Roll Test

[Tom H.]

I've replaced the body mounts on my 1965 convertible and I noticed in the AIM that torque values are different for pre and post roll test. Can anyone explain the procedure? Thanks

[John H.]

Re: Roll Test

Tom -

The roll-test machine consisted of two large rollers (front and rear, with the front roller driven by the rear roller); the left side of the rollers was round, and the right side had an eccentric shape to simulate a bumpy road surface. The car was driven first on the left side to check dynamics, engine and driveline, speedo accuracy, etc., then moved to the right on the eccentric to check for squeaks and rattles, then moved back to the left side to burnish the parking brake. Roll-test "shook the car down", and when the body mount bushings settled, residual torque on the bolts reduced a bit from their initial settings.

[Tom H.]

Re: Roll Test

Thanks John- Does this have any practical consequence in my restoration process? Can I simply slowly drive the car on an irregular surface and then do the final torque down?

[John H.]

Re: Roll Test

Thanks John- Does this have any practical consequence in my restoration process? Can I simply slowly drive the car on an irregular surface and then do the final torque down?

I'd just torque them to the spec in the Assembly Manual when you install them and move on, and not be concerned about it. They weren't re-torqued in the plant after roll-test - that was just a Quality Audit torque-check item for the two cars a day that were selected for the audit.