Rear Suspension Cotter Pins

[Rick R.]

The 67 TIM/JG outlines how the cotter pins at the strut rod/shock mount connection are to be installed - from the bottom with the longer leg bent back over the stud and castle nut and THE OTHER HALF REMAINING VERTICAL. Fine and dandy. No comment is made about the cotter pins at the bottom of the long bolts connecting the ends of the leaf spring to the rear of the trailing arms.
Obviously those two pins are installed horizontally, but are they also supposed to be bent in a certain manner for judging? Thanks.

Rick

[Ron G.]

Re: Rear Suspension Cotter Pins

Rick,

I can post a picture of that lower cotter pin, but it will not be sometime till tomorrow unless someone else can post it first.

- Ron

[Gary B.]

Re: Rear Suspension Cotter Pins

Rick,

I recently looked at what I believe to be an original installation of a cotter pin on a C2 rear spring end bolt and the longer leg of the cotter pin was bent vertically downward and then wrapped over the end of the bolt, so the end portion of the cotter pin end was horizontal. So basically two 90 degree bends for the longer leg. The shorter end of the cotter pin end was bent slightly upward, not vertical since there isn't room to do that.

Gary

[Ron G.]

Re: Rear Suspension Cotter Pins

Rick,

The following picture is of the cotter pin attaching the knot to the lower rear shock mount. Although my car is restored, I put it back together just the way I took it apart. Hope this helps. - Ron

[Duke W.]

Re: Rear Suspension Cotter Pins

The 67 TIM/JG outlines how the cotter pins at the strut rod/shock mount connection are to be installed - from the bottom with the longer leg bent back over the stud and castle nut and THE OTHER HALF REMAINING VERTICAL. Fine and dandy. No comment is made about the cotter pins at the bottom of the long bolts connecting the ends of the leaf spring to the rear of the trailing arms.
Obviously those two pins are installed horizontally, but are they also supposed to be bent in a certain manner for judging? Thanks.

Rick

Look at the first few pages or your AIM. This general information shows at least one if not more ways to install and dress cotter pins.

Duke

[Paul O.]

Re: Rear Suspension Cotter Pins

Here are a few photos of how they were installed from 1963 to 1982 very consistent first a 1972 second is a 1980 .

[Rick R.]

Re: Rear Suspension Cotter Pins

Gary, Ron and Paul - Thanks for taking the time and effort to post. Duke - many years ago I was an aircraft mechanic, and in A&P school they covered the "approved " ways of bending cotter pins, lol. These pictures indicate that the pins on the spring bolts are bent in a fairly standard manner except that the shorter leg is only slightly bent back - normally I would clip that leg short enough to bend it tightly upward against the side of the nut. So, my conclusion is that on the C2 corvette, "Typical" on the SPRING BOLT cotter pins means the short leg is neither left completely straight ( as on the strut rod connection) nor bent fully back. Thanks to all for your input.

Rick.

[Paul O.]

Re: Rear Suspension Cotter Pins

Rick I am a retired AMT 40 plus years. In general what both Ron and myself have found that at the factory the workers bent the long tail 90 to 180 deg depending on its location and obstructions. The short tail was in most cases just left straight or just a slight bend in it. That is typical for all cotter keys installed any place on a C2 and C3 Corvettes. These workers found what met the minimum to pass inspection so they could complete the task as quickly as possible and then relax till the next one arrived.

[Rick R.]

Re: Rear Suspension Cotter Pins

Rick I am a retired AMT 40 plus years. In general what both Ron and myself have found that at the factory the workers bent the long tail 90 to 180 deg depending on its location and obstructions. The short tail was in most cases just left straight or just a slight bend in it. That is typical for all cotter keys installed any place on a C2 and C3 Corvettes. These workers found what met the minimum to pass inspection so they could complete the task as quickly as possible and then relax till the next one arrived.

Paul, thanks for that insight. Hope to see you at a meet - we will have things to talk about besides Corvettes. I decided that flying the airplanes was probably easier than fixing them, and so I wound up with an airline career. I flew all of the Boeings from the 727 through the 767 except for the 73, and also the DC-8 and A-300.

Rick