SUSPENSION GOT ME BEAT.

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nodemon

nodemon

FABO Gold Member
FABO Gold Member
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Ok, I ask a lot of questions on this site..ask for a lot of help. To quite a few of you, some of my questions I'm sure, are annoying. I should / could research more...live and learn...etc. I think I've done pretty good at doing my first project...of course that's relative to what someone thinks is "good". I was a complete green horn doing a project car, but I've trudged ahead, mistakes and all. It's changed direction many times, mainly because of skill limitations as well as cash restrictions. I wholeheartedly believed I'd have been enjoying this "thing" by now...cruising around this town in my finished project 72 Demon... the same town I use to cruise around in when I was 16, back in 1984, in my first 72 Demon.
Well, after 3 1/2 years, I still haven't even started the car, let alone drive it and I'm starting to get impatient..lol It's a race of sorts now...a race I want to win. A race against my health. A race against the ability to not only finish, but to enjoy, if even only for a "season".
So, I'm again asking for help with maybe another dumb question..
I'd like to know if there is a specific order to putting a front suspension back together. I have the drivers side torn out and ready to reinstall everything... Is there a step by step tutorial somewhere.. ? I can't find one if there is. I have a service manual, but it really only gives instruction on specific jobs, not a complete, straight forward teardown and install from scratch.
With new bushing everywhere, I can already tell it's going to be a little more difficult fitting together.

Thanks in advance..!
 
Check out YouTube even though you have an A Body B bodies have the same front ends. Also if you can find a service manual it will have procedures and torque valves . Best of luck and remember that these things take time!
 
junkyardhero said:
how tore out are we talking? just the K is in there?

or do you have the lower, t-bar and strut fitted?
Click to expand...
Upper and lower arms out..sway bar out..torsion bar out..strut rod out. Pitman off.. I'm doing one side at at time.
 
nodemon said:
Upper and lower arms out..sway bar out..torsion bar out..strut rod out. Pitman off.. I'm doing one side at at time.
Click to expand...

Factory control arms and strut rods? Rubber or poly bushings?
 
so, this might not be how everybody else does it...

i'd put the pitman on first, because it's right there and you can see it, line it up, etc. don't need to torque it, just finger tight jimmy that on.

then i'd pop the struts in and slide the lower arms into K and onto the struts, and same thing just run the fasteners on finger tight to hold everybody together. then i'd slide in the t-bars, no tension on the adjuster, just everything in place. then hang the UCA in place.

then i'd put the spindle on. here, you have some choices, you can put the lower ball joint on and attach the spindle to the lower arm or you can put the ball joint onto the arm and then attach the spindle, or you can attache the spindle to the upper first, then go about doing the lower.

i usually put the joint on the lower arm, then attach the spinde to the upper, then just lower it down and line it up and stab the bolts in for the spindle to lower joint.

i like to do all the steering stuff last. and finally the shocks. before installing the brake calipers/rotors.

remember that the strut rod and lower control arm have to go in concurrently, so if you have the rods on the k then you can line up the arm and stab that and the pin at the same time. do not forget the bushing, or you get to do it all over again.

it is imperative that you only torque the lower control arm pin nuts once the car is at ride height, otherwise you'll damage the bushings.

i'm assuming that the components are all rebuilt here and you're just assembling?
 
junkyardhero said:
so, this might not be how everybody else does it...

i'd put the pitman on first, because it's right there and you can see it, line it up, etc. don't need to torque it, just finger tight jimmy that on.

then i'd pop the struts in and slide the lower arms into K and onto the struts, and same thing just run the fasteners on finger tight to hold everybody together. then i'd slide in the t-bars, no tension on the adjuster, just everything in place. then hang the UCA in place.

then i'd put the spindle on. here, you have some choices, you can put the lower ball joint on and attach the spindle to the lower arm or you can put the ball joint onto the arm and then attach the spindle, or you can attache the spindle to the upper first, then go about doing the lower.

i usually put the joint on the lower arm, then attach the spinde to the upper, then just lower it down and line it up and stab the bolts in for the spindle to lower joint.

i like to do all the steering stuff last. and finally the shocks. before installing the brake calipers/rotors.

remember that the strut rod and lower control arm have to go in concurrently, so if you have the rods on the k then you can line up the arm and stab that and the pin at the same time. do not forget the bushing, or you get to do it all over again.

it is imperative that you only torque the lower control arm pin nuts once the car is at ride height, otherwise you'll damage the bushings.

i'm assuming that the components are all rebuilt here and you're just assembling?
Click to expand...
Very cool of you to take the time to write all that...much appreciated..!!
I did find a YouTube vid of a 73 Dart suspension job that looks like it'll be helpful..
 
nodemon said:
Very cool of you to take the time to write all that...much appreciated..!!
I did find a YouTube vid of a 73 Dart suspension job that looks like it'll be helpful..
Click to expand...
shoot man, if you were local i'd come over and help you bang it out. or at least drink all your beer and tell you why you're doing it wrong.

watch a few vids. re-read the FSM and think about approaching it from an assembly or repair standpoint and how each component works within the system. sometimes that can help.

don't get frustrated if you have to take it all apart and do it again, we all have at some point.

go slow, be methodical. torque everything to spec. don't forget the cotter pins. if you get stuck, ask questions.

oh, and the only real differences on the 73 dart from your 72: the strut rod bushings are different and more of a pain on the earlier cars, the calipers bolt to the spindle on 72 and down, and to a caliper bracket for 73+. some of the tie rods/pitman/idler arm mounts are different loading from the top or bottom, pay special attention here and reference the FSM for the correct way.

it's physically demanding work, but it's also very straight forward once you figure it out.

oh, and don't forget the cotter pins.
 
junkyardhero said:
so, this might not be how everybody else does it...

i'd put the pitman on first, because it's right there and you can see it, line it up, etc. don't need to torque it, just finger tight jimmy that on.

then i'd pop the struts in and slide the lower arms into K and onto the struts, and same thing just run the fasteners on finger tight to hold everybody together. then i'd slide in the t-bars, no tension on the adjuster, just everything in place. then hang the UCA in place.

then i'd put the spindle on. here, you have some choices, you can put the lower ball joint on and attach the spindle to the lower arm or you can put the ball joint onto the arm and then attach the spindle, or you can attache the spindle to the upper first, then go about doing the lower.

i usually put the joint on the lower arm, then attach the spinde to the upper, then just lower it down and line it up and stab the bolts in for the spindle to lower joint.

i like to do all the steering stuff last. and finally the shocks. before installing the brake calipers/rotors.

remember that the strut rod and lower control arm have to go in concurrently, so if you have the rods on the k then you can line up the arm and stab that and the pin at the same time. do not forget the bushing, or you get to do it all over again.

it is imperative that you only torque the lower control arm pin nuts once the car is at ride height, otherwise you'll damage the bushings.

i'm assuming that the components are all rebuilt here and you're just assembling?
Click to expand...
.......And don't install your center link backwards. Here's a pic posted by @dadsbee . The drivers side of the center link has a slightly longer "flat" section.

1719055568227.jpeg
 
Yes, it can be challenging at times, but after doing it about a dozen times, I'm probably unable to explain how it's done. A decent shop manual or 2, I have a 65 and 69 from before YouTube, Google is an excellent source. Usually when I'm ready to do a project I hit the little magnifying glass in the top right corner and thru osmosis, ingenuity, combined with the trial and error of other members it usually results in a positive outcome. The most important thing is to remember is that "patience is a virtue", because once I try to rush,
that is when it goes wrong.
 
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