Trailing arm reassembly

[440Interceptor]

Hi, just a question on the forces at work in the rear suspension and the Bible only skims over the subject. I am reassembling now and have got diff, hubs, drive shafts, rear springs and rear links (hub to rear of chassis) installed. However I'm struggling to get the trailing arm pins to line with chassis bushes because when the arm is 'at rest' the pins are lower and further back than the bush. they each need to be pulled forward and up.

The driveshafts are also too far back (not 90 Deg to diff) so it looks like the whole wheel assembly needs to be pulled fwd to enable the pin to engage.

I should say that the chassis is bare so there is currently none of the weight it would normally have on it.

Just being cautious being a first timer, but I'm having to use a tie down ratchet strap around the drive shaft and chassis outrigger to pull the trailing arm forward into alignment with the chassis bush. by the time its in position there is no more forward travel available which means there is going to be a lot of force on the trailing arm pin even when the car's not moving. in this position the drive shaft is precisely perpendicular to the diff so it's probably right, but wanted to check with those who have been here before... thanks in advance!

[TVRleigh_BBWR]

Maybe easier to fit it all without the springs, so its easier to manipulate, and fit the springs once the cars back together.

[440Interceptor]

Hmmm. you mean once the body is back on too? Never thought of that...

[mrzigazaga]

In the 3 times that i had mine removed and fitted the removal was the only PITA TBH IIRC..AICBTS.....
Oh and the springs were never touched.....

[adam quantrill]

Are you using poly bushes or the old metalastic type?

Because if poly, the alignment is much trickier, it will only go back together one way.

As I vaguely recall, the last bolt to go in will be the inner one of the rear bottom link.

Once you have the "triangle" bolted back together, only then reattach the shock/spring to the hub carrier at the bottom, you will need to jack up the spring slightly to get it aligned then tap it onto the bolt with a mallet.

[440Interceptor]

Thanks guys. Adam yes all poly.

I will dissasemble and start again with drive shafts, pin, rear link, springs and shocks.

the order of items on the pins will be (as it was): Big nut, washer, trailing arm, 4 washers, thick washer, washer, chassis bush, washer, smaller nut. Hopefully I will end up with the right alignment but I don't want to be pulling it all apart again just to add or remove a washer...

I'm struggling to see that the shims between the brake discs and the drive shafts change the camber much (at all) but I will suspend disbelief! Given the different bushes it seems logical that the whole lot needs setting up from scratch though...

[mrzigazaga]

Ideally you make a note of how many shims are on whatever side...They do make a difference, This was before i had the shagged mount removed..There was a fair bit of the negative camber removed via the shims once the mounts were sorted..

[440Interceptor]

Thanks Zig, Yeah I counted them when I took them off: 2 each side inside the brake discs, and 5 and 1 NS and OS respectively, outside the brake discs.

Didn't realise until too late that there were multiple thicknesses though.. doh!

[UKAuto]

I have done them many times in the early days (before I went to bronze bushings). What I did was used those ratcheting tie down straps to pull things in to alignment. You have to be sure to not over do it, and be careful to not pull tension mid tube on any frame members - as you certainly don't want them to bend - but it helped get things more or less in alignment without having to use all my strength and a foot wedged somewhere...

I seem to recall leaving every bolt loose until they were all started, then snugging them up - this meant the bushing could tilt and move a wee bit to assist.

Forgot how much fun it all was, have to do the Tasmin before it get's its next set of tires. Argh.

[440Interceptor]

Thanks Robert, yeah I've left everything "loose" and I could use the tie downs with the chassis sitting on my big wooden pallet, but I knowing how much was enough (or too much) would be an uneducated guess. Still might be preferable to fiddling with those trailing arm pivots with te body back on..