Greasing UCA Bushings / Tight Clearance

[mattr]

Was about to grease my UCA bushings (TC UCAs) on the weekend and realized before backing off the nut on the through bolt that I wouldn't have clearance for a torque wrench to re-torque things when I was done. It looks like there is a hard line in the way, unsure if it is maybe for the AC, or perhaps a hydraulic line.

Would the best course of action here to be removing the bracket bolt on the hard line and moving it carefully? There doesn't seem to be much flex in it and it worries me a bit I might bust something.

Alternatively, should I pick up a 19mm crowfoot and use that attached to my torque wrench? I assume I'll need to drop the torque about 5-10ft/lbs to compensate for effectively adding length to the wrench. Also can't seem to find a 1/2 drive 3/4 (19mm), they all seem to be 3/8 @ 3/4 which means another adapter is needed since the torque spec is higher than most 3/8 torque wrenches.

I love it when jobs that are supposed to be simple get blocked. Total Chaos make it seem to easy on their fake suspension demonstration stand with nothing in the way.

 

[TOTAL CHAOS]

Was about to grease my UCA bushings (TC UCAs) on the weekend and realized before backing off the nut on the through bolt that I wouldn't have clearance for a torque wrench to re-torque things when I was done. It looks like there is a hard line in the way, unsure if it is maybe for the AC, or perhaps a hydraulic line.

Would the best course of action here to be removing the bracket bolt on the hard line and moving it carefully? There doesn't seem to be much flex in it and it worries me a bit I might bust something.

Alternatively, should I pick up a 19mm crowfoot and use that attached to my torque wrench? I assume I'll need to drop the torque about 5-10ft/lbs to compensate for effectively adding length to the wrench. Also can't seem to find a 1/2 drive 3/4 (19mm), they all seem to be 3/8 @ 3/4 which means another adapter is needed since the torque spec is higher than most 3/8 torque wrenches.

I love it when jobs that are supposed to be simple get blocked. Total Chaos make it seem to easy on their fake suspension demonstration stand with nothing in the way.

You should be able to remove the bolt on the bracket and move the hard line out of the way. On some applications, the line can be a little close. Move it slowly but don't force it out of the way.

Let us know if this works for you or if you have any questions

TOTAL CHAOS
TOTAL CHAOS FABRICATION

 

[Jetboy]

You could also just put a socket in your vise. Set the torque wrench for the value and get a pretty good feel for how tight it needs to be. Then use a similar length wrench on the nut and get pretty close by feel. That's how most people would likely do it.

There is such a thing as an open end torque wrench, but I've never actually used one.

 

[TrkyMfns]

Just unbolt the small (10-12mm) bolt from the hard line. It moves out of the way enough to not be a problem with a 1/2 torque wrench and standard sized socket. It's easier to do with the wheel off.

 

[mattr]

Just an update - was able to unbolt the 12mm and get a torque wrench in there okay and get everything greased up in the end - was still a little tight, only had issues on the driver side, passenger side had a tiny bit more clearance so it was a bit quicker.

 

[yotanut]

Just unbolt the small (10-12mm) bolt from the hard line. It moves out of the way enough to not be a problem with a 1/2 torque wrench and standard sized socket. It's easier to do with the wheel off.

It is recommended to re-torque the bolt with weight on the tire. So this would not be ideal. I just did this, and it is not too difficult to do this with the tire still on.

 

[TrkyMfns]

It is recommended to re-torque the bolt with weight on the tire. So this would not be ideal. I just did this, and it is not too difficult to do this with the tire still on.

According to SPC, due to the axial design of the bushings, it is not necessary to torque them with weight on them since they do not bind. The OEM UCA's, on the other hand, are an entirely different story.


Edit: Adding documentation for reference.

Torque long arm-to-frame bolt to manufacturer’s specification.NOTE: Unlike OE rubber bushings, xAxis™ bushings pivot freely, and may be fully torqued without placing any weight on suspension

https://www.spcalignment.com/instructions/25480-INS_WEB.pdf