Installing GMPP Trailing Arms Problems. Update. INSTALLED! Pics on page 5

[5speedz34]

I wish I could have used the air tools that we have! But the damn compressor oil is too thick because its been freaking cold out!

 

PWND!

 

LOL.

 

I know when we did my buddies trailering arms back in HS we couldn't get the arms off for shit, it sucked. We couldn't get an impact in there either.

 

They are torqued to something sick like 120 ft-lbs.

[BXX]

Impacts are for the weak!!!! Actually, i've had several impacts fail to bust something loose, where as my breaker bar and 4 foot cheater bar have never failer me...

 

pfffft....sounds like you need a better impact wrench!... ...but, seriously, impacts work great on the trailing arms...especially if the bolts are rusted...i'd also recommend spraying some PB Blaster or equivalent on them a few days prior to trying to take them off...let that shit soak good!

 

Haha, wasn't mine... 600ftlb Snap-On.... But nothing can replace sheer leverage and my 240lb fat ass...

 

PB Blaster FTW!!!!!!!!! Nothing works better, everything else might as well be water...

 

Snap-On impacts are pieces of shit!...my dad has one...my uncles cheap ass impact from tractor supply worked better!...

 

Every company has different torque ratings... The Snap-On you had might have been a lower rating than the cheap-o one....

[19Cutlass94]

FYI: the trailing arms at the knuckle are turqued to 192ft-lbs

[stevegasm]

FYI: the trailing arms at the knuckle are turqued to 192ft-lbs

 

wow, would they have to be torqued to 192 for the install?

[Q-Ball]

Ok, I just use my speed jacks bar as my breaker bar. It works really good. Ok, so here's the problem now. I have only worked on the driver's side so far. I have the bolt removed where it attatches to the knuckle. The weird thing is, the bolt came out with the metal shroud in the trailing arm. But that I could just keep screwing and it would come out. No such luck for the bolt where it connects to the body. Same thing is happening. The bolt is seized on the metal shroud in the trailing arm. I tried to keep loosing it, but nothing happens. It just spins in there. I was trying to hammer it out, but there just isnt enough room in there to get the hammer in and try to knock that bolt out. I can take a few pics in a few min or so.

[terryk2003]

FYI: the trailing arms at the knuckle are turqued to 192ft-lbs

 

wow, would they have to be torqued to 192 for the install?

 

just TIGHT AS HELL should be good enough!...they'll just rust to 192 ft lbs for ya!

[19Cutlass94]

lol yeah my manual says that what it should be torqued to! Although I only got 150ft-lbs before I decided that that was good enough

[BXX]

FYI: the trailing arms at the knuckle are turqued to 192ft-lbs

 

wow, would they have to be torqued to 192 for the install?

 

just TIGHT AS HELL should be good enough!...they'll just rust to 192 ft lbs for ya!

 

ROFL

[Q-Ball]

Ok, here's a few pics as promised.

 

My new addco sway bar.

 

The work area.

 

Old bolts and new bolts.

 

Close up.

 

The missing shroud on the trailing arm. As you can see its stuck to the bolt.

 

Had to disconnect my e-brake to work on this. Same thing is happening, the shroud is stuck to the bolt and I cant get it off.

 

Under the car.

 

Some of the extra tools I needed

 

So if anyone has idea's how to get this bolt out, please help.

 

Thanks

[BXX]

HOLY RUSTY CAR BATMAN!!!!

 

Get a sawz-all.... Cut the bolt off between the bracket and trailing arm... Problem solved... That is the only way you are gonna get it off...

[AWeb80]

HOLY RUSTY CAR BATMAN!!!!

 

Get a sawz-all.... Cut the bolt off between the bracket and trailing arm... Problem solved... That is the only way you are gonna get it off...

 

x2....on everything.

[Q-Ball]

i was thinking the exact same thing. i'll let you know how it goes.

 

Ok, cutting between the mount and arm is nearly impossible. All it does is keep bending the blades. I'm also worried from cutting my ebrake cable on the other side. So now, I'm going right through the middle of the trailing arm. I already cut the actual arm off. It came off like butter. Just the hard part is going through the round piece of the arm.

[Q-Ball]

Ok, from the pic you can see whats going. The red shows where I've cut through, and the dotted line where I need to go. It's hard to tell if im through the bolt yet.

 

[terryk2003]

thats alot of freakin rust!...looks like the mount for the trailing arm is about to fall off!

[Q-Ball]

thats alot of freakin rust!...looks like the mount for the trailing arm is about to fall off!

 

It's just bad there. The car over all isnt that bad. Once it's done I'll clean her up with a fly wheel and put some GM touch up wax on it. I guess its just like POR 15. I got it from work before I got laid off a few weeks ago... This is why I have time to work on my car now.

[19Cutlass94]

Holy hell!!!! BTW, those GMPP arms are freaking tiny!!!! The BMR arms that I have at atleast 3 times that size! and dont you love the awesome directions on that addco instruction sheet!

 

If you get some PB blaster and go to town on all those bolts they will come up much easier!

[Q-Ball]

I dont think anything else will help. I'm ready to give up. Is it possible to drive with out a trailing arm? My dad can get me a hook up in a shop about 10 min away from my house and just torch them off. I'm getting really frusterated with this.

[19Cutlass94]

I wouldnt drive without a trailing arm, but thats just me.

 

You dont have breaker bars or pipes or anything?!?!

[Q-Ball]

Yeah, I have the nut off just fine. The problem is trying to get the bolt to slide out. It wont budge. It just spins in there. I even tried putting a clamp on it and pushing it as I rachet it out and no go. It's seized up with the metal shroud in it, just like where it connected to the knuckle. The Sawz all worked great for cutting the trailing arm down to size, but not very good for cutting bolts. All it did was dull/break like 8 blades. And the bolt is barely scratched.

[19Cutlass94]

And theres no weight pulling on the trailing either? Well duhh not according to your pics, but try just taking a big ass hammer to it. I had to do that and it worked for the strut bolts

[Q-Ball]

Oh I hit it so many times and it did nothing. Just makes the rust fall off.

But in other news, now my car is totally undrivable with this trailing arm issue. I shouldnt of cut it. I totally regret cutting it only cause I still cant get it off. I called it quits today around 5pm. The weather was nice and than it got cold really fast and started to snow. I was getting pissed off, packed everything up and put the wheels back on. I'm gonna call a few shops around me to see what can be done. I really do need my car for the weekend. As for my Dad's friends at the shop, they cant squeeze me in till Monday, so that plan is out too. I really wished I had a garage.

[BXX]

You cut it in the wrong area . Don't cut the middle of the trailing arm, cut on both sides of it right between it and the bracket..

[Andrew]

rent a plasma cutter. it'll be out in 2 minutes.

[GOT2B GM]

get a grinder with a cutting disc, or a sawzall as previously mentioned and cut between the trailing arm and the mounting tabs. Thats what I did on the TGP, worked great.

[AWeb80]

i heated up the bolt assembly because the bolt was rusted (basically welded) to the T/A....i used the torch to heat up the bolt and then used a nice heavy hammer to whack the T/A and the bolt finally broke loose....

 

just don't heat up the mount too much....

 

...btw, the rubber will burn...LOL....and it stinks....but it works.