2003 Buick Century Front Suspension: Strut & Spring Assembly

As a professional, I really appreciate that you understand the importance of proper torque specs, but this is one place where common sense works pretty well. You see how small those bolts are on the upper mounts. There's not much stress there. The lower bolts can be tightened with an impact wrench but don't lay on it for a long time. If you have bolts with splines under the head, draw them in, then let the impact snug them down. If you're installing Chrysler-style cam bolts to make the job easier for the alignment mechanic, those don't have to be tightened that much. The mechanic will take care of tightening them after "camber" is set during the alignment. Most original GM struts are not adjustable but can be made to allow for camber adjustment. Most aftermarket replacement struts have a slotted lower bolt hole to allow for adjustment. For those, both bolts have to be tight enough so that adjustment doesn't slip when hitting pot holes. Cam bolts help to prevent that adjustment from slipping.

The spec for the two lower bolts is 90 foot pounds for the original bolts. Aftermarket cam bolts will come with their own specs on a sheet of paper, but they are designed to withstand the manufacturer's specs.

The upper mount bolts call for 24 foot pounds. I've replaced a lot of struts, and that seems rather high. A hard twist with a 3/8" drive hand ratchet should be sufficient. I've snapped a few of those bolts by using a good 3/8" air ratchet or a 3/8" air impact. Those can reach double this spec. With common sense, these nuts won't work loose or snap the studs.