Many years ago I was looking into building a kitcar.....Lotus7
Reading build manuals revealed tips on setting up the suspension. It was recommended to assemble the 4 corners but not tighten bolts fully until after engine fitment as that extra weight affected settings. Build a rolling chassis, fit engine ( and some other parts) then torque the 4 corners up. The reasoning being the car is at a ride height specification with final load weights.
Do MMC do this ? It’s been a while since a visit but are they tightening up the four corners before fitting heavy parts? The added weight could be reducing ride height after tightening. What is the MMC chassis build assembly instruction for the order/ method/ checks?
Should it be.....
Assemble and fit suspension torqued to a preset initial torque.
Fit engine, tank, other specified parts.
re-torque suspension and check ride height.
This ride height might be slightly different to the final fully built car one to allow for the extra weight of body, trim etc. So a couple of mm higher at the rolling chassis stage, this being removed by weight of everything added later.
Basically have a process for assembly that results in the correct end result.
If there are issues with faulty/ sub standard components such as weak wrongly heat treated springs then that is a separate issue. Mind you it might show up during the build. Is there a sampling/ test regime for spring deflection, for example? A simple test jig?
