Setting ride height to torque suspension bolts

Hi, I am replacing my 1985 308 rear suspension bushings and I want to torque the suspension bolts. The question that I have is how do you determine ride height in order to torque the bolts. Can you set the torque when the upright has reached its upper limit with a jack under it, or would that be too high up for the upright, thus bottoming out suspension. I can't deteremine the distance from the wheel center to bottom wheel well center for ride height.

 

The bottom A-arm is about level with the ground when the suspension is compressed sufficiently.

 

Thank you.

 

Bringing this back, wondering if this is true for the front as well... bottom A-arm level with ground. I'm doing front and rear

 

Following.

Getting this preload correct is the main reason I hesitate to rebuild with the stock type bushings (vs energy, NFF, etc which rotate)

 

Anyone have info on the front arms? If anything can someone go out and look at your front arms while you car is on the ground and just tell me if the lower is level?

 

Keep the a arm bolts loose. Set car at all corners at correct ride height on a flat floor. Tighten a arm nuts hand tight so when car jacked up the a arms do not move. Then torque the nuts. This will give the non swiveling bushing to allow compression and rebound at the wheel rate induced by the rubber of the bushing and coil spring.

 

I don't have the tires on the car so that won't work unfortunately.

 

Put everything together and leave the a-arm bolts loose. Set it down loose, bounce it a couple times, measure the distance hub to fender (or anyhjitng else convenient) , jack it back up and put it on stands, use your jack under the a-arm to get the number you just measured and tighten the bolts. Nothing at all difficult about the job and no need to be guessing or eyeballing.

 

you could use blocks under rotors or hubs if the rotors are off, right under the ball joint would also work. bounce it and tighten since you should be able to reach, no need to even measure so even easier.

 

Yes that's exactly what I'm trying to do... I don't know how high the lower arm on the front is supposed to go.

The rear has been confirmed to be level. Not sure about the front.

 

I'm saying you don't need to know anything, just set the car down and let it sit where it sits then tighten the bolts. What additional issue are you having?

 

Suspension arm level does not matter. The stock setup at RH will put arms in a stock position. There is no spec for angle of suspension arm

 

That is only true if you accept the coil springs setting as in a position to be at correct RH.

 

There are pictures in the shop manual. Surely you took notes during disassembly. What do they say?

 

Any time you change the RH you SHOULD reset the bushings so it always SHOULD work correctly

 

Thanks! Found them, didn't think to look in the manual because I'm a doofus.

No, didn't take notes of the angle of the arm with the car on the ground... didn't think about it.


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What about all the other notes?

 

Not sure what you mean

 

In "A = B-7" in figure 2 above, I presume the units are millimeters?

Great advice here, thank you to all!