My right rear control has rusted in a circle aroun the base of where the shock bolts to the control arm. The other three are fine. Has anyone had this occur? Is it particularly hard job to do. I found one at a salvage yard near me for a fair price,now I just need to find someone to install it,or attempt it myself. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. I did look in the search and wasn't succesful.

That part is also called a "trailing arm" so searching under that term you may be more successful. Also, search for posts in the diesel forum by member 'dmorrison'...he did an excellent series of write-ups on rebuilding the suspension in his TD and specifcally the rear suspension which included replacing the trailing arm bushings. You'll need to do that if you replace the arm.

edit: here's dmorrison's article - 300TD REAR suspension rebuild

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Never a dull moment at Berry Hill Farm.

It's quite a bit of work to remove the trailing arms from these vehicles.

You need to remove the shock and the spring. Then you must remove the axle from the the one side. The brake caliper, rotor and brake hose must be removed.

The subframe needs to be lowered a bit to get access to the bolts that hold the trailing arm in place. It's held up by two subframe bushings in the front and the differential mount at the back.

Hopefully, the trailing arm that you receive will already have the bearing installed and it will be ready to go. Then it probably should get new trailing arm bushings and you are ready to put it back in reverse order.

Do a search on "trailing arms". I'm sure there are plenty of detailed posts on it.

I recently decided against doing trailing arm bushings on the SDL due to the extensive work involved. The condition of the rubber was not all that bad and it didn't warrant the work at this time.

i have had my local shop do this for me twice. i believe that the labor was around $300. i wouldnt attempt it myself and i am very experienced at home repairs. the tools required make it a problem.

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[SIGPIC] Diesel loving autocrossing grandpa Architect. 08 Dodge 3/4 ton with Cummins & six speed; I have had about 35 benzes. I have a 39 Studebaker Coupe Express pickup in which I have had installed a 617 turbo and a five speed manual.[SIGPIC]

..I also have a 427 Cobra replica with an aluminum chassis.

Thanks for the replys. I don't think I'll attempt this myself. The problem is going to be finding someone to do it. I just don't understand why this happened in only this one location. The other three trailing arms are perfect,and the vehicle itself is pretty much rust-free. Where I live,on the eastern shore of Md., If it's not a Ford or Chevy, forget about getting work done.You're on your own. I quess I'll just drive it until it breaks.