RTFWD Hub Swap

FeanorFeanor Band Wagon
in Suspension, Braking & Wheels
Has anyone taken the hub off of a Rear Trailing Arm belonging to a RT4WD Wagon and swapped it to the Rear Trailing Arm from a normal wagon? I need to do so because my Rear Trailing Arm is bent and I can't find another one that already has the RT4WD hub with a place for the axle to go. Just looking at the two rear trailing arms, it looks possible, but it looks like you have to pry the back plate off of the arm (the arm from the regular wagon) and drill some three holes in it for the bracket (the RT4WD hub bracket) swap. Sorry, I would post pics, but it won't let me attach anything, and the pictures aren't from a URL.

Comments

  • bam-bambam-bam Council Member
    I won't say it's not possible, but it's not a bolt-on job. The basic shape or "outline" of the two arms is the same, but the RT one has a big window in it, and some hardware to bolt the hub spider to.

    It's going to take some cutting and welding.

    Have you looked at car-part dot com ? You can search junkyards, may find one worth the drive. It's what I would do if I didn't have a spare.
  • FeanorFeanor Band Wagon
    I will try the website you suggested. Thanks for the tip. But as for the possible custom fit job, there are bolts that start on the outside of the arm and thread into the hub bracket on the inside of the arm, and I just thought that the 3 bolts that start on the inside of the arm bolted to threads on the hub bracket that is on the outside part of the arm. I didn't think there was hardware on the actual arm. I just thought I would have to drill holes through the arm so the bolts that start on the outside could go through to the inside (I wish I could post pics, why won't they let me post attachments?) As for the bigger window in the RT4WD trailing arm, I had suspected that, but wasn't sure. How do you cut such a large circular hole? or do you cut that whole rearmost part off of the RT4WD trailing arm and weld it onto the non-bent arm?
  • FeanorFeanor Band Wagon
    Do you know if a Rear Trailing Arm from an '88 Civic Wagon RT4WD would be 100% compatible with my '91 Civic Wagon RT4WD?
  • bam-bambam-bam Council Member
    Yes it will fit. Sorry I'm a little fuzzy on the specific points of the arm, going from a couple-year-old memory.
  • FeanorFeanor Band Wagon
    I found out that my "k-member" is also bent (the part in the rear by the muffler that goes from side to side, the brackets where the rear-lower control arms bolt on for both right and left sides are on this big hunk of metal. It bolts onto the frame with just four bolts and the rear dif bracket bolts onto it as well. Is there another name for it besides "k-member?"). Do you know if this piece is identical between the fwd and rt4wd models?
  • bam-bambam-bam Council Member
    Usually K-member refers to a front subframe or engine cradle. Not sure what the proper name for the rear one is, but we all know what you mean! I guess it's the rear suspension crossmember?

    Either way, yes. It can be used from a 2wd wagon. I personally installed one from a '90 DX auto into an'88 RT. I only had to drill the spotwelds from the differential mount and weld it onto the donor crossmember. I'm no good at searching, but there are pictures of the process somewhere.
  • bam-bambam-bam Council Member
    Here you go:

    http://www.civicwagon.com/showthread.php?6404-RT4wd-2wd-rear-crossmembers-interchange&highlight=Suspension+crossmember
  • LowFlyin'LowFlyin' Moderator
    Hey Feanor,

    I replied to your thread on DSO
    LowFlyin wrote:
    Yeah, but 1G CRV have the same RTA for the 2WD, they just put a stub axle in to hold everything together.

    The EE RTA seem to have the same outer shape, but the backing plate that is spot welded in place would need to be removed and the RT4WD backing plate welded in its place.
  • FeanorFeanor Band Wagon
    Thanks for the info y'all. Bam-Bam, when you say you drilled the spot welds, do you mean you drilled some bolt holes through the 2wd crossmember for the diff bracket or do you mean that you drilled the spot welds on the bracket on rt4wd crossmember so as to get the bracket off the rt4wd crossmember?
  • LowFlyin'LowFlyin' Moderator
    Feanor wrote: »
    Thanks for the info y'all. Bam-Bam, when you say you drilled the spot welds, do you mean you drilled some bolt holes through the 2wd crossmember for the diff bracket or do you mean that you drilled the spot welds on the bracket on rt4wd crossmember so as to get the bracket off the rt4wd crossmember?

    The latter. Then you'll need to weld the RT4WD diff bracket to the 2WD bracket in the same spot.
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