Torque Arm Install and Odds & Ends

[Namrepus28]

Finished installing an aftermarket torque arm on the Camaro yesterday after two days of fighting with the car.

Edelbrock non-adjustable. In hindsight, having to re-use the stock mount on the tail-shaft was a giant pain in the butt with the disassembly, removal, grinding off rivets, old pad removal, and installation. But it's done and 12 years after purchasing the part and having it sit on various shelves at places I've lived, it's finally on the car.

Next up, changing the differential fluid and gasket and replacing the rear spring isolators.

I'll put some pictures up eventually.

[ssms5411]

Yeah the UMI tunnel mount so much better than the one that mount to the trans. Only problem is that it hangs lower. I just tried yesterday to install my isolators and the drivers side top nut stripped out , so now I can’t get the nut off. Taking it to the mechanic this week to see if he has any ideas to get it off and back on. Really don’t want to buy $350 worth of rear QA1 shocks. Rear differential isn’t bad at all to change.

[Namrepus28]

Yeah the UMI tunnel mount so much better than the one that mount to the trans. Only problem is that it hangs lower. I just tried yesterday to install my isolators and the drivers side top nut stripped out , so now I can’t get the nut off. Taking it to the mechanic this week to see if he has any ideas to get it off and back on. Really don’t want to buy $350 worth of rear QA1 shocks. Rear differential isn’t bad at all to change.

I just undid the bottom bolts on my shocks and undid the sway bar end links (first time since owning any vehicle that I didn't have to cut them off!) and dropped the rear end down to do all of the work, including getting the springs out.

Broke a brake line by barely touching it, but they are 24 years old. New stainless ones for the axle should be here on Wednesday.

[LETZRIDE]

Ya that mount on the tailshaft is a huge pain in the ***. I have a tunnel mount now, so not as bad, but if I remember correctly having a jack under the rear axle that you lift and release helps.

If I remember correctly doesn’t the qa1 have a little hat that screws onto the top of their shocks that can be changed out if you strip it?

[ssms5411]

If I remember correctly doesn’t the qa1 have a little hat that screws onto the top of their shocks that can be changed out if you strip it?[/QUOTE]

Don’t know Mike , I battled it for a hour and have given up. Time for the mechanic.

[Namrepus28]

Finished the differential fluid change the other week. That stuff stinks. I'm also a little peeved as I followed the shop manual torque specs and gasket looks like it got crushed big time. No leaks though. We'll see what happens someday when the car is running again.

Also installed the new rear spring isolators and put the springs back in. I would have liked to upgrade them, but big suspension stuff like shocks and springs isn't in the budget right now. I sanded a little rust off of them and back in they went.

I was planning on leaving the rear of the car jacked up as I have to replace the rear brake lines and center hose then bleed the brakes, but CarID lead me astray by saying they had stock of a part that is actually made to order. So the Camaro sits for a month now until the new lines show up and it's onto the Bonneville.

Needed my jackstands, so the Camaro is back on the ground. Left the rear sway bar detached for now, but I did put the lower nuts back on the Bilsteins and torqued them to spec.

[LETZRIDE]

It is the worst smelling fluid I know of in a machine.

What do you mean your gasket looks crushed? It should just be a little paper/rubber thing that everything sits tight to? You could get away with using gasket sealer to if you had to in a pinch. It would hold up for a long time as long as you let it dry properly

That sucks on the made to order part...I hate when that happens...

[Namrepus28]

It is the worst smelling fluid I know of in a machine.

What do you mean your gasket looks crushed? It should just be a little paper/rubber thing that everything sits tight to? You could get away with using gasket sealer to if you had to in a pinch. It would hold up for a long time as long as you let it dry properly

That sucks on the made to order part...I hate when that happens...

I'd be fine with waiting for them to be made, but I specifically scoured the internet looking for a site that had them "in stock" to save on down time, waited a week for a shipping confirmation, and then was told it would actually be another month. Whoops. Well, lesson learned. I'll use sites that have an accurate inventory from now on.

