Just received a new-to-me 66 Satellite and they have 235/70-15 tires mounted on it all around that are hitting the wheel lip trim when turning to lock. Front end is sitting to low anyway so jacked it up and planned to crank the torsion bars up a couple turns. Got under it and one adjuster was sitting about where you would expect in under the circumstances but the left side was completely bottomed out and it was sitting lower than the other side.
So, back the adjusters all the way out and pulled the left torsion bar out and measured diameter compared to the other - all good. Torsion bar with suspension hanging at full drop slides directly into the lower control arm and the cross member register easily - nothing seemed mis-clocked. Carefully screwed the adjusters in until they they just seated in the lug socket with the nut bar lightly touching the upper a-arm opening (the flat side) Then I screwed them further in until the nut bar lightly seated in the curved seat of the a-arm opening (both sides look about the same as far as bolt adjustment at this point) and then cranked in seven turns on both sides to pre-load and dropped the car back down. It's still too low but I have a fair amount of adjustment left on both sides so may be OK. But the left side is still sitting almost a full inch lower than the right side. Seems like a lot of difference after carefully preloading both sides the same number of adjuster turns. Am I wrong on this?
I should have examined everything closer before I backed the adjusters out - I'm thinking the bottomed side - they may have missed the socket in the a-arm lug completely and had the nut bar cocked in the opening. But no way of knowing now.
My understanding - as long as the front is in full droop on both sides and the bar clocks in the a-arm and the cross member without any lifting the a-arm up or anything - the torsion bars can't be mis-clocked or installed incorrectly. Is this correct or is their something I'm missing?
So, back the adjusters all the way out and pulled the left torsion bar out and measured diameter compared to the other - all good. Torsion bar with suspension hanging at full drop slides directly into the lower control arm and the cross member register easily - nothing seemed mis-clocked. Carefully screwed the adjusters in until they they just seated in the lug socket with the nut bar lightly touching the upper a-arm opening (the flat side) Then I screwed them further in until the nut bar lightly seated in the curved seat of the a-arm opening (both sides look about the same as far as bolt adjustment at this point) and then cranked in seven turns on both sides to pre-load and dropped the car back down. It's still too low but I have a fair amount of adjustment left on both sides so may be OK. But the left side is still sitting almost a full inch lower than the right side. Seems like a lot of difference after carefully preloading both sides the same number of adjuster turns. Am I wrong on this?
I should have examined everything closer before I backed the adjusters out - I'm thinking the bottomed side - they may have missed the socket in the a-arm lug completely and had the nut bar cocked in the opening. But no way of knowing now.
My understanding - as long as the front is in full droop on both sides and the bar clocks in the a-arm and the cross member without any lifting the a-arm up or anything - the torsion bars can't be mis-clocked or installed incorrectly. Is this correct or is their something I'm missing?