# Getting the rear in gear



## VettenGoat (Jun 19, 2007)

Anybody have a diagram of, or can walk me through the setup of the rear link that ties the upper and lower control arms together on a manual car? Are there extended length bolts used?

Mike


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## Rukee (Feb 8, 2007)

The 4 control arms should just fall in place. Bolts should be long enough to fit through and get a lock washer and nut or lock nut onto.


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## VettenGoat (Jun 19, 2007)

Rukee,

You have a 4 sp if I remember correctly. What I am looking for is the bracket that ties the upper and lower control arms together. They were only used on manual cars. I've got the ass end up in the air and am swapping out rears but even with part in hand, I really do not see how these brackets are supposed to mount. Any chance you could take a photo or two for me. 
Thx//Mike


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## Too Many Projects (Nov 15, 2008)

VettenGoat said:


> Rukee,
> 
> You have a 4 sp if I remember correctly. What I am looking for is the bracket that ties the upper and lower control arms together. They were only used on manual cars. I've got the ass end up in the air and am swapping out rears but even with part in hand, I really do not see how these brackets are supposed to mount. Any chance you could take a photo or two for me.
> Thx//Mike


That brace does not tie the lower to the upper. It mounts to the forward lower bolt and attaches to the crossmember above the muffler hanger. This pic isn't very clear but you can see the braces in the very upper corners.


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## MaL (Jun 12, 2008)

I'm working on my '66 rear and below is the reference pic I took.

The eight new bolts I ordered were from Ames and are the same length as the old ones. Since the reinforcement bracket isn't boxed, you're not adding much thickness to the assembly to necessitate longer bolts.

The higher bolt is shared with the upper control arm. The lower bolt is shared with the lower control arm.

Hope this helps-


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## VettenGoat (Jun 19, 2007)

Mal

Thanks man that is EXACTLY the photo I needed. Perfect! 

BTW are the bolts on yours in their original configuration (i.e) were never removed? The heads of my bolts were oriented differently, but I know my present rear is not original and could very well be wrong. Actually, the orientation of the bolt heads vs nuts on yours makes more sense (try pulling a 4" bolt out and into the side of your muffler......fun.) If yours is original I'll use it as the example when reinstalling the bolts into the new rear.

Cheers n' gears//Mike


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## MaL (Jun 12, 2008)

Mike,

It's a '67 rear on the '66, so it's been swapped at one time.

From how I read the below diagram, all bolts look correct except my upper control arm - looks like those two bolts were flipped.

Let me know if you see any discrepancies, I'm tired and my eyes are deceiving me. (note view A; #30 and #31 the reinforcement bracket)



Mark


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## VettenGoat (Jun 19, 2007)

Mal,

Outstanding really. You answered the question and even addressed the one I was about to ask about bushing orientation. Thanks for all, you enabled the swap to happen this weekend. Picture and chart are permanant additons to my GTO Smart book.

All teh best//Mike


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