96 Corvettes with Fiberglass Trailing Arms Please Read

[PLRX]

If you ever purchased aftermarket bushings from VB&P for your 96 with fiberglass trailing arms (TA) read this post.

http://i275.photobucket.com/albums/jj290/plrx/PLRX%20LT4/Suspension/CELT4113.jpg

If you have the fiberglass TA you may ran into an issue that the bushings were too small for the trailing arms.

http://i275.photobucket.com/albums/jj290/plrx/PLRX%20LT4/Suspension/CELT4117.jpg

http://i275.photobucket.com/albums/jj290/plrx/PLRX%20LT4/Suspension/CELT4118.jpg

Likely you called the vendor and they convinced you to mail them the TAs to VB&P in Florida for them to make "custom" bushings. Check on your Vette's rear, if you have play and the bearings are good there is a possibility (100% on my case) that your bushings are gone.

My bushings are two years old, not even 10,000 miles and are gone, ripped. Why? because they did a band aid job, they just tapped the TA with the head of some bushing and stuck the hallow rod leaving an empty space in the center of the trailing arms bolt area.

I ordered adjustable new trailing arms from Van Steel, I'm not going to deal with them again.

Check your Vette, be safe :flag:

http://i275.photobucket.com/albums/jj290/plrx/PLRXIcon.jpg

[PLRX]

Here it is finally got some time to download and load etc etc

This is where the play is:

http://i275.photobucket.com/albums/jj290/plrx/PLRX%20LT4/Suspension/Bushing%20Failure/BushingFailure.jpg

Look at the gap inside the bushing. A reminder that VBP requested for me to send these TAs back
to them for them to properly install the correct bushing.

Key words: properly install the proper part.

http://i275.photobucket.com/albums/jj290/plrx/PLRX%20LT4/Suspension/Bushing%20Failure/BushingFailure1.jpg

The trailing arm measures at 34.70 mm.

http://i275.photobucket.com/albums/jj290/plrx/PLRX%20LT4/Suspension/Bushing%20Failure/BushingFailure2.jpg

The bushings are way short at 28.61 mm.

http://i275.photobucket.com/albums/jj290/plrx/PLRX%20LT4/Suspension/Bushing%20Failure/BushingFailure4.jpg

http://i275.photobucket.com/albums/jj290/plrx/PLRX%20LT4/Suspension/Bushing%20Failure/BushingFailure5.jpg

http://i275.photobucket.com/albums/jj290/plrx/PLRX%20LT4/Suspension/Bushing%20Failure/BushingFailure6.jpg

I looked at the bushing very closely and found more defects. Looks like "they" don't really
had the correct part for the 1996 Corvette TAs. They had to patch it up so they grabbed an
already made bushing not for a Corvette and cut it up with a utility knife and made the hole
for the sleeve bigger. The bushing structure was compromised plus the gap inside didn't help.

http://i275.photobucket.com/albums/jj290/plrx/PLRX%20LT4/Suspension/Bushing%20Failure/BushingFailure7.jpg

yes, I know. Gimp doesn't do spell check:leaving:

What bothers me? Bothers me that I ordered for a 96 at the time a 12 year old car. Not like
I was the very first person ordering poly bushings for a Vette.

Bothers me that I had to pay shipping to send the TAs to Florida for their mistake.

Bothers me that they sent them ready to be installed with the sleeve in and bothered me
even more I didn't checked it.

Bothers me that this could have ended up in an accident with the high possibility of me
going down a cliff or crash on a mountain.

Bothers me that this could have been other guy that is not mechanically inclined and he would
have to pay a mechanic to fix this mess.

I get to save on labor but, I loose my time, lost money and had to postponed my alignment.

If you have a 96 and you installed bushings from this company get up and check
on your Corvette now!!!

YouTube - Florida Vette Company Trailing Arm Bushing Failure