Trailing Arm Bolt change procedure
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Trailing Arm Bolt change procedure



Hi All

I thought I'd better write up instructions for changing the TABs as I've sold several pairs of the new Inconel bolts lately. Dave and I would be happy to take on the task in Stevenage if you want the job done. We will have another 10 pairs of bolts available in a week or so.

1) You will need to manipulate the weight placed on the back wheels so the best method involves either a 4-post ramp or ramps you can drive the rear wheels on to. Halfords sell pairs of ramps for £25 ish.

2) with the rear on the ramps and the front wheels chocked, set about removing the dust cowlings that mount to the trailing arms and the underbody via three M6 studs which SHOULD be bonded into the fibreglass but more often than not, come loose and spin when you try to undo the nuts. These can be gripped with narrow-nosed pliers in the bottom of the compartments behind the seats. This means removal of the battery and the carpet in the cubby hole, and you will need an assistant.

3) Pick one side and locate the trailing arm bolt. If you're unsure which it is, there's a pic here

The bolt should be an M12 with 19mm hex-head, and corresponding nut. The factory originally installed these with a single nylock nut however common practice in the US has been to replace with double nuts. Note the positioning of all the washers and alignment shims. Make sure they get replaced in the same order. You may well have different numbers of alignment shims on both sides, this is normal. Loosen the nut a couple of turns. Make sure the bolt is free to turn.

4) Using a ratchet on the head of the bolt, start turning it. This serves two purposes. Firstly if you watch the trailing arm while turning it, you'll get an idea if and how much the bolt is bent by seeing how much the trailing arm moves. Secondly by gradually jacking the back of the car up, turning the bolt continuously, you should find a "sweet spot" where the position of the trailing arm offloads any tension on the bolt, allowing it to turn freely. The sweet spot should be when the rear wheel is ALMOST off the ramp.

5) Once you've found this sweet spot, you can remove the nut(s) and tap the bolt out. There're no hard and fast rules here, but you should have an idea of how bent the bolt is by now and IF you have to cut it out, do so using either an angle grinder or air-hacksaw if you have access to one. If using the latter, you are liable to go through several blades as the original bolts were hardened. If the bolt is bent, the "kink" will be between the arm and the chassis, though to get enough clearance to cut, you will not be making the first cut in the middle of the bend and this means you'll end up making 2 or 3 cuts to remove the bolt. Do NOT try and remove a bent bolt by forcing it out through the bushing, you may damage the steel sleeve.

6) On fitting the new bolt, coat the entire bolt, shank and threads with copper grease. Ensure all shims are fitted correctly. With the weight of the car back down on the back wheels (pre-loading the trailing arm bushes) torque the first nut to 60 ft-lbs. Use the second nut (the nylock) to lock the first one.

NOTES: The above instructions are pertinent to Manual transmission cars. Automatic transmissions make it a lot tighter in the area of the bolt head. Actually removing the bolt on an automatic transmission car involves removing the trailing arm from the rear hub carrier (you can gently let it hang and avoid having to disconnect the brake hoses) and removing the bush mounting the TAB to the chassis.





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