Torque specs on c5 donor suspension for GTM?

[dreabrown]

I purchased new donor parts for the suspension on my Gen 2 GTM. The control arms and steering knuckles came separately. I have found some GM specs for C5 that say 15 ft-lbs torque on the upper ball joint stud nut and 20 ft-lbs on the lower. However, they say go an additional 180degrees on the upper and 260 degrees on the lower AFTER you reach the torque limit. I cranked the lower nut today for what seemed like and eternity and the torque wrench never "clicked" signaling I'd reached 20 ft-lbs. It seemed like I had to have gone past 20. I could barely move the knuckle manually at the point, suggesting it was overtightened, so I stopped. Is there a trick to this assembly? Should the knuckle move fairly freely once the nuts are torqued to spec? What am I missing? Thanks.

[DJ Toothman]

I had the same problem at first. You have to insert an allen wrench on the balljoint and tighten it with a wrench first. Then you can torque to 15 ft-lbs. Then you have to do a final pass to 52 on the lower and 41 on the upper one. Here is the site I used for my specs on mine http://www.eliteengineeringusa.com/C5_Torque_Values.pdf. Good luck on your build. Hope this helps you out.