'90 244 DL

Well, I almost finished installing the struts last night, after a client loaned me a 7 mm allen wrench to finish tightening the top nuts on the Bilstein Tourings. (Oh, drat, in thinking about it, I still have to go back out and finish tightening the gland nuts. Pooh! The wheels are coming off again!)

The torque spec for the top nut is supposed to be 15 lbs - is a torque wrench going to accurately measure the torque when the whole mechanism is acting like a spring against it? (I don't have access to a Lisle special tool, or anything similar.) Or should I have my shop check the final torque when Junior gets his front end aligned?

Also, from thread: http://www.brickboard.com/RWD/new_post_form.htm?id=1161391#REPLY

"...Came back several hours later, and he bounced like a good strut (came
back up, no extra), but with an awful scratchy creaking sound both going
down and coming back up...Or is there an easy way to eliminate the awful
sound - I'm sound sensitive, and this would drive me postal..."

When I replaced the crossmember, I pulled an intact member from the yard, which included the control arms and bushing mounts. I originally installed it and torqued everything while Junior was on jack stands.

In the process of replacing the struts, I had to remove the bolts for the rear bushing mount. When I went to torque everything up again, I discovered a little passage in Bentley that I had missed, which was reinforced by DougC's post (http://www.brickboard.com/RWD/index.htm?id=1158968) in the longer Replacing Struts - A few lessons thread (http://www.brickboard.com/RWD/index.htm?id=1153671&show_all=1).

This time around, after installing the rear bushing mounts, I just hand-tightened the bolts, and after putting the car on the ground, bounced Junior around a bunch, and then torqued the nuts to 30 ft lbs.

Junior is now quiet as a mouse, which has reduced the probability of me going postal on him to zero (for that sound, anyway!)

Well, after I tighten the gland nuts and reinstall the inside of the doors, Junior is getting towed for his fuel lines, front end alignment, and inspection.

Thanks to all who've contributed so far!

I think I can, I think I can, I think I can get Junior on the road!
ezsha

--
'84 244, Peter, never drove. Robbed to fix Paul, '86 244 - drove for 2 years; holey saint now, passing parts to Paul Jr, '90 244, yet to drive. Friends w/ '90 245, jokingly aka Mary, (pregnant sedan & completes PPM trilogy). Daughter to unnamed '90 745.