ecklers total body poly kit. They fit fine but if I remember correctly the original bushings had the outer washers pinned to them by flaring the tube that runs through the bushings. The new ones that I put on complete with new tube and washers cant seem to be pinned on, the tube is too fat to flare. So when I put back on the arms and checked the movement the bushings keep sliding out because the washers are not pinned on. Has anyone had this problem and is there a solution other than another type of bushing set??

 

[vettej1]

You probably have the right set. There is a special tool required to crimp everything together. You can buy the tool, which I believe is around $50.00 or you can take the arms and bushings to your local corvette shop and they can do it for you. I'm doing the same thing on my car now and when I bring in the hub assy parts for the local shop to press on the new bearings on the spindles I'll have them press on the T arm bushings as well.

-john

 

[Spdfrk]

Thanks John. One question though, how thick are the sides of the tube that runs through the bushings. I ask this because mine are almost 3/16 of an inch thick. Can you crimp that with the same tool???

Thanks again

-Michael

 

[vettej1]

Michael,

The tubes in my kit are also about that size. But I am installing heavy duty trailing arms and the assy. is slightly different I think. The original trailing arms came with a shell that goes over the bushing on each side. You need to reuse those shells in your originals.

I am going to my local Corvette shop tomorrow to drop off my hub assys. so that they can press on the new bearings for me. I'll ask them about the bushing kit that you have and see if the same tool will work.

Aslo I thought of one other thing after your last post. Did you reinstall the shims that go on each side of your trailing arms? That can cause you problems too if they are not in.

-john

 

[Spdfrk]

Actually it was after we had installed the rear control arms that we discovered that the washers needed to be pressed on. We were also thinking that the same shims would have held in the same washers in place but we quickly threw that idea out the window. Waste of a good thought!!!
Let me know what the shop says ill be most gratefull. The nearest Covette shop for me is hundreds of miles away from me and over water at that.


--Ah the price of paradise!!!--

 

[vettej1]

Michael,

Went to my local Corvette shop yesterday and unfortunately they weren't as much of a help as I thought they would be on this question.

What I did find out is that the poly bushing kits we both got come with a thicker sleeve that can not be flared with the washers on the outside of the new bushings. The set up is "different". Duh, we already new that right?
The guy that owns the place was not in yesterday so I was getting this info from someone I normally don't talk to.

What I think you have to do is make sure that the shells that are pressed into the original arms are intact. Install the new bushings, (as you've already done), put the new washers that came with the kit on each side and then add the same amount of shims on each side of the arms until there is no play. You may have to get a new shim kit to do this because the amount of shims you originally have may not be enough for the new set up.

If this doesn't do the trick then you can do one of two things. Put new original style rubber bushings back in or, try to contact the manufacturer of the poly bushing kit for some detailed instructions for installation.

Sorry I couldn't help more. Let me know what happens. Good Luck!

-john