Front end Fun!

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Ironracer

Ironracer

Gearhead
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Okay so I just put new lower control arm bushings and pins in the 74 Duster. Also used the old (not available) moog strut bushings. Used 1 each side moog offset upper control arm bushing. Have 2 more. Are they needed? Seems the the lower ball joint is way in front of the upper. The car had a leaf added. Shes lifted. Had to use longer rear shocks. The question is this, can I drive the car from my carport, back it out, turn it, drive it up on the grass, drive across the lawn and park it on a flat slab to set my ride height and then torque everything down? I left the LCA's finger tight, and just snugged up the struts. I know you got to roll these things around to get things settled. Driveway is slanted like a leftist. So if I jack it up, shove a bunch of blocks/ plywood, shims,ect, underneath the passenger side, front and back to get her, level and all that Madness, then I just have to let it back down, roll it back and forth, and then Jack it up, and play with all the blocks of wood again. It it safe to drive her? Thank You!
 
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Yes, driving it a little will help settle the suspension. You can tighten the LCA pivot nuts / strut nuts a little bit so they don’t back off while your lawn mowing. :lol:
Don’t torque until you bounced it from mowing and are on a flat pad. It’s a good idea to jack the car up a little bit to remove some weight off the LCA when adjusting the ride height bolts..
 
Scody21 said:
Yes, driving it a little will help settle the suspension. You can tighten the LCA pivot nuts / strut nuts a little bit so they don’t back off while your lawn mowing. :lol:
Don’t torque until you bounced it from mowing...
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Well,....now.... ( best Uncle Jesse voice)I was just gonna idle/ creep it on over there riding the brakes.... wasn't planning on " Cutting the Grass!" Just yet. We actually had the alignment pretty close before I started this procedure I haven't touched the tie rod ends or the uppers during this. Man, the tires are all jacked up today... turned in here,leaning out there... lol
 
Scody21 said:
Yes, driving it a little will help settle the suspension. You can tighten the LCA pivot nuts / strut nuts a little bit so they don’t back off while your lawn mowing. :lol:
Don’t torque until you bounced it from mowing and are on a flat pad. It’s a good idea to jack the car up a little bit to remove some weight off the LCA when adjusting the ride height bolts..
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I'm hoping i didn't tighten them up to much already. No resistance with a 1/2" ratchet on struts, finger on lcas
 
Scody21 said:
You’ll be fine.
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Thank You for easing my worried mind. Lol never had to drive 1/2 done before. And being how good material is hard to locate, prices are nuts, coupled with the fact that I'm getting older, I've become really freaking looney I think. Well I know, I think....I think I know... I dunno... lol. Cool deal! Thank You
 
Ironracer said:
Used 1 each side moog offset upper control arm bushing. Have 2 more. Are they needed?
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I guess if you don't get enough caster/ camber adust you can add the second one. They were intended 2 per upper arm

moog7103installinstructions-jpg.jpg
 
67Dart273 said:
I guess if you don't get enough caster/ camber adust you can add the second one. They were intended 2 per upper arm

View attachment 1715772787
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That's what I'm thinking, except I'm only going to have one shot, once its at the alignment shop, and I doubt they'll let me bust out my homemade tool, zip one in, and zip one out, while Its sitting there on their rack, unless I can pull it back off, and make an adjustment after they look at it... they're not really that cool up there.. the Man at Fred Cox retired and sold the business to Russian auto guys.... they don't know ****, even though the old alignment pit is still there. He was the go-to guy...
 
It'll be fine to drive it that short a distance.
 
Ironracer said:
Thank You Rob! Whats your opinion on adding the offset bushings to the rear of the uppers? I bought those things months ago, so they are here.
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I would do it. You want to install them so them make the control arm shorter in the rear and longer in the front. That shifts the upper ball joint further back for more caster. Since you've lifter it in the rear, that will cut down on caster, so you'll need all you can get.
 
RustyRatRod said:
I would do it. You want to install them so them make the control arm shorter in the rear and longer in the front. That shifts the upper ball joint further back for more caster. Since you've lifter it in the rear, that will cut down on caster, so you'll need all you can get.
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Copy that! For some reason I was having a lot of Camber issues on that car, but it's possible that the screwed up lower control arm bushings were causing that, maybe that's why I'm paranoid about changing the rear bushings up top? It seems like when I did just the front ones it brought the camber within reason, but after driving the car and bringing it back a few times, the front end was sitting way high, and the tires were kicked in... part of that is because my dumb *** cranked down on the sway bar to K mounts too much( I realized that when I broke the front end down) pulled the lock washers n put on the nylon lock nuts, made it where I can spin it by hand with ease, instead of fighting with it...
 
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