12498649 trailing arm from GM performance

[95SleeperAcheiva]

I found this from an old post from hayesperformance. Last week I took the RedNblack through our "dead Man's curve", I-71 N where it merges with I-90 E in cleveland.

New tires all the way around, a dremel on the rear strut to spindle holes to correct the camber, nylon blocks for the mono-leaf tips, 1 ball joint, 1 tie-rod, left, a headlight switch, both rear hub bearing, calipers, rotors, and ceramic pads. I think I'm catching up on her!
We approached the curve at around 110, dropped a gear, and dove into it, she hunkered down and bit in beautifully! speed dropped to around 85 and we started a controlled slide under WOT. I straightened the wheel a bit, still accelerating through the curve around 95 now, and let all four tires scream as we slung to the outside of the curve when BANG! the ass fell out. Shit got REAL! REAL fast! Back side felt like it kicked harder outside, we slid out into the berm, that concrete wall got extremely close, when I got her back under control. Back left trailing arm failed. So now I'm going to rebuild the ass.

12498649 I can't find it, any ideas? Anyone make the other "control arms" for the backside too?

[WrathOfSocrus]

The GMPP trailing arms were discontinued. The W-body guys have been using the Dorman replacement trailing arms as they are boxed in instead of the U-channel garbage that comes stock. They are dirt cheap too. It's really hard to tell from the small photos but it looks like the raybestos arms might also be boxed and appears to be made from slightly larger stock.

I don't think anyone is making lateral links for the gen 1 W's. You can upgrade to gen 2 lats or go aftermarket like these -http://www.bmrsuspension.com/?page=p...d=53&catid=122 - however, they are longer than gen 1's by roughly half an inch and the guys on W-body say it will not work with the rear monoleaf. I haven't looked into it to see if that is true and honestly don't think anyone really has either. Although it is a good excuse to go coil overs and get an extra inch of rear track width.

[pocket-rocket]

Glad you pulled out of it alright. I can't believe to this day how flimsy the rear suspension was made in these cars, especially the trailing arms. When that chick rear ended me in the 91 with the Saturn, the Saturn picked the back of my car up and her front bumper hit my rear tire bending the trailing arm.

[95SleeperAcheiva]

HEY! look closer in that link you posted! They offer trailing arms! TCA011

I have a machine shop next door, I'll have them modified to fit.

[WrathOfSocrus]

I know they have trailing arms but i wouldn't pay their price. If u have a machine shop next door you should be able to make them from scratch for less than what they offer.

[95SleeperAcheiva]

problem is the bushings. the metal work is simple.

[WrathOfSocrus]

Can't you just use stock bushings (or aftermarket poly bushings) and bore a matching hole? Another option is to use 3M window weld. You could get a steel sleeve that fits the bolts and find some method of locating it in the center of the end 'knuckle', then fill in the space with window weld or some other polyurethane. I did this with an engine mount when replacing the engine. The new motor came with the mount and it was new but had torn when it was eviscerated at the junk yard. I opened it up, put the window weld in, pushed the torn pieces back in and filled in all the space around it with more window weld. They wanted something like $125 at auto zone for a hunk of aluminum with a bushing inside it. $17 window weld did the job and I had plenty left over. I'm looking into casting some new dog bones and using this method to get a cheaper, stronger poly dog bone.

Energy Suspension makes thousands of bushings. I'm sure there is something like a leaf spring shackle bushing with the sleeve already in it and the right diameter for the bolts. Just cut the length to fit and get the steel to fit around the poly. I would make new trailing arms but I only have a cheap harbor freight welder and non-existent welding skills

[Dave96z34]

I found this from an old post from hayesperformance. Last week I took the RedNblack through our "dead Man's curve", I-71 N where it merges with I-90 E in cleveland.

New tires all the way around, a dremel on the rear strut to spindle holes to correct the camber, nylon blocks for the mono-leaf tips, 1 ball joint, 1 tie-rod, left, a headlight switch, both rear hub bearing, calipers, rotors, and ceramic pads. I think I'm catching up on her!
We approached the curve at around 110, dropped a gear, and dove into it, she hunkered down and bit in beautifully! speed dropped to around 85 and we started a controlled slide under WOT. I straightened the wheel a bit, still accelerating through the curve around 95 now, and let all four tires scream as we slung to the outside of the curve when BANG! the ass fell out. Shit got REAL! REAL fast! Back side felt like it kicked harder outside, we slid out into the berm, that concrete wall got extremely close, when I got her back under control. Back left trailing arm failed. So now I'm going to rebuild the ass.

12498649 I can't find it, any ideas? Anyone make the other "control arms" for the backside too?

Take that as a sign maybe you should have been doing over 100 on a curve that your car cant take. Your lucky you didn't kill your self or some one elts.

[pocket-rocket]

I would make new trailing arms but I only have a cheap harbor freight welder and non-existent welding skills

I feel your pain I suppose welding on old rusty steel and a no so good welder doesn't help.

I do want to pick up this baby though:

http://www.eastwood.com/mig-welder-110vac-135a-output.html

Maybe with a decent machine I can get some decent welds

[ForcedFirebird]

I feel your pain I suppose welding on old rusty steel and a no so good welder doesn't help.

I do want to pick up this baby though:

http://www.eastwood.com/mig-welder-110vac-135a-output.html

Maybe with a decent machine I can get some decent welds

It also works the other way: Once you can get decent welds on a lousy machine, you can run ANY machine :P

[pocket-rocket]

It also works the other way: Once you can get decent welds on a lousy machine, you can run ANY machine :P

So there is hope for me I had to redo the front cab mounts on my truck by welding some 1/8" plate on top of the current mounts so the new poly bushings wouldn't pull through after installing a new core support. I've had another time or two that didn't look half bad for one of those blue boxes and flux core

[95SleeperAcheiva]

My shop neighbor has an engine dyno and full performance machine shop. Ya I drool when I walk in there. Anyway, I showed him those BMR packages and he laughed at me when I told him getting the bushings was a concern. He also said he could make those trailing arms, to fit a '94 W-body, for around $100 powder coated in the color of choice. This guy turns out show car restoration like I've never seen before. Absolute works of art.

So I was thinking, if I get a few people interested and want them, let me know. He is working out a price to do the control arms too, fully adjustable, just like BMR. Which brings me too.....What else do we want that needs to be made?

[pocket-rocket]

Bolt on RWD conversions, lol.

[BumpRacerX.com]

If you have access to a welder, you can reinforce the stock OEM ones pretty easy. It's what we have to do for racing our W bodys on the figure 8 and bump and run circuits. If you don't, after a couple of hard slides, the just crumple.

Just get the welder out, get yourself some roundstock, angle iron, plate steel, etc, and get jiggy with it.

[Schurkey]

http://www.eastwood.com/mig-welder-110vac-135a-output.html

Maybe with a decent machine I can get some decent welds

Keep looking. The Eastwood machines are Communist Chinese; although Eastwood tries to spin it otherwise by pretending it isn't made by some other company with Eastwood decals slapped on the side.