John:
If this is the first time the rear suspension has been apart,
this is not too surprising.
It is unlikely that the bolt is seized in the sleeve, however. What is
more likely is that
the threads are hanging as you try to move it. Here are some things I
did when rebushing my
rear end:
1. Try spreading the mounting bracket ears a bit. They tend to
pinch the bushing sleeve
pretty tightly. I got a big honking screw driver and pried them
apart by about 1/8".
2. It may be necessary to leave the brackets alone and drop the
trailing arm by removing
the nuts securing the bracket to the frame. With some tugging
and colorful language,
you can pull the trailing arm rearward enough to allow the
bolts to clear the frame
and permit the arm to drop down where you can work on the
bushing bolt more easily.
I found once I did this that the bolt slid out easily.
3. When reassembling, make sure that the heads of the busing
bolts point inwards towards
the center of the trailing arm. That way you will not need to
remove the brackets
in the future.
4. Note carefully how many shims go between each bracket and the
frame, so you can replace
them correctly. These shims determine the alignment of the rear
wheels, so it is
important to get them back in their correct locations.
5. The brackets are not symmetric, and the inner and outer
brackets are not identical.
Thus you must not only mark each bracket "inner" or "outer" but
you must also mark them
"this side up" so that you get them into the correct location
in the correct orientation.
If you fail to do so, your rear end will be out of alignment,
and you will chew up tires.
Cheers,
Vance
P.S. I was a big believer in rubber bushings, but I have changed
my mind and now feel that
urethane bushings are best. The rubber ones simply wear out too quickly,
causing rear end sag and
the car to list to the left. Your choice.
-----Original Message-----
From: owner-6pack@autox.team.net [mailto:owner-6pack@autox.team.net] On
Behalf Of John North
Sent: October 22, 2005 11:34 AM
To: Triumph 6 Pack
Subject: Stuck Trailing Arm Bolt
Trying to rebush the rear suspension, but the bolt securing the trailing
arm
to the outer bracket is seized up in the sleeve, I'm guessing - it
hardly
moves with a two foot breaker bar on it. Can't reach it with a hammer
to
persuade it some. When I undo the bracket to the frame, there is not
enough clearance between the bolt and the body to pull the arm free from
the
frame. So I'm stuck.
I could hacksaw the bolt, but I'm betting this is a grade 8 bolt so
that's
gonna be a two day job. I've used a cutting torch before and I'm not
sure
I want to do that in this confined space.
Any ideas out there?
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