Rear spring hanger bolt
In trying to reconnect the rear spring ends to the hanger bolt from the trailing arm, how much misalignment should be expected with that bolt? The spring is original 9 leaf and I did not tighten the four mounting bolts to the differential completely. So far I have been able to get one side up with rubber cushion, retainer, and put the nut on. To accomplish this, I had to really pull the hanger bolt severely to meet the end of the spring. I realize the t-arm is hanging and when weighted will rotate to make the alignment better. However, when installing the spring, I'm more concerned about getting the bolt on to secure the spring end. As is, the hanger bolt head is only showing about half when looking thru the hole from the top of the T-arm. I can get the small plate inserted into the T-arm to mount the rear stabilizer bracket to which would cover the bolt head. Does that bolt pivot/slide around underneath the small plate by design? Should I not worry about how the hanger bolt is hanging at this point as long as I get get the spring ends connected to each side until the remainder of the weight is added? Or is there something I'm missing in this process. BTW, everything in the rear suspension is back on but nothing has been torqued.
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Re: Rear spring hanger bolt
Tom:
I just did this job recently. I also found that I had to push/pull a bit on the trailing arm to spring bolt(s) to get everything aligned and get the nut(s) on. I noticed that the raised bottom portion of the rubber cushions also did not center up perfectly on/in the metal retaining cups due to the bolt being at a slight angle.
What I did was use a VERY SMALL amount of silicone di-electric grease on the bottom of the rubber cushions that center/insert into the metal retaining cups. This made a big difference for me and helped everything align better.
But as Mike Ward stated above, once you put the car on the ground, everything will line up much better.
I kept the bolts loose until the car weight was back on the wheels/tires. Then I added 15 gallons of gas to the tank, and some additional weight to the inside rear to get the correct ride height and strut rod/suspension dimensions shown in the AIM. Then I went back and tighted all the nuts and bolts to spec (or near spec).
I did not tighten the four spring mounting bolts to the torque value in the AIM, but used 30 lb-ft instead. Afraid of cracking the rear cover. I also tightened the trailing arm front mounting/pivot bolt to around 30 lb-ft, as it just didn't "feel right" to me when trying to go above this value.....although all of the shims were packed very tight in the frame cavity around the trailing arm. I'm always a little bit concerned with putting full torque on castle nuts, since they only have about 1/2 of the available threads of a regular nut. But you can make your own decision here on what is best for you.
LarryComment
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Re: Rear spring hanger bolt
Thanks guys for the replies. I did end up adding a little grease to the cushions because they were not centering up very well. I also used a rachet strap on the end of the leaf spring and pulled it forward towards the center frame cross member while jacking the spring. It helped a bit with the hanger bolt. With both ends bolted up now, it looks a little better and I'm sure adding weight as I finish will make it fine.Comment
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Re: Rear spring hanger bolt
I felt the same way,but was able to torque mine to specs. With the car on the ground. I would hate for anything to come loose.
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