TR2/3/3A rear shock arms and links

[sp53]

This could be a dumb question, but on the rear shock arms and links, should the car be sitting down on the ground when the bolt that holds the link to the shock arm is tightened to get the geometry correct?

 

[Alfred E. Neuman]

I always have the suspension at ride height when I tighten anything that isn't a free spinning ball joint. IIRC, one end of the link is a ball joint and one is a bushing?
If I'm at the shop, I use a jack stand like so:

If it's on jack stands in the driveway, I'll use a regular floor jack and put move the suspension to ride height and tighten away.

 

[sp53]

Yeh I hear you, and I never did tighten them down with the car on the ground-- never really gave it a thought; then I got thinking about how on some of those links the bushing wears out like something is bushing it in the wrong direction. Then I thought about the ball on the bottom and thought it does not matter they will self- align, but then again I could not wrap my mind around it, so I thought I would ask and perhaps sound duh.

 

[CJD]

I tighten as closely to ride height as I can.

 

[Sarastro]

Like suspension bushings, the shock links have rubber inserts that flex to allow movement. If you tighten them while the suspension is not in its normal position, they will be under stress when you put the car back in its normal position. Then, those stressed joints will wear out much faster.