Before I start pulling the factory trailering arms off my car I thought I’d ask someone who has done this more recently. Been over 40 years for me. Mainly concerned with getting the suspension unloaded where the mounting bolts slide out & getting to the forward one that spins inside the frame rail & is tough to get to without a straight shot to get a socket on it. I’ll figure it all out with swivels,drift pins,floor jack under “loaded” areas to get the stress off the bolts etc. It started raining so thought I’d at least ask since the rain shut me down. Don’t have a lift rack so using jack stands and floor jack. Appreciate any suggestions.
boy fritz, your just asking for it doing a job like that at your old age. i only say that cause i am a old bastage at 56 years old and would not attempt it myself LOL. last job i did on my back was R/R my tremec 5 speed out of my 57 chevy. i thought i was gonna die doing it, and it took me 7 hours lol and that was 4 years ago! i kidd you not later that night i ordered a 4 post bendpak lift. i still remember the days while laying on my back and putting the ole muncie on my chest and popping it into the bellhousing like nothing. heres a little tip for ya, might as well lay every tool you have next to you on the ground as its a lot easier than getting off the ground a thousand times lol. BEST OF LUCK charlie
Oh believe me I hear you! I tried several local shops but known up them wanted the job (never even got to price or would even go out and see how clean and untrusted it was). One guy even told me he had a couple cars in his shop with “blank checks” he couldn’t get to & another said they don’t work on cars older than 1995 anymore so I am going for it even though it will wreck me for a couple weeks at least (also have a complete sway bar kit to insure I get finished off lol).
Support the rear of the car with jack stands, then lift the differential to the desired height and adjust till the bolts are loose in the bore to just slide out. You’ll have to do that separately for each side.
Work slow and methodical! Yes make sure you have your tools within reach once you lay down and are comfy. Take your time, really nothing back breaking about the job, it’s standing back up that’s tough
Also make sure the dogs are out there too to help you out. I just love it when one of our dogs comes over and visits me with a sniff and a few kisses
my self and some of my friends had the wall go up projets that were being work on no longer are feasable 2 do,its like we woke up one day and didnt think anything changed,then all of asudded u cant get down under the car and back up again,some of my friends need help to get bak up after falling or gettin down on te floor.it weird,lot of my friends have things they have 2 have someone else do them 4 them.......
Unless the bolts are stuck in the bushings, it's a piece of cake job. If the bolts are stuck in the bushings, then you will need an air hammer and a new set of bolts. I'm guessing that I am older then you, and I would do it. What Guy said. (in post 6)
I use a turn buckle and a short piece of rope to "pull" the rear end forward. This helped me get the holes to line up for reassembly. I put the front bolt in first then the rear bolt. Slather lots of anti-seize on for next time!
I started this same project on 1/1/23. I'm 50 years old and it wasn't too bad of a job physically. I backed the car up on ramps and could sit 1/2-upright underneath the rear end. I used a floor jack to lift the differential for aligning the bolts. One control arm at a time. Lower right first, then upper right, then upper left, then lower left. I'm sure you could do a different order, but that's what I did. I used threaded rod, nuts, washers, PVC pipe fittings to remove the bushings. I probably had $50-$60 into hardware! It would have been REALLY nice to have a press to remove and install the bushings. My last photo was on 1/11/23. I probably worked on this one "night" per control arm. I'm very happy with the results and I would do the job again myself if needed although I probably made up a few new swear words.
hire someone else 2 do it while u watch,most uf us have worked long enough 2 have someone eles do it,ive paid my dues,although o miss yard ing b4 all the 80,s cars took over
I agree with what most have said about using jacks and doing one side at a time. I'm 61 and did this a few times in the last few years. I'm not a big guy and there's nothing that requires an inordinate amount of strength. Finesse is better than brute force. I put new boxed arms on my 71 350 car to add a rear sway bar. It was an all original 91K miles of western PA rust. I lubed it up good a few days before and everything came apart without anything special. It went together a lot easier. I also swapped rear ends in my 70 Stage 1 several years ago. I've done that about a dozen times in the last 43 years I've owned it so nothing was seized there. We put boxed arms and a rear sway bar on a buddy's car a couple of years ago. A few of the bolts were tight in the bushings but they eventually came out with enough WD-40 and a few well-placed taps from a hammer. Personally, getting the rear sway bar installed is harder (still not that hard) because it often times requires slightly tweaking the rear end with a floor jack to get it to line up.
Slather lots of anti-seize on for next time![/QUOTE] oh boy, anti sieze has entered the chat! i must leave this thread now because i know for a FACT somehow someway anti sieze will from this thread will be in my hair, my clothes, and everwhere else! LOL, CHARLIE
oh boy, anti sieze has entered the chat! i must leave this thread now because i know for a FACT somehow someway anti sieze will from this thread will be in my hair, my clothes, and everwhere else! LOL, CHARLIE[/QUOTE] Very good point! Lol