In regards to the gasket, instead of looking nice and flush and even around the outside of the diff cover, it looks like it was squished outwards and is sticking out more than expected. Doesn't look right. I did use some RTV as well and like I said, no leaks while sitting, still it seems like the torque spec of 22ft/lbs is too high if it does that to the gasket. I did do a bunch of research and found some posts online stating the spec was fine, and others saying it was too high. There are a LOT of differing opinions out there about sealing differentials properly. I just hope it holds. I don't want to fill it awkwardly again with a length of hose zip tied to a bottle of oil. What a pain in the butt.

I should inject a bit of positivity here and say the inside of the diff looked to be in amazingly great shape considering what I've put it through in the last 15 years without a single oil change until now.

[LETZRIDE]

If you got it out of the haynes manual you should be fine. That is all I have ever gone by every single time I have done mine.
I know I am biased with Amsoil, but this is why I love their new differential oil bottles. They are like juice packets and allow you to get in there. The bottles I used to buy from part source were the biggest pain in the ***.

The other thing you can do is buy a pump like this : https://www.amazon.ca/Koehler-Enterp...8735800&sr=8-8

I have used the pump with great success to get oil in the diff.

When you do your brake lines be weary of bubble and double flare fittings. I had one 96 Camaro that was all double flair and another that was a mix. I can't remember what my LS1 is but something tells me I think it was all bubble lol. Damn GM...

[Namrepus28]

Damn GM...

This.

That fill plug is in the dumbest place, with an overhang blocking your ability to tip a bottle upside down, even if you make the clearance for it under the car.

Thanks for the tips though. I'll try Amsoil one of these days. I've been curious since back in the day when you signed up with them. This time I had to use up the Royal Purple gear oil I had sitting in the garage for years.

That is the cheapest transfer pump I've ever seen. I might need that for other home projects too. Thanks for the link!

Hopefully the brake lines I ordered are exact fit. I've already ordered the wrong set due to a poor description on a website. If these show up correct it'll have been worth the wait.

[LETZRIDE]

That pump is as handy as they get! I forget how I rigged it now with my colorado, but I shoved a small tube down the dip stick shaft and pumped out most of my trans oil before I dropped my pan to do a flush. It made for not wearing the oil when I did the change. I must of had an adapter to a smaller hose.

And yes that fill plug is as dumb a design as any

[Namrepus28]

Well it's three and a half months later and I finally touched the Camaro again. (so many spiderwebs underneath! Blech!)

So CarID is a crap company for anyone who is interested. Do not do business with them. After two full months of waiting and chasing for updates I was told, "Oh, that part is actually back ordered, it'll be another month."

I responded with, "After the incorrect status of the item being in stock and the two months of delays, I have no confidence I'll receive the parts in another month. Please refund me in full."

So they did. I'll give them that much. I did get my money back.

I placed an order with Summit Racing the same day. They gave me an ETA of a month, updated it without my asking when it changed three weeks in, and then beat their new estimate and had the lines delivered in 5 weeks total. Summit is great. Highly recommended.

So, I now have Stainless Steel brake lines for the drum brakes on the rear of my 96 Camaro.

Today I jacked up the car, replaced the bleeder screws (which were actually in pretty decent shape to be honest. I'll save the OEs just in case.) and unscrewed the brake lines from the drums and plugged them.

I had to shoot the T-hose connections with PB Blaster as they looked pretty rough, and it was humid as all get out up here so I'll try getting the T-Hose off of the car tomorrow or the day after and replaced it with a stainless braided hose I've had lying around for over a decade. Then it should be as easy as installing the new lines and bleeding the brakes.

If I manage NOT to break anything this round, I'll be moving on to some light transmission work next. But we'll see how things go.

After spending thousands on the Bonneville over the past few months and putting hours of work in, it has new problems and is starting to really get on my nerves. I'm hoping the Camaro does a better job co-operating.

[ssms5411]

That’s cool , used carid before and had good luck . What tq arm did you get?

[LETZRIDE]

Sounds like you have some of my luck lol. Which brake lines did you go with?

[Namrepus28]

That’s cool , used carid before and had good luck . What tq arm did you get?

Just an Edelbrock non-adjstable that I've has sitting around for over a decade.