I am in the process of installing bolt on SFC's and am curious on how everyone has torqued their LCA bolt? I have a 1/2 inch torque wrench and it won't fit on either the bolt side or the nut side with the socket! Is everyone using a 3/8 inch torque wrench or is my wrench just thicker than normal? I am asumming that I should torque this bolt with the car on the ground? I have the front on ramps and stands under the rear axle. Any help will be greatly appreciated.

 

I just tightened them up and if they made noise I tightened them some more until they were tight and made noise no more.

 

Yes, do it on the ground (suspension loaded). Use Lock-Tite.

 

You need a Crowfoot wrench to go on the end of your torque wrench.

Al

 

Just happened to be doing this yesterday. I used a 3/8" drive torque wrench with a standard length socket (18mm I think,deep won't fit with wrench). Push the socket onto the wrench but don't push it all the way on (ie. over the ball bearing). Then wiggle the "assembly" onto the nut. This should allow the socket to engage the nut with part of the bolt sticking through the socket.

Or use a crow's foot like dark age 33 suggested above. <img border="0" title="" alt="[Wink]" src="gr_images/icons/wink.gif" />

 

thanks for all the advice!! I will try the crowfoot since that is cheaper to buy than a new torque wrench.. Maybe I will get the smaller torque wrench (3/8) before my next project.

 

I just did the same thing this morning as a matter of fact. I used a Craftsman 1/2" drive torque wrench with a short 3/4" socket. My SFC's came with new bolts, and they had 3/4" heads and nuts on them instead of 18mm. It was a piece of cake. I torqued 'em down to 90ftlbs like the instructions said.

 

</font><blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">quote:</font><hr /><font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Originally posted by rom3:
<strong>Or use a crow's foot like dark age 33 suggested above. <img border="0" title="" alt="[Wink]" src="gr_images/icons/wink.gif" /> </strong></font><hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">You must have flunked math. <img border="0" title="" alt="[Big Grin]" src="gr_grin.gif" />

 

</font><blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">quote:</font><hr /><font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Originally posted by DARK AGE 53:
<strong> </font><blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">quote:</font><hr /><font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Originally posted by rom3:
<strong>Or use a crow's foot like dark age 33 suggested above. <img border="0" title="" alt="[Wink]" src="gr_images/icons/wink.gif" /> </strong></font><hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">You must have flunked math. <img border="0" title="" alt="[Big Grin]" src="gr_grin.gif" /> </strong></font><hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">D'oh!

 

</font><blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">quote:</font><hr /><font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Originally posted by Johns98Z28:
<strong>I torqued 'em down to 90ftlbs like the instructions said.</strong></font><hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Are you talking about the LCA bolts or some other bolt? AFAIK the LCA nuts are 60lb ft. and the bolt is another spec. I've never understood how you can have a nut and bolt that are connected have different torque specs, so I just focus on the nut. <img border="0" title="" alt="[Confused]" src="images/icons/confused.gif" />

 

I couldnt fit a torque wrench on the nut on mine. If there too lose your control arm will shake back and forth if you grab it with your hand. Too tight, and it will squeak like crazy if you push down on the back of your car. I loosened mine just enough so they dont squeak and theyve been fine ever since. <img border="0" title="" alt="[Smile]" src="gr_stretch.gif" />

 

I had no problem using a Craftsman 1/2" Digitork wrench on my '96 T/A. I used an extension; can't remember what length. I believe the LS1 cars are the same.

B.T.W. Doesen't the use of a crowfoot wrench make the torque wrench have an innaccurate reading due to the offset and added leverage??? Not sure.

<small>[ November 19, 2002, 10:36 AM: Message edited by: WOOS1 ]</small>

 

</font><blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">quote:</font><hr /><font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Originally posted by WOOS1:
<strong>B.T.W. Doesen't the use of a crowfoot wrench make the torque wrench have an innaccurate reading due to the offset and added leverage??? Not sure.</strong></font><hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Yes, you need to make a calculation on what to set the torque wrench to. My torque wrenches came with a little card explaining this.

 

</font><blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">quote:</font><hr /><font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Originally posted by rom3:
[QBAre you talking about the LCA bolts or some other bolt? AFAIK the LCA nuts are 60lb ft. and the bolt is another spec. I've never understood how you can have a nut and bolt that are connected have different torque specs, so I just focus on the nut. <img border="0" title="" alt="[Confused]" src="images/icons/confused.gif" /> [/QB]</font><hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Yeah, the nut is around 60 and the bolt is around 72 or 75. I couldn't get my torque wrench in there either, so I just tightened them down as tight as I could. Probably around 80lb anyway since I was in an odd position.
You don't 'have' to torque these bolts when the car is on the ground...you can just jack up the rear end and do it that way. Sure makes things easier. <img border="0" title="" alt="[Wink]" src="gr_images/icons/wink.gif" />

 

You don't HAVE to do anything in this world. But to do it right, it should be done with the suspenion loaded. To torque suspension pieces with the car in the air is just inviting trouble.

 

When I installed my SLP subframe connectors on my 2002 Z-28, I had to take the bolts out of the lower control arms (as we all know). Anyway, it got to be a long night (about 4am) and I just stuck the bolts in and snugged them down (yes, I do know to tighten them loaded, but the new LCA's were already in the mail to me...and the stock ones were coming right back off). I wound up with the most iritating squeaking noises coming from the front rubber bushing on the LCA's that I've heard in a long time. Reason...the suspension was preloaded and the bushing was binding. Did it handle terribly different, not really. But it was absolutely not "correct" either. The only time I don't consider preload on the rear end to be as critical is if you are installing "race" LCA's with "rod ends". It's a bearing and it will rotate...but the paranoid among us will preload them anyway. Just my experience....good luck.

 

Ok, to clarify what I said: You can jack up the rear end of the car (via the rear axle) and torque the bolts down that way. Obviously this loads the suspension.