Most of the repair manuals recommend tightening on the ground as well. Since I can't get to the bolts while the car is on the ground, I usually put a trolley jack under the vertical link and jack up until the car is just about to come off the jack stands under the frame and then tighten the bolts. I figure this simulates the weight of the car on the suspension bushes.
Greg Rowe > Date: Tue, 10 Nov 2009 21:25:58 -0700 > From: [email protected] > To: [email protected] > Subject: Re: [Spits] Rear Spring reply > > > And I'm wondering if Joe wasn't pulling your chain, stirring up your > > fluif or something. What bolts are we talking about? Both ends of > > the trailing arm, vertical strut to spring end, shock mounts. All > > those bolts are meant to pivot with suspension movement, except > > perhaps the shock mounts. > > Actually the standard rubber bushings DO NOT pivot around the bolts. > They are designed so that the inner steel sleeve is clamped to the brackets > and suspension movement is accomplished by the rubber itself deforming. > > If you tighten the bolts when the car is in the air and the suspension is at > full droop, then when the car is put on level ground the bushings are under > stress. They are being twisted as the car just sits there. This distortion > and constant stress causes early failure of the rubber as well as erratic > movement of the suspension under normal use. > > If you tighten the bolts when the car is on the ground at rest, there is > no twisting stress on the rubber while the car sits there. You're not > making them stand on their head 24/7, so to speak. Driving around > they only have to distort a little bit that way, a little bit the other > way as the suspension flexes. They last longer and provide smoother, > more controlled movement of the suspension. > > mjb. > _______________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ Find the right PC with Windows 7 and Windows Live. http://www.microsoft.com/Windows/pc-scout/laptop-set-criteria.aspx?cbid=wl&fi lt=200,2400,10,19,1,3,1,7,50,650,2,12,0,1000&cat=1,2,3,4,5,6&brands=5,6,7,8,9 ,10,11,12,13,14,15,16&addf=4,5,9&ocid=PID24727::T:WLMTAGL:ON:WL:en-US:WWL_WIN _evergreen2:112009 _______________________________________________ Support Team.Net http://www.team.net/donate.html You are subscribed as [email protected] [email protected] http://autox.team.net/mailman/listinfo/spitfires http://www.team.net/archive
