re: trailing arm & spring removal

[Dana Loomis <dloomis@domain.elided>]

Removing the rear trailing arms calls for a decent floor jack and a couple
of big wrenches (22 and 24 mm, I believe) but no special tools.  Here's the
routine:

1. Jack the car up as high as you can and support the body with stands.
2. Remove the rear wheels.
3. Unbolt the swaybar end links from the axle and push them out of the way.
4. Unbolt the bottom end of the shock absorber from the trailing arm or
remove the shock completely (easier actually).
5. Put the jack under either trailing arm and raise it so it just touches.
6. Take out the big bolt connecting the rear end of the arm to the axle.
7. Slowly lower the jack: if you've lifted the car high enough, the spring
will fall out as the arm goes to full droop.
8. Unbolt the front end of the arm from the car body and pull it free.
9. Repeat for the other side.

If you're installing new stock-type bushings, the old ones need to be
pressed out--carefully!--and new ones pressed in.  If you're replacing
stock with plastic bushings, installation is usually just a matter of
greasing the bushing and shoving it into the hole.  Some plastic
replacement bushings are  made to fit into the steel sleeve from the old
rubber/metal bushing.  In that case no press work is needed at all; you can
burn the rubber part out of the old bushing, clean up the bore, and install
the plastic pieces.

Good luck,
Dana Loomis

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