Topic

Here you go. http://www.the-t-bar.com/forum/22-cjj-s-guides/90988-how-to-torque-the-lower-front-suspension-arms

You need a torque wrench and a crows foot socket to get the rear bolt.

Hi, good guide but a little beyond me with a car on the drive and a socket set.
I should get the same result by positioning the lower arm at a slight downward angle and then tightening.

You really need to torque these bolts and I couldn't get a socket in there.

Hi, does anyone know how Rover did it on first assembly?

Rover would have dropped the body onto pre assembled sub frame.


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Hi, yes, I thought they would with modern assembly.
Perhaps they assembled the subframe in a jig which allowed for compression of the spring with access to the rear bolt.

Just had a thought. Assemble the spring ,shock,wishbones off the car and compress the spring either with a strap or spring compressors and then torque up.
If I can find the correct length of the spring when on the ground that should sort it.

Heath Robinson eat your heart out!

You'd have to remove the subframe from the car to do that.

Hi David, subframe is off and disassembled. Was going to assemble on the car but this bolt means I will have to assemble off the car and then fit it to the car.

Ah right. Sorry I must have missed that. In that case You'll need the wishbone at the correct angle also.

What you could try is positioning the subframe under the car. secure the front mounting points loosely and place a couple of blocks, one between each of the rear mounts and the bodywork. Lower the body onto the blocks and you will have the weight of the car on the subframe, but the subframe will be a couple of inches lower enabling you to get a normal socket and torque wrench into the bolt.

Once torqued you can remove the blocks and lower the body onto the mounts and torque all those bolts up too.

This was my first idea until I discovered the crowsfoot.

john and Jake the dog wrote: wrote:

Just had a thought. Assemble the spring ,shock,wishbones off the car and compress the spring either with a strap or spring compressors and then torque up.
If I can find the correct length of the spring when on the ground that should sort it.

Heath Robinson eat your heart out!

John the reason the weight has to be on the suspension is not to compress the spring, rather to seat the bushes in the bottom arm before you compress them by tightening up the bolts.
When I did my front subframe it was easy enough to torque the bolt for which you have an access hole at the front of the subframe, but as you can't get a socket on the rear 2 I just used a spanner. Since then CJJ came up with his excellent guide and crows foot idea. The crows foot sets are not expensive on flea bay 15PC CROW FOOT CROWFOOT SPANNER SET SPANNER HEADS 8 - 24mm, 3/8" DRIVE Completed