Hello World,

I'm sure that there is a thread out there. I have a 72 1.7 as a project car. Didn't pay alot for the car $2200 it ran and got a spare 1.7 FI engine with it. My question is can the trailing arm mount be replaced or repaired to provide stability to remount the trailing arm and have the confidence that there will be no issues with the security of it being sound enough to be road worthy. I have restored the front suspension ie new bushings, powder coated, master cylinder, calipers, rotors and break lines. Should have dug a little bit more before diving in. I do not want to throw money and time into something that can not be safe and road worthy.

Thnx Chris
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That can be fixed, but it is going to require some pretty intensive cutting, spot weld drilling, grinding, welding, and generally a lot of work. Getting those suspension mounts off is a PITA, but it can be done. The one you have there looks pretty far gone, so I'd look for someone with a donor (currently nobody is making these as far as I know). There are threads here of people repairing them, and I did a fair amount of steel replacement on one of mine.

You need to check for additional rust in and around that wheelhouse (to which that suspension mount is attached) and repair / replace the underlying structure where it's needed.

First step is to do an assessment of the rot and decide what you're capable of and willing to do. As it is now, that's not safe.

Everything is fixable. Try taking some more shots of the face portion of the mount. Plus shots of the long it mounts to.

What Rob said .... too

plus you need to check the inner suspension console “the circular mount for the trailing arm pivot”. It usually rusts out as well.

This whole area is often compromised because water ran down the hell hole, mixed with battery acid and washed over the suspension mounting points. They rust out from the inside so they are offer worse than they look at first glance.

Good luck.

Chris, just confirming that is the passenger side rear mount? Reason I'm asking is I have a complete susp console for the drivers side. If it is your drivers side let me know. The piece is cut large, but it's yours for shipping cost. Dave

It's the passenger side. And i'm sure the drivers side isn't any better.Click to view attachment

Because there isn’t a battery on the driver side. It usually is better.

Very fixable.. Just takes patience.

There is a guy , Kyle , that lives in Palm Bay , he is selling a very incomplete rotary engine 914 project , IT is advertised on Ebay now , was in the World classified about 6 weeks ago..he as had no takers , so is thinking of parting it out...should have the sheet metal you needs if he does , he has some seats I wanted .....maybe your interest will make him go ahead and part it ...car is fairly close to you

I hate to say it, but they all have rust. It's just how much.
I'm finding rust on the Carrera's and 964's that I break down.

My guess is the flanged seam between the long and the wheel house below the relay board had an open spot that would allow the rain/snow to seep in. Which would allow moisture to fall straight down into mount.

Those mounts had drain holes drilled/punched in them. But no one has kept them clean and clear.

same at our shop. Actually had a Carrera from Michigan that was beyond saving.
Cary - how does Rothsport prep an older chassis. We’ve tried every meathod including all the types of blasting, dipping and ecoat. There seem to be downsides to each.

The next project will be dipped and epoxy primered.
We're following Freddie from Vintage Restorations lead. Going to use the stripper he's been using.

Thnx to all for your help. Will try to source a usable mount. Really do not want to part the car out.

You can definitely find a donor. Put a WTB in the classifieds.

Can you weld and are you planning on doing this yourself or do you have some place in mind? Either way, there are definitely some critical steps to doing something like this (e.g., bracing the doors, indexing the location of the mount, cutting the ties, etc.). There are lots of people much more experienced than I am that can provide great advice. It can be done, but it will take some planning and some patience. And hopefully there's not too much rot beyond that mount.

I don't want you to have to part your car out either.

I have been trying to convince Ben to make a fixture / jig to locate the suspension mounts.

That and actual suspension mount would be awesome. C'mon, Ben. What else could you possibly have going on???

Yep, and I'd be happy to test it immediately! I have outer and inner mounts cleaned up and ready to weld. But I have to get my new floor installed first to restore the factory reference point for measurement. A jig would be nice!



+1 on Rob's suggestion for the actual mount. I prefer recycling parts from donors, but that outer suspension mount is an SOB to get cleaned and prepped for reuse.

I could do that but would need a virgin car to build one around..

I have a rust free shell but we are 800 miles apart.

I have a car that I believe has solid mounts on it if you are wanting to do the restoration. It would take me a bit of time to remove them but if you are interested PM me.

Thnx for all of the help and advice. A rust free shell is probably the way to go. Luckily for me this was a car that I purchased to take apart and put back together again cleaning and replacing parts that were unservicable. I have a 73 1.7 that is my baby, purchased Sept 2017. My mentality is if you want to learn and know how something works, take it apart and put it back together again. Patience is a virtue.

Thnx Chris

Chris Foley has them in his rear pickup point raise kits all ready made. Looks like a pretty easy one to use. I have one I will be adding to a frame cart just to make sure I don't screw up the rear of my 914 when I go to raise the pickups. It will need to be adjustable as I am also moving the points up 2" and out any a 1/4" on each side. I guess I could go wider as the car is flared, I have the wheels, I'll be using and I am doing custom lengths Axles. Might as well put the track out as far as I want to go.

I'd bet Cary can do one up.