So, I've been working a lot. Because of that my LCA replacement has taken two weeks; but, I'm just about done. yay. But, hit the point of tightening down nuts onto camber botls and it is a bear. A monstrous bear of tiny, rage-inducing proportions.

Deal is that nut wont easily thread onto bolt. In fact, it just won't. In my case I dont care a bit about alignment, I just want the stuff tightened enough, and non-cantiwampus enough to drive 0.25 miles for good alignment--which is the whole point of swapping in the new LCAs. However, I can't get the nut far enough down the cam bolt to even deal with the rest of the front end. There is major resistance to any further tightening and it "feels wrong." It "feels" like cross threading but isn't. I have inspected nut and bolt threads and all looks well. I want to punch life in it's flowery face.

So, call out: anyone that has dealt with camber bolts (specifically the greasable Moog, maybe), how do you deal with cranking down to appropriate tightness? Should I screw it and employ the impact wrench? What am I doing? What is the meaning of life?

Other than that, I have a single 24mm socket and a crecent wrench to work with, which should be fine, but isn't, and I'm at a total loss. I'm applying massive force and afraid I'm damaging my precious, precious $40 bolts. A thunderstorm is looming. I have no beer. This is basically the apocalypse.

 

I'll answer my own question:

Just use the impact wrench and screw it off. Let the alignment shop deal with the consequences. Maybe stop doing things like replacing suspension parts and spend more time doing things like, say, fishing, or really anything else.

 

You're doing it wrong. You can't tighten the nut, it is fixed to the cam plate and can't turn except within the alignment range once you are far enough in to where the cam plate engages the tabs on the frame. You can only tighten the bolt head beyond that. If you whale on the nut you will ruin your nut or worse, the cam tabs on the frame. You will NOT enjoy those consequences.

 

Actually it is the opposite situation. On the OE bolts the nut was fixed to a camber lobe; on the aftermarket* both plates are free. The bolt is cut so that both plates rotate with it and turning the bolt necessarily turns the plates and alters alignment. So, the ONLY way to snug up the assembly is to use the nut. The issue I'm facing this morning, is exactly what you describe: the tabs will lock the plates into an 'active' position before the nut can be tightened. So, I have slop in the camber assemblies, but need to drive the truck less than a mile.

*Because of circumstances I have SPC camber bolts on the driver's side and Moog on the passenger side, and both operate this way.