EDELBROCK TRAILING ARMS & PANHARD ROD

The Products
The Edelbrock Panhard Rod promises an improved design that resists unwanted flex and twisting, keeping the axle properly located under the chassis for improved cornering and driveability under all conditions. The Panhard rod allows maximum rear suspension travel without bushing bind for a superior ride. Panhard rods include greasable fluted polyurethane bushings for a long trouble free life.

The Edelbrock Trailing Arms are manufactured from rectangular cold rolled steel tubing with a .120" wall thickness for maximum strength, these trailing arms have greasable, fluted polyurethane bushings which are superior to the stock rubber bushings.

Both items offer superior strength over the stock H2 parts.

Installing the Panhard Rod
The Panhard rod is an easy install. I chocked all four wheels and supported the truck with a trolley jack, normal weight still needs to be on the rear axle, so I just left the wheels on the ground and used the jack to support the frame to prvent any movement.

Unbolting the stock rod is easy and the new one simply replaces it. The first bolt went in easy, the second one was off by about 1/4", so I just raised the truck on one side a little until the holes lined up.

The brake cable is held in place with a couple of stainless steel circlips. Grease nipples are easily accessed and allow for lubing of the bushings.

Installation from start to finish was about 60 minutes.

Installing the Trailing Arms
As with the Panhard Rod, normal vehicle weight needs to be on the rear axle, so all four wheel were chocked and the frame was supported as before. The passenger side trailing arm was installed in less than 15 minutes and was very easy.

However, the drivers side trailing arm took a little longer. To get at the rear bolt, you need to remove the small bracket holding the brake cables in place. To remove the front bolt, you need to remove the gas tank skid plate, which is held in place with four bolts.

Unfortunately, during the removal process, I had to reposition the jack to remove the gas tank skid plate, this led to some movement in the rear end, which in turn led to the holes no longer lining up for the trailing arm. A variety of jacking, pushing and pulling was then required to get the holes lined back up. This added a good 60 minutes to the install of the drivers side trailing arm. In retrospect, the solution is simple, remove the gas tank skid plate before you start work.

The rubber protection around the brake cable had been cut through by the stock trailing arm where it passes over the trailing arm and is an area to watch on vehicles with stock trailing arms.

The stock bolts were torqued to about 60 ft-lbs, Edelbrock call for torquing to 140 ft-lbs, which seems excessive, or the stock bolts had come or worn lose. In any event I will be checking them periodically to check for any loseness or wear.

The grease nipples are not easily accessed on the trailing arms and a mini grease gun with a smaller grease head size was required to get to them.

Installation from start to finish was about 120 minutes, but by removing the gas tank skid plate prior to installation and avoiding any movement in the rear end, this could be cut to 60 minutes.

Summary
The parts certainly look and feel stronger than the stock components, and there is a somewhat tighter feeling in the back end, (although it is uncertain if this is real or just perceived, but there does seem to be some improvement in rear end feel).

One of the stock trailing arms appeared to have a small amount of bow along the U channel, compared to the other one, but this could have been a manufacturing tolerance, or could have been caused excessive stress.

Overall, a worthwhile install if you expose your truck to excessive stress, whether from offroad driving or through performance modifications.

Click on the pics below for larger images;


Trailing Arm

Wear on Cable Protector

Panhard Rod


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