Hello

I purchased a 95 wrecked TA for the motor and trans and getting ready to drop cradle I have never took off a torque arm and was wondering a dumb Q before I do IS THERE ANY PRESSURE WHEN I TAKE IT OFF WILL THE REAR END FALL OR MOVE I bought a Max Jax lift so Im not on my back Just wondering if I need to support something thanks
Feel free to ask about the jack, I had it for 1 week and love it!

 

Take the rear springs out first. Otherwise, a torque arm when unbolted it from the tranny, it will swing upwards until it hits the floor pan. And it will be very difficult to unbolt from the axle, with the springs still trying to rotate the axle backwards.

With the springs gone, the axle won't try to rotate backwards so much.

 

Thanks Im sure the Q has been answered a dozen times,but thanks again,as usual this site ROCKS

 

why make life difficult?????

get yourself another jack, even a $20 1 or 2 ton bottle jack, place it under the differential and with your car already on jack stands, jack up the bottle jack until you see the axle go up just a little bit

remove torque arm and the axle won't twist. Do be sure to have your wheels and tires removed so you don't have the extra weight.


the suggestion about the springs is also OK but i'm one of those guys who believes in the joke where the young bull and old bull are looking down at cows, the young bull says, "hey what do you say we run down and .............. one of them; the old bull says, hey, why don't we walk down .......................... all of them"

 

I concur with jacking up on the axle itself. Every time I've done this the torque arm doesn't move when unbolted from it's mount.

 

Thanks guys I still havent done yet, I need to remove it regardless,but Im still pondering weather to pull motor or drop it

 

I've pulled em at home and dropped em in the shop. I would rather get it mostly unbolted on the lift, then drop it, finish the last couple bolts, and pull it. You're being a little more careful, but it seems so much easier and more laid back. Just my 2 cents though

 

Just did this yesterday. The torque arm can sometimes be stuck in the rubber bushing at the tailshaft of the tranny. There are only 2 bolts holding that bracket to the tailshaft. If you unbolt the shocks at the bottom of the rear and then allow the rear to drop the extra 1 inch until the springs are fully uncompressed and keep the rear supported with jackstands, the rear will not rotate. I was removing the rear and keeping the engine and trans in the car. I did not take off the 2 big bolts that hold the torque arm to the rear end. I unbolted the LCAs, PHB, shocks, and brake lines, and ebrake cables. I tried to just pull the rear out towards the back of hte car with the pumpkin supported on a floor jack. The torque arm was stuck in the rubber bushing at the tailshaft. I grabbed the sway bar and started yanking towards the rear of the car, and the rear slipped off of the jack, and smashed my fingers between the sway bar and the jack, crushing my fingers with 200lbs of rear end on the little spikes on the jack. Luckily my friend was there to jump under the car and lift off the rear end. No fingers broken, just alot of bleeding. Ended up taking a tow strap and putting it around the pumpkin and hooking it to my truck and giving a little yank until the rubber bushing at the trans let loose and the torque arm was able to come out. MORAL OF THE STORY always have a buddy around when you are working on something big on the car, if he wasnt there I would have been trapped.