Hey guys,

Got an 85' Trans Am with a T5 out of an 84 Camaro. Bought a torque arm online and got a mount from a local third gen parts hoarder. Everything bolted up great except the bushing is an "M" where it should be a "W" (or vice versa depending on how you look at it). Anyways, could anyone provide me with a history of when/why the mount was reversed, and has anyone just cut out the bushing and flipped it? Based on what I've seen online, the aftermarket 1 piece bushings will not clamp properly. Thanks!

 

No... there seems to be no particular pattern according to year, model, assy plant, or anything else. Almost as though they had 2 plants that stamped torque arms, and those plants also made the bushing, and the fab plants shipped an arm and bushing as a pair to the vehicle assy plant as a single item. Totally random.

Easiest best most effective thing to do is to buy the Energy Suspension one that fits your particular arm, drill the rivets holding the stock rubber parts on, and replace w/ the ES.

Can't comment on any 1-pc bushings; never seen one. Can't feature how that would work in any case. The ES one (2-pc) fit my car just fine.

 

Thanks, I'll order the new bushing tonight. The ES bushings on Amazon look like 1 piece bushings, is it just the picture or are there 1 and 2 piece options?

 

Never seen a 1-pc bushing. Which of course is NOT to say, there is no such thing; only that, there are 2 metal pieces, one of which is bolted more or less permanently to the transmission, and one is removeable to allow disassembly; and each metal piece has a rubber piece riveted to it. When I take my car apart I unbolt the one and lay it on the ground while the other is still bolted to the transmission. (or at least, while I still had the stock torque arm in it, that's what I did) Hard to see how a 1-pc thing could possibly work. But maybe I'm just too stoooopid to figure it out. Wouldn't be the 1st time.

The only options I'm aware of from ES are the "M" and "W" versions. But, see the disclaimers above. And also of course, they may have changed their product in the 25 yrs or so since I last bought one.

 

I haven't heard of a 1 piece mount either, but I'm looking at the bushing itself (see link below) and it looks like the bushing is 1 piece as opposed to the stock rubber one riveted as 2 halves in the clamshell mount. Either way, I guess I'll know Monday if I bought the right one. Thank you for your help!

 

Yup, I think you're right, that looks 1-pc. However, looks like it doesn't rivet back into the stock place; looks like it just sort of slips onto the end of the arm, then you bolt the other half of the metal back over it. I can't see any reason why it wouldn't bolt back up but ... I guess you'll find out. Let us know.

 

Nothing concrete here, but it looks like there are two torque arms GM used. One has lightening windows cut in it, the other doesn't. I'd expect that the lightened version was used where GM needed to save weight. Obviously the mounts are different between the two also.

You can't just change the bushing insert. The metal shells are different too. One is like [ and the other is more like { with a step in it.

It'd be easier to find a torque arm that matches the torque arm mount you have. No one changes torque arms, lots of people do manual swaps.

 

If the bushing you already ordered does not work out, I might have the one you need. Years ago, I received the wrong one and had to reorder the correct one. It wasn't worth shipping it back. I'll check the part number tonight and post it here in case anyone else needs it.

 

You have to drill the rivets out and take that inside piece out then stall the one piece bushing

 

Energy Suspension 3.0001R

 

I ended up getting the wrong bushing by accident. A M instead of a W. Either way, now I have 2, and the correct one is in the car. Those mounts sure are a PITA to clamp closed though

 

I just replaced mine a few weeks ago...ended up using a rectangular breaker bar, with the lip of the shifter opening as the fulcrum to push the bracket together--and a very slightly longer bolt, so I didn't have to squeeze the bushing so hard to get the bolt for the "clamshell" started.

 

I did pretty much the same. The longer bolt helped immensely, the threads into the housing were fairly deep. Just an FYI for anyone else swapping their bushings: either grind your bushing to fit over the old rivets (if you don't want to drill them out) or drill/grind them out completely. It'll take way longer to close the clamshell if you don't account for the bushing first.

 

The change occurred in late 85 or 86. No car after 1986 ever had the "solid torque arm ,... till 4th gens.



https://www.thirdgen.org/forums/engi...m-bracket.html

 

John, don't go back and retroactively put words in my mouth.

My comments were re. M vs W, long before the subject of solid vs holes came up.

 

You can put what-ever you want in your mouth.

"Solid" vs. "holes" torque arm is EXACTLY the same as "W" vs "M" bushings because, As just about everyone knows,..... only 1 of them is going to fit in the torque arm you've got in your hands. The reason: because the Torque arm was changed in 85.



Again: No car after 1986 ever had the "solid torque arm ,... till 4th gens.

 

John, you're not listening.

I didn't say ANYTHING about holes vs solid. I was talking about M vs W.

Don't go trying to start a fight when (a) there's not one to begin with, and (b) it's OBVIOUS TO ALL that you're just being a jerk for no reason.

And yes, I WILL put whatever I want in my mouth; I believe it will be a beer ATM. And you WON'T put anything there, including word that YOU WISH I had said so that you could have a good excuse for acting an annoying know-it-all and starting a useless fight, even though I didn't say them.

 

This is wrong; totally wrong. I didn't put those words in your mouth - you let them out on your own.


I don't care if you don't like being corrected or get upset when your wrong. You wrote that there was "no particular reason,......" making it seem to any reader that a 92 RS might have had a solid torque arm and the "W" or "M" bushing that matches it ( depending on how you look at the bushing ) If I'm wrong I'll openly correct my mistake - as I have done MANY times in the past. What I wrote is not wrong.

Not a big deal to remove a self induced foot from your mouth when you make a mistake - unless you make it a big deal.

 

Have fun arguing with yourself!! Makes you look like A Big Man to everybody, doesn't it?

 

shaynecastongua: The change in the bushing was cause by the change in the Torque arm, it happened in either late 85 or in 86; It's really that simple.

Sofa; Really can't understand why you got all worked up over this. What I first wrote was not aggressive, abusive or disrespectful; I can't say the same for your response to my post. ( Pick a fight ?? Put words in your mouth ? WHAT are you talking about !?!? ) Read what I wrote again,... even if you don't like it - or me - what I wrote is the truth / accurate and not some ridiculous made-up story. I am big enough to admit when I'm wrong - your have proven over and over again that you are - not.

True colors.

 

Just gotta have the last word, eh?

Go ahead, do it one more time, this is the last time I'm going to invite you to further show us all what a jerk you can be when you want to. It's been kinda fun but I'm over it now.



Oh... and I forgot to point out... in all of your attacking me, NOT ONCE did you offer anything of assistance to the OP, who, by the time you decided to show us your ... lovely disposition, had ALREADY taken care of his problem. So, apart from all the arguing, you added NOTHING WHATSOEVER of ANY value to ANYONE, not now, not EVER if anyone ever searches on this topic. Just a waste of bandwidth.

Have a MARVELOUS day!!!