Torque Setting???? Steering arm . . .

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Mar 18, 2009 | 11:14 PM

redman76

Thread Starter

Melting Slicks

Joined: May 2006

Posts: 2,590

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From: Nashville TN

St. Jude Donor '09

Torque Setting???? Steering arm . . .

I have looked through all my manuals -- Haynes, Chilton's, AIM -- but none of them tell me what to torque these bolts to . . . I'm ready to get everything back together. Please look at the pic below where I have marked bolts in red.

I have another thread called My Winter Project - Rear Suspension Rebuild to see addtional pics and to see what I'm doing.

Mar 19, 2009 | 12:32 AM

TheSkunkWorks

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Joined: Apr 2007

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From: Graceland in a Not Correctly Restored Stingray

Same question came up the other day. Haven't seen any values for these particular bolts. Given nothing better to go by, perhaps this reference will suffice.

http://www.engineershandbook.com/Tables/torque.htm

TSW

Mar 19, 2009 | 08:17 AM

Jim Shea

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From: Saginaw Michigan

Are there nuts behind those three bolts? Your thread title indicates that they are steering arm bolts.

Under Front Suspension in both the 1971 Chevrolet Overhaul Manual and the 1971 Chevrolet Chassis Service Manual is a catagory called Front Suspension, Section 3, Bolt Torques, Steering Arm Nuts - Corvette 70 ft-lbs.

But in a 1968 Chevrolet Service Manual again under Front Suspension, Section 3, Bolt Torques there is a catagory called Steering Arm Attaching Nuts. There are torque listings for all other Chevrolet passenger cars but nothing for Corvette.

The reason that the AIM does not show those fasteners is because those front wheel/brake/suspension parts were shipped into the St. Louis or Bowling Green Assembly Plants as complete assemblies. So the torque specs to subassemble the parts were not required at the assembly plant(s).

The Chassis Service and Overhaul manuals should break down the subassemblies in a clearer manner.

I don't have a 1976 Service or Overhaul manual. It is possible that the steering arm attachment might be called out differently in a newer Chevrolet manual.

Jim

Last edited by Jim Shea; Mar 19, 2009 at 08:26 AM.

Mar 19, 2009 | 08:43 AM

GTR1999

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From: Connecticut, USA

I set the upper to 120 ft/lb and the 1/2-20's to 95-100 ft/lb. The earlier cars used 7/16 lower bolts so those I set to 65 ft/lb

Mar 19, 2009 | 10:34 AM

redman76

Thread Starter

Melting Slicks

Joined: May 2006

Posts: 2,590

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From: Nashville TN

St. Jude Donor '09

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheSkunkWorks

TSW

Thanks, my Chilton's had a similar chart, but it only covered up to Grade 5 and these are Grade 8 bolts. I've saved this link for future reference . . . I know this is going to come up again for me.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jim Shea

Are there nuts behind those three bolts? Your thread title indicates that they are steering arm bolts.

Jim

Jim, there are nuts behind those bolts and they are Grade 8 1/2-20 (lower two bolts). I think that is called the steering arm or steering knuckle, but they may be part of the problem, I'm not sure what some of this stuff is called. That is interesting about the AIM and wheel assemblies. It seems like half the time I can't find that one diagram or piece of info I need in the AIM which really frustrates me. Sure it will tell me how to attach the rubber CA bumper, but not something as insignificant as a steering bolt.

I'll look into getting a Chassis Service Manual.

Quote:

Originally Posted by GTR1999

I set the upper to 120 ft/lb and the 1/2-20's to 95-100 ft/lb. The earlier cars used 7/16 lower bolts so those I set to 65 ft/lb

Thanks Gary . . . time to break out the torque wrench.

Thanks for all the info guys, I'd be lost without y'all.

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