The workshop manual says

"Load the vehicle until there is an angle of 90 degrees between the spring shackle and frame. Then tighten the spring shackle upper bolt. Load the vehicle further until the spring is flat and tighten up the remaining spring bolts."

Referring to the front springs on a C303, how do you "load the vehicle"?

Thanks
Maurice

Well, load it!

I tried that :-) and did not suceed. I had not enough weights. I then lifted the back as high as I could (greetings to safety), but that was not enough. Then I hung all snow chains to the front hook, but that was not enough. I put several water canister in the front, but that was not enough. And I had did not feel like moving several more Kilograms just to load the car.

Then I lifted the front axle up instead of trying to push the cab down, and that did the work for me for the 90° angle. One side after another. But I never got to get the spring flat. Springs work fine nevertheless, after all.

Interestingly the military workshop manual is slightly different. Page 72:3 says (Google Translate):

"Check that all spring bolts that have been loosened are not tightened. Jack up the car under the axle. Load the car until a 90 degree angle is obtained between the spring hanger and the frame. Tighten the upper bolt of the spring hanger. Load the car further to a straight spring and tighten the remaining spring bolts. Tightening torque 140-150Nm (13-15kpm)."

So lifting the axle was correct

The English workshop manual says you need 5900Nm force (=600Kg) to get a flat front spring. Of course the inherent weight of the vehicle contributes to that if it's jacked up but still, it's a lot of weight in a comparatively small space. However I'm not only wondering how to do it, but also why it's necessary?

My simplistic understanding is that if you tighten the bolts with the wheels off the ground, when you lower the vehicle it torques/twists the bushes. This at rest torque is then increased when the suspension is loaded, and it causes the bushes to fail prematurely. By tightening the bolts when the vehicle is on the ground you avoid the at rest torque.

So why does the manual say to tighten the bolts at maximum loading? Surely that will also introduce an at rest torque but in the opposite direction? 

Maurice

I asked myself the same questions. Normally, and this is how many people do it indeed, one would assume that you tighten the bolts in neutral, i.e. wehn the car is standing on its tyres. Same as you do normally for wishbones.

Maybe the pretension towards compressed spring should reduce breakaway torque?

I for myself ended by using the bolts pretension for adjusting the car, which was leaning to the drivers side, although brand new springs and bolts. I adjusted the car and the fixed the bolts.