Fitting new trailing arms

[ralph s3]

Hi All,

The S chassis has come back from the powdercoaters (top job by the V8 Centre, I'll tell you more about what they did later) and I am now starting reassembly.

The trailing arms have new bushes and don't quite line up with the brackets they bolt too on the chassis. Can anyone with previous experience let me know the best way forward. Do I

a. Use a mallet to open up the space between the brackets slightly? Not sure whether the brackets will bend that easy.

b. Adjust the metal tube inside the new bushes so that it pokes out of one side of the bush more than the other and so aligns better?

c. Any better ideas?

I hope the above makes sense as I have never done this before and have no idea what the best approach is.

Ralph

[GreenV8S]

How much are they out by? Wouldn't take much to ease the chassis mounts apart a little, but if you're talking about a big change then that probably isn't the right approach.

[ralph s3]

One side is is maybe 1mm but the other is probably 3mm. I have checked the trailing arms against each other and they are the same size. Its definitely the brackets that are different widths either side.

R

[HarryW]

Exteme mode on here, are they the same trailing arms that come off the vehicle , what was the fit like before . Was the re-powder coating a cold or hot application . My ears are pricking up at the thought that the chassis or arms maybe potentially twisted. Extreme mode off...
A millimter or two shouldn't be too difficult to coax together to fit IMHO.

Harry

[ralph s3]

Well, its had new outriggers and one of the arms has been refurbished. Having said that the trailing arms are the same size and both fit in the same way if you try them on the same side.

Even if there had been some twisting I don't think this would affect the trailing arm brackets as they are welded to the same major tube which hasn't been touched.

I'll tell you what though. Once this thing is reassembled and back on the road the 4 Lords of the Apocalypse won't be able to persuade me to sell it.

R

[ralph s3]

By the way. Is it possible to move the metal tube inside the bush or is it 'glued' to the bush?

[ralph s3]

Somebody pleae tell me that I am not the only one who has had this problem its driving me nuts.

R

[ralph s3]

Somebody pleae tell me that I am not the only one who has had this problem its driving me nuts.

R

[GreenV8S]

If you're only looking for a mil or two you can gain that easily by pursuading the mounts part - it won't take much force. I suspect that either the heat or the handling during the chassis treatment has nudged one side in slightly. I don't know what bushes you have so it's possile yours have been bonded on in some way, but what I'd expect to find is that the bush is a tight fit on the metal tube but can be pursuaded to move on it if you apply enough force. But unless you have a bush which has obviously been displaced, I wouldn't go trying to move it.

[esmyth]

hi - had similar problems with my S3 - the orginal bushes were 2 part but the expensive replacements were 1 piece - I think TVR cut the bushes in 2 at the factory to achieve the correct alignment. I have had major chassis work including replacing both rear suspension mountings and the pickup points but it was all jig aligned and no major grief when reassembling. The fornt bushes however were from Superflex and these needed a little filing of the metal insert to fit properly. The powder coating made the fit too tight and the wish bones were virtually solid when foced into position.
I would try filing the bushes - very carefully - this assumes of course that the bushes are centrally located in the rear trailing arms in the first place.
hope this helps

[NickP_S2]

Heating the chassis mounts with a hot air gun / hairdryer may help. Sticking your trailing arm in the freezer for a while may also help...

[Ralph S3]

Thanks Guys,

I think its probably the new bushes that are not quite right.

Luckily I am driving past Coventry next week so I am hoping to arrange to stop in at Adrian Venn's and drop the suspect arm into his jig. If all lines up OK then I'll file the metal inserts and get a BIG mallet.

R

[keithyboy]

Had similar problems when I rebuilt the front suspension on the V8S. The bushes had to be "persuaded" into the wishbones - brute force, ignorance and a bit of heat did the trick. Also had to trim some of the rubber!