I was a na gas station today and noticed that my rear end is not straith under the car by that I mean the driver side wheel is about 1/2 to 2/3 of an inch further in the fender than the pasenger side is on the pasenger side iti s sticking out just barelly out if the line with the car and also when ever a make a left hand turn it sounds like something is scaping in the back pasenger wheel like metal to metal sound any one have any sugestions.

 

Hmm...

You might want to take a look at your rear control arms and make sure they aren't bent. Maybe somebody slid into a curb at one point, and redesigned your rear end geometry? I'm assuming you don't have two different types of wheels on the rear end...

 

Sounds like you rear wheel bearings are about to let an axle fly out of the housing. I'll bet you have lots of end play on the passenger side axle if you put it up on stands. Thats always the side that goes first with wheel bearings. If its got that much play I'd be real careful about driving it until you get it fixed. The bearings basically hold the axle in the rear end.

 

The bearing are on my thigs to do list before I do a turbo swap how hard is it to replace them becouse I have never done it I know the front are easy but I have no clue about the rear.

 

Assuming the wheel bearings are good,you might wanna check the Watts linkage bushings.
I replaced mine a while back, and found one that was flat and erroding.If any one of the bushings is worn,or one of the links is bent,the rear axle will not sit correctly under the car in regards to its lateral position.

 

all of bushings were replaced in the whole car wng more towards poly stuff from respeed. I am leaning towards the bad barings becouse I have noticed a scraping noise while I drive but I always thouth it was my brakes.

 

Could you jack the car up an wiggle the wheel back and forth to check for play?

This thread reminds me, one of my Watts linkages ( driveside IIRC) has a slight bend in it, was like that when I bought the car. First off, how do they get bent? Did the previous owner run it over a curb or something? Secondly, should I remove it and attempt to straighten it?

 

I had one where the Pin on the Rear for the Watts link was bent, and that set it out a little.

Also had one where the lower bar was very bent.

 

Err..sorry I meant one of my lower 4-link bars, not the Watts linkage

 

If the wheel bearings are bad,it could be the brakes you hear rubbing.Whether drum or disc,the brakes are attached to the axle and the axle is located in the housing by the bearings.The shoes/pads are stationary,so wear in the wheel bearings will cause abnormal contact between the friction surfaces when things get sloppy.

 

ok heres one more question how can I ID the rear end I know its a limited slip but what year becouse the barings are different for the ones 84 and up.

 

The bearing housing at the ends of the axle are bigger on the 84-85 units since the 84-85 bearings are bigger. Just measure the bulge thats directly behind the brake backing plate.....heres the info from another thread.


David Dewhurst
Registered User
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: Wauwatosa Wisconsin
Posts: 207 Measure just behind the axle brake caliper mounting bracket. There will be a hub diameter that the bearing fits into that will measure 2 7/8 inch for a small axle & 3 1/4 inch for a large axle.

Happy Holidays
David

 

big axle was 83 1/2 through 85. lsd rear ends have disc brakes on the rear axle.

 

When you replaced your bushings, did you tighten the bolts down while the body was up in the air and the axle hanging? If so, you need to loosen the bolts, shift the body so the axle is centered and retighten, all while the car is on the ground. I made the same mistake when I replased my bushing, shocks and springs. Result was the axle is slightly shifted to one side.

 

yes I did I thouth of that now that you mentioned it when I was putting the rear in I had a little bit of problem getting the uper side of the watss link in it would not line up with the hole and we pushed it over a little bit. I will give that a try once I get the barings changed out since they need to be done anyway.