Trailing arms legthened and drive shaft

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NWMO
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Trailing arms legthened and drive shaft

Post by NWMO »

Hey all,

I wanted to share a couple of pics and ask a question. I got the trailing arms removed as I want to legthen them so the rear axle is nearer center in the rear fender. The Pathfinder springs in the rear pulled the rear axle forward some. This created no problems and the car drives fine, just don’t care for the aesthetics. I mistakenly assumed the trailing arms were solid.
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05C3569D-71E5-485E-9A84-1BDD2D4461E0.jpeg
I assume when I move the rear differential backwards, I may need to lengthen the portion of the drive shaft behind the carrier bearing. Has anybody tried to legthen the driveshaft by installing a steel spacer where it bolts to the carrier?
CC7E2152-5EBF-4CA2-A4CF-CC827D8B6BC1.jpeg
All commaents welcome.

Chris
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In remembrance of my friend ARCHINSTL:

T4WD augury?
"Oh, do not ask, 'What is it?' Let us go and make our visit."
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Petros
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Re: Trailing arms legthened and drive shaft

Post by Petros »

lengthening the lower trailing arms is only part of the issue, there are also upper trailing arms to keep the diff orient ion correct as it swings up and down through its arc. just changing the length of the lower arm means it will rotate the front of the diff input shaft downward. the rear suspension is like a 4 bar link, altering the length changes the arc the axle swings through. so make sure you check it does not put too much angle on the rear u-joint on the driveshaft, or it will destroy the u-joint because of the sharper angle it must take. it will also alter the geometry and make the car feel different.

if you want to change the rear axle swing profile you likely will need to have adjustable upper trailing links as well.
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'84 Tercel 4wd (daily driver, with on going mods)
'92 Mazda MPV 4wd (wife's daily driver)
'85 Tercel 4wd DLX auto(daughter's daily driver)
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NWMO
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Re: Trailing arms legthened and drive shaft

Post by NWMO »

Thanks Peter,

I will let you know how it drives after completing.

Chris
Psalm 37:4 "Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart"

In remembrance of my friend ARCHINSTL:

T4WD augury?
"Oh, do not ask, 'What is it?' Let us go and make our visit."
T.S. Eliot - "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock"

"Now and then we had a hope that, if we lived and were good, God would permit us to be pirates."
Mark Twain
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Petros
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My tercel:: '84 Tercel4wd w/extensive mods
Location: Arlington WA USA

Re: Trailing arms legthened and drive shaft

Post by Petros »

a thought occurred to me, since the T4wd rear axle is so similar, there are a lot of after market rear suspension components for the corolla GTS. they look to be identical, double check the lengths hower, if it fits there are a lot of aftermarket performance parts companies selling strengthened, adjustable rear upper and lower trailing links, with polyurethane bushings already installed for a reasonable price. I looked at them before. unless you are really into DIY, it seems a much easier way to go is use the after market trailing links for the RWD Corolla GTS.

here is a link to one such kit, at those prices it hardly seems worth doing it yourself. there are others too, I just did a quick search and found these:

https://coiloverdepot.com/products/83-8 ... 2187528266

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'87 Tercel 4wd SR5 (current engine swap project)
'84 Tercel 4wd (daily driver, with on going mods)
'92 Mazda MPV 4wd (wife's daily driver)
'85 Tercel 4wd DLX auto(daughter's daily driver)
'01 Honda Civic (other daughter's daily driver)
The Professor
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Re: Trailing arms legthened and drive shaft

Post by The Professor »

/\ These should be part of any shopping list for a lifted Tercel.
1975 Subaru SuperStar wagon
1984 Subaru Turbo-Traction wagon & hardtop
1987 Subaru RX 3-door
1987 Subaru RX Type-RA 3-door
1987 Toyota Tercel SR5 wagon
1999 Subaru Forester S
2002 Subaru WRX sedan
2019 Subaru Outback 2.5i Limited
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NWMO
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Re: Trailing arms legthened and drive shaft

Post by NWMO »

Progress pic, I figure to paint before installing. Ends are designed for 5/8” bolts, I’m cutting sleeves to space down to 1/2”.
52391A14-9BB2-4396-B55D-A5419F0BFF5F.jpeg
CF3D037F-04AC-4EC6-AAA0-9EC793287587.jpeg
Chris
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Psalm 37:4 "Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart"

In remembrance of my friend ARCHINSTL:

T4WD augury?
"Oh, do not ask, 'What is it?' Let us go and make our visit."
T.S. Eliot - "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock"

"Now and then we had a hope that, if we lived and were good, God would permit us to be pirates."
Mark Twain
Tercy85
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My tercel:: 1985 4wd sr5 w/ 4-ac swap

Re: Trailing arms legthened and drive shaft

Post by Tercy85 »

Damn those are awesome, I saw Godspeed also makes the lateral link rod for the ae86 rear end as well. Has anyone tried these? I know they are for lowering a vehicle, so do we know if they only adjust less than factory length or longer also? For that price they might have to be my Xmas present to myself!

Did you end up installing a set of upper links or the driveshaft spacer Chris?
1978 Toyota Sunrader 16’ rear door
1985 Toyota Tercel SR5 4-AC swap
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The Professor
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Re: Trailing arms legthened and drive shaft

Post by The Professor »

Simplest solution would be to call Godspeed and ask them for the lengths.
1975 Subaru SuperStar wagon
1984 Subaru Turbo-Traction wagon & hardtop
1987 Subaru RX 3-door
1987 Subaru RX Type-RA 3-door
1987 Toyota Tercel SR5 wagon
1999 Subaru Forester S
2002 Subaru WRX sedan
2019 Subaru Outback 2.5i Limited
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NWMO
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Re: Trailing arms legthened and drive shaft

Post by NWMO »

Tercy85,

Yes, I had the drive shaft legthened 1” and lengthened the top trailing arms to keep a reasonable u-joint angle. The top trailing arms are solid, I lengthened with 1/2” rebar and then used JB Weld when I pulled the “sleeve” over the repair. I believe I added 1” on the upper trailing arms as well, or just under.
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Psalm 37:4 "Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart"

In remembrance of my friend ARCHINSTL:

T4WD augury?
"Oh, do not ask, 'What is it?' Let us go and make our visit."
T.S. Eliot - "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock"

"Now and then we had a hope that, if we lived and were good, God would permit us to be pirates."
Mark Twain
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