1970 Mustang & Cougar Torque Specs: Steering & Suspension

Factory recommended torque specs for the 1970 Mustang and Cougar, plus the Falcon, Maverick, Fairlane and Montego. It covers the steering and front suspension, including tie rod ends, ball joints, control arms, calipers and wheel bearings. Values are in foot-pounds (ft-lb) unless marked.

Use caution. These values were copied from the factory specs, and a copying mistake is possible. Check each value against a factory service manual before tightening. Aftermarket bolts and studs have their own specs.

Steering

Tie rods

Fastener	Torque (ft-lb)
Fastener	Mustang, Cougar, Falcon, Maverick, Fairlane, Montego
Outer tie rod end nutFactory name: Steering Tie Rod End to Spindle ArmTorque to 35, then tighten to the next cotter pin slot.	35–47
Inner tie rod end nutFactory name: Steering Spindle Arm Connecting Rod to Arm-to-Idler Arm RodTorque to 35, then tighten to the next cotter pin slot.	35–47
Tie rod adjusting sleeve clampFactory name: Spindle Connecting Rod Clamp to Adjusting Sleeve	9–15

Pitman arm, idler arm and center link

Fastener	Torque (ft-lb)
Fastener	Mustang, Cougar, Falcon, Maverick, Fairlane, Montego
Pitman arm nutFactory name: Pitman Arm to Sector Shaft	150–225
Center link to pitman arm nutFactory name: Pitman Arm to Steering Arm-to-Idler Arm RodTorque to 35, then tighten to the next cotter pin slot.	35–47
Center link to idler arm nutFactory name: Idler Arm to Pitman Arm-to-Idler Arm RodTorque to 50, then tighten to the next cotter pin slot.	50–70
Idler arm bracket to frameFactory name: Idler Arm Mounting Bracket to Underbody or Frame	30–40

Steering box

Fastener	Torque (ft-lb)
Fastener	Mustang, Cougar, Falcon, Maverick, Fairlane, Montego
Steering box to frameFactory name: Steering Gear to Side Rail or Frame	50–65

Power steering

These are only on cars with power steering: the control valve and power cylinder on the steering linkage.

Fastener	Torque (ft-lb)
Fastener	Mustang, Cougar, Falcon, Maverick, Fairlane, Montego
Control valve to pitman arm nutFactory name: Pitman Arm to Control Valve (Power Steering)Torque to 35, then tighten to the next cotter pin slot.	35–47
Power cylinder bracket to frame, side holeFactory name: Cylinder Mounting Bracket to Underbody or Frame (Side Hole)	28–35
Power cylinder bracket to frame, bottom holeFactory name: Cylinder Mounting Bracket to Underbody or Frame (Bottom Hole)	40–48
Power cylinder to bracket	18–24
Power cylinder to bracket lock nut	3–5

Front suspension

Control arms and ball joints

Fastener	Torque (ft-lb)
Fastener	Mustang, Cougar	Falcon, Maverick	Fairlane, Montego
Upper control arm shaft to bodyFactory name: Upper Arm and Inner Shaft to Body	75–100	75–100	75–100
Lower control arm to underbodyFactory name: Lower Arm to Underbody	75–100	75–100	75–100
Ball joint to spindle nut, upper and lowerFactory name: Ball Joint to Spindle (Upper and Lower)	60–90	60–90	60–90

Springs, shocks and bump stops

Fastener	Torque (ft-lb)
Fastener	Mustang, Cougar	Falcon, Maverick	Fairlane, Montego
Spring seat to upper control armFactory name: Spring Seat to Upper Arm	25–40	25–40	25–40
Shock absorber upper attachment	10–15	10–15	20–28
Shock absorber upper bracket to body	20–30	22–34	15–25
Shock absorber to spring seat	8–12	8–12	8–12
Bump stop to bodyFactory name: Front Suspension Compression Bumper to Body	12–20	12–20	12–20

Strut rods and sway bar

Fastener	Torque (ft-lb)
Fastener	Mustang, Cougar	Falcon, Maverick	Fairlane, Montego
Strut rod to lower control armFactory name: Strut to Lower Arm	70–105	70–105	70–105
Strut rod to underbodyFactory name: Strut to Underbody	60–80	60–80	60–80
Strut rod to underbody slotted nutFactory name: Strut to Underbody Slotted Nut	50–70	50–70	Not listed
Sway bar bracket to underbodyFactory name: Stabilizer Bar Mounting Bracket to Underbody	17–30	12–25	12–25
Sway bar to lower control armFactory name: Stabilizer Bar to Lower Arm	5–12	12–20	12–20

Brakes and wheel bearings

Fastener	Torque (ft-lb)
Fastener	Mustang, Cougar	Falcon, Maverick	Fairlane, Montego
Caliper to spindle, upper boltFactory name: Caliper to Spindle (Disc Brake) - UpperDisc brakes only	110–120	Not listed	110–150
Caliper to spindle, lower boltFactory name: Caliper to Spindle (Disc Brake) - LowerDisc brakes only	55–75	Not listed	55–75
Brake splash shield to spindleFactory name: Brake Backing Plate to Spindle (Disc)Disc brakes only	9–14	Not listed	9–14
Brake backing plate to spindleFactory name: Brake Backing Plate to Spindle (Drum)Drum brakes only	20–35	20–35	25–35
Front wheel bearing adjusting nutSeats the bearings, then the nut is backed off. Follow the wheel bearing steps.	17–25	17–25	17–25

Front wheel bearing adjustment

Torquing the adjusting nut seats the bearings, then the nut is backed off, so its torque isn't where the nut ends up. To adjust them:

Torque the adjusting nut to 17–25 ft-lb.
Fit the nut lock so its castellations line up with the cotter pin hole in the spindle.
Back off the adjusting nut and nut lock together to the next castellation that lines up with the hole.

Using these values

Most factory specs are a range, a low and a high limit.

Nuts held by a cotter pin are torqued to the low limit first, then tightened further to the next slot that lines up with the cotter pin hole. Don't back one off to line up a slot. The front wheel bearing adjusting nut is the one exception: it's backed off on purpose, as its steps above say.

Each fastener is listed by the name it usually goes by, with its factory name underneath where that's different.

Each column is a group of cars. A dash means no factory spec is listed for those cars. The factory steering specs also cover other car lines without naming them, so those aren't included.

The values here come only from the 1970 specs. Other years have their own pages, like 1968. Many fasteners carried over, but some changed, so no year's values are filled in from another's.

If a value here doesn't match your manual, and we'll check it.

1970 Mustang and Cougar Torque Specifications