trailing arm part no and idea?

[fairwynds]

The trailing arm saga continueth today!
Have managed to get the old spring plates off, to find some more rust and a couple of holes. Am planning to weld a reinforcing/repair plate over the whole spring 'bed' area, before using the new spring plates I got from Brickwerks.
BUT - looking at both trailing arms closely, they would appear to be the same in all respects (ie: the nearside one could be turned over and used on the offside) EXCEPT for the small reinforcement (Im assuming thats what it is...) bar welded up inside where the CV joint sits, beneath the spring plate:



Is that reinforcing piece a separate part number on the EKTA? Would something else suffice? Will my MOT man shoot me for even thinking it?
I fancied flipping the two arms over, and then welding a panel UNDER the trailing arm that would fit the socket of my trolley jack. That way it would be a repair piece AND serve another purpose when jacking up?

Hers a few other pics of todays toils....









cheers all....

[Cruz]

Trailing arms come complete. No seperate part and whilst they look liek you could flip them I bet they are not exactly symmetrical which could pose problems setting cambers etc

[fairwynds]

Trailing arms come complete. No seperate part and whilst they look liek you could flip them I bet they are not exactly symmetrical which could pose problems setting cambers etc

thats what I suspected....nothing's ever simple is it!
Ho hum, will be off to the welders soon then....
Cheers mate

[silverbullet]

Those trailing arms are good! I recently binned one that had huge gaping holes when I took the spring pan off, paper thin all over the place on top and the bearing carrier bolts were rusted in solid. Not worth saving (I nearly cut the bottom off to repair another one's top, couldn't be a###ed in the end) unlike yours which are nice.

[fairwynds]

Those trailing arms are good! I recently binned one that had huge gaping holes when I took the spring pan off, paper thin all over the place on top and the bearing carrier bolts were rusted in solid. Not worth saving (I nearly cut the bottom off to repair another one's top, couldn't be a###ed in the end) unlike yours which are nice.

sometimes, a message here really chirps things up a bit! This job has blossomed into a right biggun! getting there though.....
Cheers

[Plasticman]

get them sandblasted and they should sort like good uns.
mm

[Cruz]

As Micky says get them shotblasted and the re-painted.

I did that at work when I managed to get a mint pair for £50 back in the ebay days when T3 parts weren't quite as cherry. One is on the van the other is in the loft waiting for the day it is needed. Mine had badly corroded through near the chassis bolting point

[fairwynds]

....they are going off to be blasted and then galvanized (see me t'other fred), so should then last longer than me!