c1 Front Suspension Torque Specs

[John L.]

I am in the process of assembling the front suspension on my 1954 and needed a little help here on a couple torque settings. Having trouble pinning down the torque setting for the following....

1) Lower control rod shaft bolts that hold the shaft to the front crossmember.
2) Third arm assembly that bolts to the front crossmember - 4 bolts


What torque specs I have found for the front end bushings are:
Lower inner bushings at 85-100
Lower outer bushings - pivot bolt at 100-200
pivot nut at 90-120
Upper inner bushing at 30-40
Upper outer bushing at 30-40
Stabilizer bracket to frame at 17-22

Lastly - regarding the metal wedge plates that can be ordered to go between the frame and the front crossmember to help with alignment found on the later models .... is this a good idea to install a set?
Thanks for your help!
John

[Guy M.]

Re: c1 Front Suspension Torque Specs

the wedge plates wont work with the original 3rd arm. Will make it hit the frame, I had to take them out.

[Dennis C.]

Re: c1 Front Suspension Torque Specs

John,

Check the archives for post by Tom Parson's. He is the resident expert and has fully explained what you need to know.

Regards!

Dennis

[John L.]

Re: c1 Front Suspension Torque Specs

Thanks for the information - will follow up with Tom Parson.

Guy - It seems you on well underway with a 1954 rebuild. I was curious about your comment regarding the alignment wedges (the 2"x6" plates available through CC) that you mention will be a problem if installed. Rebuilder beware I guess. I thought this was just a simple add-on improvement but certainly not looking to replace the 3rd arm to make this work.
John

[Guy M.]

Re: c1 Front Suspension Torque Specs

Yeah John, my chasis is complete and ready to fire up. I put those in and had to take them out due to the 3rd arm hitting the mounting bolts on the frame. That sucks because I really wanted to improve the steering. Oh well. I heard they could be used on 54s but not without swaping out that arm which I didnt want to do. Cut expenses when I can!

[Tom P.]

Re: c1 Front Suspension Torque Specs

Yeah John, my chasis is complete and ready to fire up. I put those in and had to take them out due to the 3rd arm hitting the mounting bolts on the frame. That sucks because I really wanted to improve the steering. Oh well. I heard they could be used on 54s but not without swaping out that arm which I didnt want to do. Cut expenses when I can!

You CAN keep the original arm, AND use the shims. NOT NCRS correct, buuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuut, it's an option.
Where the center steering arm bracket bolts to the front cross member, you can SHIM (use washers and longer bolts) as needed between the FRONT of the bracket and the cross member. This will change the angle of the steering arm for clearance.
Once you have determined the required thickness of shims by using washers, then, with a little American ingenuity, you can fabricate a very nice, shaped, one-piece shim that looks as if it was manufactured by GM.