Stock Car Q&A with Michael Leone
QUESTION: When shortening the rear upper trailing arms
to change the pinion angle, it seems to bind up the
upper arms due to their shortened length. They seem to
need to be pinched together more in order to have the
correct angles and movement. Any thoughts and
suggestions would be helpful.
ANSWER: Moving the holes does create some bind, no easy
way around it, but there are some things that you can
do that will help.
First of all you can't go too far, maybe an inch or two
max. When you drill the holes, do them with the arms in
the car, at proper ride height (on blocks), with the
correct tires and stagger (no springs). Rock the rear
housing forward to the angle you want, then drill the
holes through the bushing. You will have to run the
bolts a little loose to prevent bind. Weld big washers
on each side to prevent the loose bolt from wearing the
hole into a slot. You can also use upper arms out of a
late 60's chevelle, they are shorter from the factory.
I always preferred shortening the stock ones though,
that way you can line the holes up right. We used to
check for proper bolt tightness by putting the car in
gear (or park) and rocking the car forward and back.
look at the rear arms through the trunk, if the bolts
are too loose, you'll see it. Make sure that every
bushing/frame/mount surface is smooth and lubricated
with anti-seize. Make sure that the spring pockets are
flat after you change the pinion angle.
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