Hangwire

First off suspension is completely stock. I went to install J&M street/race LCAs yesterday and everything went fine up until I went to bolt the newly installed LCA onto the axle. The rear axle seems to have moved back ~1.5 inches and Im nowhere near close to being able to put the bolt through.

Procedure I followed:
-Jack rear end up, place jackstands under rear chassis subframe
-Jack up rear axle just above full drop. Place jackstands under axle.
-Remove parking brake/ABS bracket on both sides. Remove sway bar.
-Place jackstand directly under stock LCA @ axle end.
-Loosen and remove axle end bolt and slowly let LCA drop down from axle, remove spring.
-Remove chassis end bolt and remove factory control arm.
-Install bushings into new LCA and bolt up to chassis end.
-Place spring back in perch and use jack to slowly raise LCA up to axle.

This is where my issue is. The axle needs to come forward about 1.5 inches before i can even think about getting the bolt in. The passenger side factory LCA is still installed tight. Nothing else is removed from the suspension. I tried taking the axle off of jackstands to give it some play but there doesnt appear to be any at all. I tried reinstalling factory arm with the same results. Also tried aligning everything with no spring....same problem. I am 99% sure i have the correct parts and have the control arm on the right side(sticker to the outside) What am I doing wrong?

uberstang1

You have any pics, alot of times u gotta move the axle around and articulate it to try and get the second arm in, alot of the time it can be a big PITA. You shouldn't have jackstands under the rear just balance it on a jack, with stands only on the chasis of the car. Have to find the right articulation and move the rear higher and lower untill it lines up. Also wait untill you have the control arms completly installed and then install the spring, if u haver lowering springs u wont even need a spring compressor to pop them in even with the control arms already installed, u just let the axle drop down as far is it will go. (make sure caliper is removed from rear so u don't rip brake line)

Hangwire

Thanks for the reply, heres a few pics. I can provide video if needed.

As you can see the axle needs to come forward. But it has no forward give whatsoever. Not with upper body strength at least. It wont budge one bit. I can get it to move up and down no problem but not forward. Moving it up and down isnt helping it line up at all. I dont even understand how the axle moved back with everything else still connected. The other side hasnt been touched and is still tightened down as stock. I'm beginning to think something is wrong. I'm out of ideas and I can't throw in the towel here because it can't be towed the way it is.

uberstang1

Ya thats normal, if u play around articulating the axle it will line up eventually, can be a pain. do it without the spring as a mention aboved and then install them once the rear is bolted in. I'm not sure with those control arms, are they poly on both ends? or heim join one end poly one end? if so bolt down the poly side first as the heim joins are alot more forgiving when it comes to lining them up in the torque box.

Hangwire

So when you say articulate im assuming you mean up and down? I tried and tried that with 0 improvement. Guess ill try that some more tomorrow. It is in fact poly on axle side and heim on chassis side. I tried connecting the axle side first and without the spring but not while pushing the axle upward. I dunno....ill give it a shot again tomorrow but I have a feeling its gonna be on jackstands for a while. Gonna have to try other boards and/or see what J&M suggests. Again thanks for the replies. I wasnt having any of the typical problems but then this crap....smh.

uberstang1

u can push the axle in and out, not just up and down, with a heim join on one end it should be cake to get them installed, I think the big problem is a combination of having jackstands under the axle, and trynig to hack a control arm with the spring on it.

UPRSharad

put a jack under the center section of the rear end, just behind the driveshaft flange. When you raise the jack it'll rotate the axle housing.

Fish05

Another option is to use a come along that goes around the axel to your cross memeber and you can ratchet the rear end forward. It is kind of a Pain the A$$ to do by your self otherwise.

uberstang1

Id be a little concerned just cranking on a come along lol, if it doesn't want to move that way with regular force id imagine a come along can definatly bend or break stuff.

Fish05

well I am not talking about using a ton of force. it does not need much and it keeps my hands free to work.