Confused over correct suspension reinstall.

[LovetheA's]

So as I always do I read through the postings to see if my question has been answered. I have what appears to be conflicting answers so I wanted to clarify once and for all. Here are my questions?
With polyurethane bushings as OEM rubber do you snug up all the lower weight supporting suspension areas, LCA pivot bushings, torsion bar tension adjuster, strut rods, etc.
Then when the car is set on level ground with weight on the suspension torque everything to spec?
What grease is correct to lubricate ball joints, LCA's, upper ball joints if you have polyurethane not rubber? I've read that petroleum based like white lithium grease or high heat grease will attack rubber and poly bushings. Do I use disc brake synthetic grease on everything?
I called PST to ask them and they said white lithium grease but I don't know if I specified rubber or poly? What lubricant do they include in this little packs with the new parts?
Do you grease up all bushings/pivot points with appropriate lubricant through grease fitting until Oozes out of bushings before installing?
When installing torsion bars right side on bar means the right side if you were sitting in car not looking at it? When you set the bar in before tightening does the dividing line at end of bar have to be in any direction horizontal, level with ground etc? Should the LCA roughly be parallel to ground or slightly angled downward to set properly for later suspension adjustability?
I just want to make sure I do things correct this is my first total suspension rebuild and the don't want to screw anything up.
I really enjoy learning and doing things myself at least I know I don't have to rely on a shop that could care less about my car!
Carl

 

[72Dart6pack]

Everything is referenced from the driver's seat

 

[72Dart6pack]

Did mine a few months ago. I feel for you. Take your time. It's easy!

 

[mvh]

The grease supplied with poly bushings is silicone grease. It should be OK for rubber as well.

The torsion bars need to be on the correct side (L/R) but do not have to have any particular side “up”. It is a good idea to have the part number visible on the rear end for future reference. Yes, make sure the weight of the car is on the suspension before torquing anything with bushings.

The angle of the LCA is set by adjusting the ride height according to the factory service manual. There is no brief way to describe this process. It is an iterative process of adjust - measure - adjust.

 

[72bluNblu]

So as I always do I read through the postings to see if my question has been answered. I have what appears to be conflicting answers so I wanted to clarify once and for all. Here are my questions?
With polyurethane bushings as OEM rubber do you snug up all the lower weight supporting suspension areas, LCA pivot bushings, torsion bar tension adjuster, strut rods, etc.
Then when the car is set on level ground with weight on the suspension torque everything to spec?
What grease is correct to lubricate ball joints, LCA's, upper ball joints if you have polyurethane not rubber? I've read that petroleum based like white lithium grease or high heat grease will attack rubber and poly bushings. Do I use disc brake synthetic grease on everything?
I called PST to ask them and they said white lithium grease but I don't know if I specified rubber or poly? What lubricant do they include in this little packs with the new parts?
Do you grease up all bushings/pivot points with appropriate lubricant through grease fitting until Oozes out of bushings before installing?
When installing torsion bars right side on bar means the right side if you were sitting in car not looking at it? When you set the bar in before tightening does the dividing line at end of bar have to be in any direction horizontal, level with ground etc? Should the LCA roughly be parallel to ground or slightly angled downward to set properly for later suspension adjustability?
I just want to make sure I do things correct this is my first total suspension rebuild and the don't want to screw anything up.
I really enjoy learning and doing things myself at least I know I don't have to rely on a shop that could care less about my car!
Carl

In general, you want to tighten suspension parts and then fully torque them to spec with weight on the suspension if there are any bushings involved. There are exceptions, you do NOT want to tighten or loosen the torsion bar adjusting bolts with weight on the suspension, you can strip the threads on the adjuster. That can make the process of setting the ride height a little tedious, because once you lift the weight of the car off the suspension you also have to roll the car to settle it back down, "bouncing" the suspension doesn't do it. The other thing is that if you have poly LCA bushings that slide into the outer shells, you can torque the LCA pin nuts whenever you want. With slip in poly LCA bushings the bushing rotates on the pin, and so torquing the pin with the car in the air will do no damage whatsoever.

For poly bushings you need silicone based grease. That's what comes in the little packets -Prothane Super Grease 19-1750. Since I have a several cars with poly bushings, I bit the bullet and bought an extra grease gun and Hotchkis' super grease -Hotchkis Sport Suspension Super Grease 3101. One instance where the Hotchkis stuff is cheaper than others (Prothane is $45 for 14oz!!). I keep two grease guns, one with standard grease I use for ball joints and tie rod ends and one with the silicone grease for the poly bushings. I typically grease everything as I install it, so I don't forget to go back. If I'm doing the whole suspension I'll leave everything dry until I finish, and then my final inspection is to go around, torque everything, install cotter pins and grease everything.

For torsion bars, yes, right side =passenger, left side = driver. The cast marks on the bar don't need to be aligned with anything, it doesn't change the indexing. I install the bars with any left/right or casting numbers to the rear so I can see them, so if I encounter an issue later I can confirm I installed them correctly and reference the number. May sound silly but if you have an issue with ride height you can confirm you didn't screw it up without pulling the bars.

For installing the LCA onto the bar, you have to consider what size bar you're installing. For factory torsion bars you can use the factory procedure, let the bar hang down on the LCA pin, make sure you have the torsion bar adjuster and plate in place with the adjusting bolt just started and the lever close to the plate, and slide it onto the hex. That's with the factory torsion bar indexing and stock LCA's. Stock LCA's will hit the K-member before they hang down all that far if they're slid all the way onto the pin. For aftermarket torsion bars, especially larger diameter ones, that procedure may not work. The index on the hex ends is usually different for larger bars. So, typically, you will need the LCA to be close to the angle it will be at ride height rather than hanging all the way down. With 1.12" bars like I have installed, the LCA slides onto the bar when it's almost parallel with the ground, because there's almost no indexing at all. The most important part is, don't slide the LCA back off the LCA pin to let it hang down further to line up the hex end, and keep the adjusting lever close to the threaded plate/adjusting bolt because that rotates the socket. If you slide the LCA back to let it hang down further, or remove the plate so the adjusting lever can rotated lower, you're pretty much guaranteed to index the LCA incorrectly on the torsion bar.

If you have tubular LCA's, make sure you don't let them hang down too far when you do the installation. Because they're narrow, they don't stop on the K frame when they hang down. So, if you follow the factory procedure to the letter, which calls for letting the LCA hang all the way down, you can install the torsion bar with the LCA pointing almost straight down at the ground, and you'll never get the car down to a normal ride height.