Message text written by Joe Merone
>I put the car up on jack stands and placed a floor jack under the frame
section
>that meets the trailing arm. Lift up slightly - SNAP. Let it down - POP.
Removed
>the shock links and springs and tried again. SNAP, POP. The sound is
more
>noticeable coming from the outside one of the two trailing arm mounting
points.
> Removed the bolts and disconnected the trailing arm - SILENCE. Hmmm?
Question: Lift up where? Are you raising the wheel or pulling on the
fender or what. What is moving that is causing thie snap.
>So I then removed the trailing arm brackets and inspected everything I
could
> see. No broken bolts anywhere and no visible cracks in the frame. The
>brackets however have pushed the back rail of the frame box inwards a
little
>bit. The frame area bows in a little as the brackets bow out to meet it
where
>they mount up. Is this an acceptable concession to time and age?
Check the thickness of the sheet metal at the frame rail. It may have
corroded away such that the metal thickness is significanly less than
original and it just hasn't yet broken through. Note that the mounting
bracket holes in the frame have spacer tubes in them to prevent the frame
tube from crushing from the clamping forces of the bolts. If these tubes
have rusted through the snapping may be coming from there and you can't see
it 'cause it's inside.
>My plan is to replace the old bushings and mounting hardware and try
again. I
>never did like those Nylatron bushings anyway - they're too hard and they
>squeak. Should I keep the old trailing arm mount brackets because they'll
fit up
>snug due to the frame rail situation I described above? Or should I go
with new
>and straight ones since I'm in there anyway?
What about the shims? What kind of shape are they in?
Also, don't rule out the Nylotron bushings as the source. But if the
brackets are dished out I suspect something is awry. That is a pretty
heavy gauge bracket.
Good luck
Dave
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