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Front suspension half moon cotters

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The manual says to secure the bottom bushings with the cotter pin nuts. But it says to not tighten too much so as not to damage the bushings
can anyone give me an idea how tight the nuts should be?

Thanks
 
Drone Dog said:
The manual says to secure the bottom bushings with the cotter pin nuts. But it says to not tighten too much so as not to damage the bushings
can anyone give me an idea how tight the nuts should be?

Thanks
Click to expand...

When working on the suspension, you should not fully tighten anything until the suspension is fully loaded.
 
Before tightening the cotters, did you make sure you have the full range of motion from full droop through full bounce?

As the kingpin rises and falls, you'll be screwing the lower trunion into one (1) cap and out of the other; I believe there's a clearance spec in the book, but barring that, allowing about 1/12th of a turn (or half a flat) is a safe margin.

Now if you've already taken that into account, then forget I said anything :cheers:
 
actually i have not mounted anything yet. i was trying to plan ahead a little and make sure before i did any mounting. this was the one thing that did not seem to have a clear direction.

well that and i was checking my shocks today for their motion. the PO had purchased what i assume are rebuilt shocks for the car. they both seem to go thru the full motion smoothly with a consistent drag. however the one when i lift it up, will come back down itself. the other stays up. the old shocks that were on the car both stay up. So i wondered about oil in the shock. i pulled the fill plugs on both, plus the old ones and could not see oil in either one. my question is how do you know if you have enough oil in them? should there be oil up to the plug? can't seem to find that in my manual. if you have consistant smooth drag, do you assume you have enough oil? and should the one shock go back down on it's own? keep in mind these shocks are all just sitting on the bench not connected to anything.

Thanks
 
Shock oil needs some head space for expansion; only fill them to about 1/4" or so below the bottom of the threads of the filler hole. I use the little wooden coffee stirrers you can, uh, appropriate at Starbucks or other kiosks as dipsticks (it's difficult to check the level when the shocks are installed).

If they feel right when topped up, and don't appear to be leaking then you're probably OK; if any doubt send to World Wide Auto Parts (https://www.nosimport.com/) for rebuilding. The owner, Peter Caldwell, is an acknowledged expert. If you're not sure if they're working correctly talk to Peter.
 
thanks for the info. they sure feel fine. have not seen any leaks but then they have not been used yet either. So i will check the fluid and then try them out. hope to get the front end in this week.
 
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