accident repair on trailing arm and CV

[Bill wjw]

I ran my 82 911 SC off the road and clipped a sign post with the left rear wheel. The body damage is relatively minor. I did bend the wheel rim, broke the trailing arm and the race that holds the bearings on the wheel side CV. I have the car in my driveway and am attempting the repairs to be able drive the car to a body shop. It is hard to tow anywhere with the wheel gone. The towing company damaged the other side of the car in getting it home. I would rather not attempt another tow without a wheel.
I have been using the search on the form to guide me through the repairs. I got a trailing arm with bearing and brake attached used from EASY along with a complete axle with CV joints. I need to know how to pack the bearings of the trailing arm. The bigger question is that of the CV and axle. I have read several threads and not completely confident on how to do this. My car just has bolts and no types of washers. Also how to pack the CV and keep the surfaces completely grease free. Can I leave the inboard CV in place as it does not appear damaged? Then take the outboard CV from the axle I bought and replace the broken CV joint? I can see the seriousness of mistakes in this repair and I fear I only Know enough to be dangerous. Will some of you guys with knowledge about this type of repair help walk me through this?
Thanks in advance,
Bill Weigle
Mc Kinleyville, CA

[boyt911sc]

Bill,

Secure the car on jack stands and start removing the bolts and nuts secured to the trailing arm. When I took both trailing arms last year for mono-ball project with the engine installed, I find it more convenient to work with the transmission mount removed. Of course you have to support the engine/trans as well. Disconnect battery too.

Remove the following:
Tire, rear shock, sway bar, brake caliper, brake line, hand brake cable, CV bolts, axle nut, spring plate nuts & bolts, etc.

Does the replacement trailing arm comes with axle stub or not? The rear wheel bearings are the sealed type and once installed on the trailing arms, you won't be able to repack them with grease.

The key to your success is accessibility to the pivot arm bolt located well insde the engine bay. With the transmission mount in place, it would be very awkward to removed the bolt. Which side trailing arm are you replacing? Keep us posted.

Tony

[Bill wjw]

Thanks to your advise Tony, it is all apart and ready to start rebuilding. Removing the transmission mount was a key tip. The trailing arm does not come with the axle. It has bearings but from your comments I will have to order a new one and replace the one that came in the trailing arm. I will remove the wheel axle from the old trailing arm tomorrow. Do you still add extra grease to that area? Also can I just remove the snap ring and replace the outboard CV joint. The boot is still good. Still apprehensive about how to pack CV joints and keep the mating surfaces grease free. It was a long day and feels good to be showered and poured a few glasses of wine. I need to order some more small parts tomorrow. It will be a few days before continuing waiting for new parts. Any advice from here?
l

[boyt911sc]

Originally Posted by Bill wjw

Thanks to your advise Tony, it is all apart and ready to start rebuilding. Removing the transmission mount was a key tip. The trailing arm does not come with the axle. It has bearings but from your comments I will have to order a new one and replace the one that came in the trailing arm. I will remove the wheel axle from the old trailing arm tomorrow. Do you still add extra grease to that area? Also can I just remove the snap ring and replace the outboard CV joint. The boot is still good. Still apprehensive about how to pack CV joints and keep the mating surfaces grease free. It was a long day and feels good to be showered and poured a few glasses of wine. I need to order some more small parts tomorrow. It will be a few days before continuing waiting for new parts. Any advice from here?
l

Bill,

If the CV boot is still good, leave it alone. After you removed the CV bolts, put a string or wire through the holes (2) to keep the CV joint from separating or falling apart. Now, it would be easier and convenient to grease the CV joints when it is secured.

Tony

[DaddyGlenn]

I'd give the transmission side plate a good look. If you hit hard enough to brake the trailing arm, I would be concerned about force that went through to the transmission.

You might also want to look at the trailing arm mounts on the torsion tube. Again, that is a lot of force that was applied before the trailing arm broke.

Got any pictures of the damage?