Tore my right rear trailing arm

[Big Al]

So I removed it, and the one from my pats rail. Want to straighten the arm and just tack weld it to use on the parts rail so I can move it around. I've tried a few things but I cannot get the arm back in its original shape. There's a stamped steel plate inside the arm that's welded to the arm right where it cracked, goes to where the shock mount is welded. Anyway I can't hold the arm and keep it solid while I try to straighten it. It's stronger than it looks and heating it does not help because of the internal plate.

Tomorrow I'll get more creative, maybe clamp it to the trailer hitch on my truck so it stays put while I attack it. I thought I could just clamp it to a piece of angle iron but there are too many things sticking out of it. Like the spring arm mount, shock mount, bracket for the rubber bumper. Lots harder than I thought.

Anyone ever dealt with this?

Al

[Wulfthang]

I had a bent one on my Trail Rail. I took it off and spent a couple of weeks experimenting with different rigs, press set ups and Rube Goldberg contraptions to try and straighten it. The only result was it scared the feces out of both my dog and me when it popped out of the jig while under lots of pressure. I gave up and bought a new set of already boxed in ones.

[Big Al]

[Big Al]

Didn't get around to working on the torn trailing arm today. But I decided I'll never straighten it. So I'm going to cut it in half, grind the edges so it sort of fits together properly and just weld it back together. It's not going to be anything but a way to move the parts rail around.

Put the parts rail's trailing arm on the Chenowth. Looks like i need to relocate the upper shock mount. Have to come up with a way to do it. On my other rail I ground down a 1/2" nut and welded in a short piece of pipe, then welded that to the tube. Not real happy with that so I need to come up with something different.

Ideas?

Al

[Wulfthang]

Which side did you mess up? I may...I say MAY..have an old one that I'll let go for cheap. I see you're in Tucson. So am I.

[Big Al]

[Wulfthang]

Nope the right side is the one that I messed up bad too. I think I may have a stock drivers side but no passenger side for sure. Funny, mine was torn too. The whole bottom side had ripped right out of the arm. Rust had a lot to do with it.

I'm not sure if I know you. I've never been to one of the Bugtoberfests but I'm going this year. 4 rails and a parts rail! Wow! I only have my one but I lubs it! I built it as a Trail rail with extra framework and gusseting and All Terrain tires. It even has a winch on it! Mine is all done up in Woodland Camo pattern.

[Big Al]

[Wulfthang]

Yeah, my trail partner has a Yamaha SXS and I get jealous when he just hops in and out. My rail is a low roof type and it's a pain for this crippled up old man to climb in and out. I built a removable steering wheel mount for it so that helped quite a bit. It's powered by a Ford 2.9 V6. Yeah, I'd like to go run some of the local trails sometime. I've been trying to find an off road club around here that travels rail style. Everybody wants to drop it into low range four wheel drive and climb over boulders!

[Big Al]