Finally ready to take the car off jack stands and am in process of locking down the torsion bars. Engine and other mechanicals are installed, but bonnet is not. The left side shock installed by simply jacking under the lower wishbone (chassis was just starting to lift off the jack stand) The right side, however will not deflect far enough to align the bolt holes in the extended shock (the chassis lifts off the jack stand). The top shock hole is about 3/4" shy of the picture frame holes. …even if add 220pounds (me) to the tripod. I reinstalled the adjustment link on the right side and it’s on the money. I guess I can resort to the turnbuckle squeezer method or wedge a 2x4 between the frame and garage ceiling, but I’m surprised the weight of the engine isn’t adequate. Also now wondering if the left side link was set correctly, or alternatively if the two torsion bars have different spring rates …they’ve been laying on the shelf for 30 years…maybe one was relaxing and the other one stayed all tensed up.
Thoughts/recommendations? Anybody use the jack under the wishbone method with the bonnet off?
I experienced the same phenomenon. I too tried parking my big carcass on the frame and it was not enough to deflect it. I eventually used the 2x4-to-the-ceiling solution to get the shock connected.
The good news is that the car is completed and the frame height is just where it should be!
This typically happens because of camber bind. The lower control arm is on a pivot and rotates thru a circumference that has to be respected. In other words as the car goes up and down it’s track increases and decreases. If your jack or jack stand won’t move out, away from the car, the lower control arm binds on the jack. Wedging a 2x4 to hold the chassis down is not a good idea. The car will then try to move laterally away from the jack if the jack won’t move back. You can take two plates of sheet steel each 1/8" thick or so and grease between them so the top slides away from the base, and put that under the end of the l.c.a., or use the turnbuckle. To put it in perspective the sprung weight car of the car when complete is at least 2400 pounds so each corner has to lift 600 plus pounds - that is the force pushing the end of the lower control arm down and the force you need to push it up. Not something to treat lightly.
Eric;
I had the same problem. I loaded about 400 pounds (10 bags) of water softner salt in the car and on top of the engine. Problem solved. Beats fixing a hole in the ceiling.
Good point about the arc of the wishbone. I’m using a small wheeled floor jack, but it wasn’t oriented correctly. I’ll lube the wheel bearings, put it on a smooth base, and try it again. As for the hole in the ceiling concern, the vertical brace would be capped by a 2x8 cross piece laid flat between several joists to spread the load. I’ve used the ceiling before by suspending the stripped tub section with cargo straps in big eye screws (for 30 years).
Also going to disassemble the left side (sigh) and recheck with the setting link. Any thoughts about extending the (adjustable) link just a tad for the left side? If so, how much? Prefer to get this right before installing the exhaust. I’ve added AC, but the weight of the Sanko compressor and the mini alternator are about a wash with the original generator.
Well, I repositioned and lubed the jack. Helped a little and the car bounces much better when I jump up and down on the tripod…but still about a half inch short of bolt hole alignment. I found an old spring compressor that should work for the squeeze job. Given the situation on the right side, there has to be something amiss on the left, which aligned with jack only. (Attached a photo of the tub suspended from the ceiling back when I had wife’s car, my old pickup, three Bitter SC automobiles, the Jag…and a two car garage).
…silk purse out of sow’s ear. Sadly, the place is an even bigger sty now. Anyway, I’m on my way to rolling the current pig outside so I can clean up a little.
I just went out and “jacked” around a bit more before biting the bullet and scratching up the finish on the top wishbone pin by attaching a spring compressor. Terry was right on the money about the camber binding! My second effort was a little precarious, but I got the shock in using jacks. With the car about half inch off both jack stands I started man handling the right side jack (under the lower wishbone) outward…wouldn’t roll out on its own…didn’t have the greased plate Terry recommended. That gained a little more distance. Then I rocked the car side to side a little and it settled a bit more. Then I stuck a second floor jack under the left side spline (with a protective sleeve) and jacked just a little. Bingo!
LIke I said, a little precarious since the front of the car was perched on one floor jack for the most part. But the jack stands were in position as well as a motorcycle jack under the picture frame, so it wouldn’t have fallen all that far… . Anyway, thanks Terry (and everyone).
Now…should I go for just a tad more angle than the book spec on the driver side…
Eric I think you need to put the wheels on the car and lower it to ground. Move the steering wheel side to side and then move the car back and forth a number of times to eliminate the camber bind. Then take a look to see how it sits. Only then will you know which side (or both) is out. My experience with this is that the torsion bars after long use in a car take a set - the car sags a bit - maybe an inch. When they sit on the shelf the bar will over the first week or so go back to its original shape, but when you reinstall them they will soon revert to their settled position. By soon I mean over the first 100 miles, so don’t be alarmed that the front sits a little high at first. That makes the initial setting as bit tricky. Also compounding the problem is that the drivers side sags a bit more than the passenger side from long use, so most cars I’ve seen actually sit about 1/4" lower on the left without the driver, and a bit more (another 1/4") with the driver present. So my experience is to set used bars lower than the manual recommends (that means that the end of the l.c.a. is further away from the upper shock mount.) . Up to 1" on the right and 1.250" on the left. No guarantee this will work - setting the bars is a b… That’s why I always recommend an adjustable plate with used bars (actually with any bars). Good luck!
Thanks, Terry. I just disassembled the driver side and tried to install the measuring link for a check of my original setting. That side was set too low (link was set too short), which explains why it was relatively easy to install the shock on that side. Clearly had my head up and locked on that one. I’m going to add about a quarter inch to the link length specified in the manual, reinstall, and call it good for now. With luck it will at least be level. Then I can bump both sides an equal amount when it inevitably sags. I don’t mind fiddling with them, but it will be a different story when the exhaust system is installed. In fact I’m thinking about slapping a couple of glass packs onto the header pipes and driving it that way for the first 100 miles…then readjust the bars and install the rest of the factory exhaust system.
Eric I’m sure you know this but if you don’t - the bars are “handed” - there is a left and right. L and R is stamped on the front of the bar along with some other stuff that to me at least means nothing.
Yes, and the ones on my car are also color coded on the other end…red on the LH, blue on the RH. I’ve seen some old post that incorrectly state the opposite. Anyway, both bars are now set (left one is @ 18 1/16", right one is at the book value 17 13/16 "). Will install the left shock tomorrow. Thanks again.
I’m responding to correct what Eric has said. According to the workshop manual Section 60.20.42 Torsion Bar Remove & Refit. the Blue coded bar is for LEFT and the Red bar is for RIGHT. This is straight from the manual.
It’s been years since I set the bars, Norman. My experience is like your left side. Just a bit of pressure with the jack to get the shock on. Sure sounds like the setting link wasn’t identical on the right Tbar install. But my link has 3 holes on one end, so I was experimenting with ride height. No binding in the A arms?
Once you’ve reached a point where the lower arm no longer moves place a piece of chain on the shock mounting points (tight enough where the arm will not unload) and lower the car on its own weight. Remove the chain and install the shock.
Don’t use the turnbuckle instead of the chain as it will transfer the weight of the car to the shock mounting post on the picture frame , not a good practice.
