Re-torque for safety!!!

[hdgapeach]

Little intro here: If you've read the under my "hdgapeach" in my few replies, you probably noticed I reversed my PO installed reverse shackle front end set up. That entailed cutting the buggered up welds that held all the spring and shackle hangers on the frame and replacing them with new hangers mounted in their stock location. I installed everything with new grade 8 hardware and no welds as of today (might add some after today!).

Now to the reason for the post: A few days ago I noticed a popping noise coming from the right front when I would turn into the drive way or make a turn at an intersection. Put CJ in the shop yesterday evening to have it ready to troubleshoot today after work. I got the significant other to turn the wheel while I looked at everything on the front end. Noticed the steering box bolts needed tightening (again!) so I gathered up an assortment of sizes sockets and wrenches and figured I might as well check all the "new" bolts. What I found was very surprising. There wasn't a single nut or bolt on the front end suspension and steering box mounting brackets that didn't tighten at least a half turn (half or more needed way more than half a turn)! I ended up re-torqueing every axle U-bolt, all shackle hanger bolts, all steering gear box bolts, bumper bolts (front & rear), etc. You name it. If I could get a wrench on it, it got tightened.

Save your own life tip for the day - If you replace any suspension or steering component, after about 1,000 miles go back and re-torque all fastening hardware!

 

[Old Dog]

Glad you caught it before something bad happened.
When dealing with suspension parts I always re-torque after a short drive (like 5 miles or so) and than a couple more times every 50 miles or so till they hold their torque. Sometimes it takes 3 or 4 times.

 

[Barry2]

Very good advice!

 

[BlackOmega]

Re-torquing everything is always a good idea, however, there are a few things you could do to prevent this in the first place.

1. Loc-Tite. A lot of people shy away from this product because they think it will seize everything together and make removal difficult. This is not the case.
There are a few different kinds of Loc-tite, so it's imperative that you use the right one.
The two most common ones are Blue and Red.
Blue is the stuff you want to use on suspension and other things that don't get hot.
Red is the high temp stuff that you'd want to use on things like exhaust.

2. Spring washers. Sometimes referred to as lock washers. These help prevent the nuts from loosening.

3. Lock nuts or nylon locking nuts. Yes, they're more expensive, but definitely worth it. I have never had one of these style nuts loosen.
Note: The nylon ones can wear out if reused.

But definitely good advice.

 

[thescot]

Wondered about 271 red and heat. I used 271 on a exhaust application and it came undone we'll say. Upon inspection the parts were clean as a whistle void of the crusty residual typically seen after use.

 

[BlackOmega]

Wondered about 271 red and heat. I used 271 on a exhaust application and it came undone we'll say. Upon inspection the parts were clean as a whistle void of the crusty residual typically seen after use.

Did you let it cure before running? Some of the threadlockers require a full day to cure.
But then again, exhaust temperatures, especially the manifold, can well exceed the heat required to loosen the 271 stuff. It only takes 500*F to re-liquify the 271. Depending on how hard you run it, it's not at all uncommon to see temps well exceeding 500*F.

If you have problems with hedder/manifold bolts loosening, then you may need a physical lock. There are some fasteners that come with C or E clips that you put on after tightening to make sure the bolt doesn't back out. Had to use these on a mustang a few times.

 

[hdgapeach]

Re-torquing everything is always a good idea, however, there are a few things you could do to prevent this in the first place.

1. Loc-Tite. A lot of people shy away from this product because they think it will seize everything together and make removal difficult. This is not the case.
There are a few different kinds of Loc-tite, so it's imperative that you use the right one.
The two most common ones are Blue and Red.
Blue is the stuff you want to use on suspension and other things that don't get hot.
Red is the high temp stuff that you'd want to use on things like exhaust.

2. Spring washers. Sometimes referred to as lock washers. These help prevent the nuts from loosening.

3. Lock nuts or nylon locking nuts. Yes, they're more expensive, but definitely worth it. I have never had one of these style nuts loosen.
Note: The nylon ones can wear out if reused.

But definitely good advice.

Good list of options to choose from. I used the spring washers on all the fasteners. What I'm hoping is that the looseness is the result of everything settling into place after initial installation. I'll know in a week or two when I go through all of them again to double check. If I find any of them needing snugging down again, I'll remove them one at a time, replace with new lock washers and add the Loc-tite. I'm satisfied with the ride now as well as the general outcome of reversing the shackle reverse setup. I'm comfortable with locking 'em down for good if they need it. I purposely didn't use Loc-tite during the initial install in case I didn't like the results and wanted to remove everything and start over. For once in my life, I seemed to get it right the first time!

 

[jdarg]

I find I'm my own worst enemy on stuff like this, esp. multi-day jobs with weeks in between. "Oops, forgot I only hand-tightened that yoke nut while it was on the bench." Then you drop it for a week until you get impatient to take it for a spin, lol.

 

[hdgapeach]

I find I'm my own worst enemy on stuff like this, esp. multi-day jobs with weeks in between. "Oops, forgot I only hand-tightened that yoke nut while it was on the bench." Then you drop it for a week until you get impatient to take it for a spin, lol.

Hit the nail on the head! 'Bout 4 hours of real work stretched out over a couple of weeks and this is what I get......
As usual, my stuff gets pushed to the back burner so I can jump on everyone else's everything else.