Rear End Renforcments [Archive] - Chevelle Tech

: Rear End Renforcments


ccpd166
Aug 12th, 08, 9:08 PM
I just received mt two rear renforcment rods. I put them in place and they seem a 1/8 inch to long? any suggestions?

BillyGman
Aug 13th, 08, 2:37 AM
Not sure what you're talking about. Are you speaking of the triangulation brackets that tie the front mounting points of the upper rear control arms to the front mounting points of the lower rear control arms? If that's what you're talking about, then check the frame brackets that the lower control arms bolt-up to, in order to make sure they're square and perpendicular to the frame. This is sometimes a stress point of cars that have been drag raced, and those brackets often get twisted up, during the torque of drag race launches. If these frame brackets are twisted or distorted on your car, then that might be the reason for the 1/8" discrepency, and you might need to straighten those brackets out if possible, or have them cut off, and new ones welded onto the frame.

On my car, I boxed in those brackets so they wouldn't get all twisted up. If that isn't the case with your car though, then perhaps the rear crossmember where the upper control arms bolt to has been distorted from the forces of torque. But I'm not sure how easy that would be to check the crossmember for squareness. Do both the passeneger side as well as the drivers side have the same 1/8" discrepency? If it's only on one side, then that might be a sign that something has been flexed too much or twisted.

dude67
Aug 13th, 08, 3:28 AM
I think if the rear crossmember was twisted or out of square. one side would fit up short and the other long? Am I right?

BillyGman
Aug 13th, 08, 3:45 AM
I think if the rear crossmember was twisted or out of square. one side would fit up short and the other long? Am I right? I think you're correct, but atleast one side would most likely be different than the other. I think it's tough to say though for certain. It would depend on exactly what direction(s) the distortion took place. And it might have taken place on several different angles. It probably wouldn't be exactly the same with any two cars.

But I was just wondering if he even checked both sides or not. I was thinking that maybe he just tried one side, realized that there was an 1/8" difference, and stopped there without checking the other side. So that's why I asked.