Rear suspension adjustment

[DMatt]

I might be getting a little ahead of myself but while looking at my car I notice that the rear wheels are set beyond the center or the wheel opening in the body towords the back of the car. The suspension is only roughed in and not adjusted at all. I measured the distance of the back of the rear tires and the front of the rear tires center to center and its about 3/4" wider in the front of the tire so in other words it is towed out. My question is when everything is brought into adjustment is that going to bring the wheel forward to the center of the opening? It needs to move about 1 1/4" forward.

Dan.

[Ron Earp]

Rod ends on the trailing links - pull them in and it'll pull the wheel forward and into position while fixing the toe out. At least that is what I was told by the RF builders that had done this already.

Ron

[Mark Worthington]

What Ron said. If the wheel is 3/4" off center that would be 3/8" on each trailing arm's rod end.

[DMatt]

Could you guys check the length of your trailing links, both upper and lower. If possible, please measure center to center of the bolt holes. Just courious...

Dan.

[DMatt]

Opps. Please measure from the end of the rod to the center of the hole. I measured to the side of the rod that is facing outboard of the car.

Upper is 27 1/4" end of rod to center of hole
Lower is 28 1/4" end of rod to center of hole.

Thanks,

Dan.

[Mark Worthington]

I'm bringing this old thread back up.

I "roughed in" my rear suspension a couple years ago. At the time, I noticed that the lower arms I had were an inch too long, and I used a shorter lower link to solve the problem. My car came with a total of 6 trailing arm links, and I was told by the previous owner that some were the wrong size and that I might need to get a couiple more made. I thought I had this problem licked until the other day I observed that my rear wheels sat forward in the wheel wells and I checked my wheelbase measurement. Frank Catt had told me that the best way to align the suspension is to center the rear wheels in the wheel wells, square up the rear end, verify that the wheelbase is 95 inches, and move on to the front alignment.

So I measured my wheelbase and it was 94 inches, a full inch less than what I need. There wasn't enough thread on the rod ends to lengthen the arms a full inch. So I remembered the pair of one-inch-longer trailing arms I had in the basement and I started playing around with the right rear suspension. Before I go further, let me follow up on Dan's last question and post up the sizes of the trailing arms I have (from the flat on the rear of the trailing arm to the center of the pivot hole on the front of the trailing arm. It's hard for me to accurately measure the lower arms that are on the car and I haven't taken them off (doing so will require moving the LP fuel pumps), but here are the approximate lengths of the three pairs of trailing arms that I have:

• The long links that have been off the car are about 29-1/4".
• The lower trailing arm links are about 28-1/4" long
• The upper trailing arm links are about 27-5/8" long.

So after installing the long upper link in the top trailing arm position, my wheelbase is now about 96-1/2 inches. Too long. Can someone let me know the dimensions of their upper and lower trailing arm links?

Also, as while we're getting the RF rear suspension set up, I have two questions about the upper link from the chassis to the upright:

1. This link is slightly off of perpendicular. Should it point forward or aft?
2. This upper link can mount to the chassis in one of two holes. Should I use the upper or lower pivot location?

Thanks for any help you may be able to provide.

[Richard Timte]

Mark,

I have some 4130 links made up for the rear of a RF 40 (heim jointed). If your interested PM me and we can talk. left and Right joints so the adjustment is just like a tie rod. My originals are 30 and 29 1/8 (Centerline of the forward mount to the centerline of the heim).

[patbarry]

my upper trailing arms are about 28-1/4 inches long. This is using a tape measure with the little grabber not centered on the bolted joint, but to the end of the bolted joint (the one that connects to the chassis). My upper arms from chassis to upper hub face forward. I'll snap some pictures and post them.

[patbarry]

photo attached herein