I'm installing 1973 front suspension on my 69 Dart and have a couple questions regarding torque specs. Since all of the parts I am using are 73 era, I've been going by the specs. from the 73 service manual. The manual calls for 160 ft. lbs. of torque on the lower ball joint to spindle nuts/bolts. But, my 69 service manual lists the torque as 100 ft.lbs. Does anyone know what the reason is for the difference? And second, my torque wrench only goes up to 150 ft. lbs. Will the 10 ft. lbs. less be something to worry about?
Torque specs depend on the bolt size, bolt material and material it is being threaded into. When in doubt on which specs to use just measure the bolt and look it up on the chart. There is usually a chart in the service manual. It sounds like you're getting confused by looking at different manuals rather than focusing on the parts that you have. The bolts holding the knuckle to the lower balljoint are probably 5/8 thread and something in the 150 ft-lb range would be correct depending on what they are screwing into.
