Re-torque those nuts & bolts folks!

[DarkBuddha]

Just a gentle reminder for folks to get under their cars and double check the chassis and suspension nuts & bolts, especially if you drive your car hard or often. I had the chance to do it today on my XR for the first time since running 3 or 4 auto-x/rally-x events (and weeks of daily driving) and found way too many were less that properly torqued. 30 minutes of checking and re-torquing showed that almost every major suspension connection needed some tightening, as did the wheel bearings. The result was that nearly all of the annoying creaks and rattles disappeared, the car tracked like a slot car, and the suspension seemed even more stable and predictable through turns.

The odd thing is that the car drove and handled fine. It wasn't gonna fall of the road or suddenly lose a wheel... it just needed a bit of attention to bring it back up to snuff.

So get out there and double check that stuff... nuts, bolts, bearings, endlinks, ball joints, axles, etc. It's worth the hour (if that) it'll take.

[shmoov69]

Thanks for the reminder. I pulled my TQ arm off to paint it last fall after going to the MMCC (AND the dragstrip a bunch!) and lots of miles on the street only to find the top rod end on the thing extremely egg shaped and about ready to break off! Thank GOD I did that rather than loose it while ripping it somewhere! I have nylocks on all of it, so nothing was loose, but was about to be BAD none the less!

[DarkBuddha]

Bump for the reminder.

[BonzoHansen]

My 77 goes in the air every spring and every thing is checked. Snap, spring is almost here. :)

[DarkBuddha]

Bump for the reminder. It's spring folks... torque those suspension and brake bits before hitting the track. And do it again after.

[David Pozzi]

On a first gen Camaro, check the subframe to unibody bolts,'& the upper A arm bolts where the shims are. It wouldn't hurt to check the trans mount & crossmember.
David

[Vegas69]

I get under there about twice a year and check nearly everything from bumper to bumper. It's also smart to check engine bolts and even trim screws. These babies vibrate similar to a harley when you race them. Lot's of loctite and lock washers and regular bolt checks.