For the first time in several months, my SV has a suspension! I am not ready to break out the Champaign yet, but let me first describe how I got it back in place on my own, since that is not the easiest job in the world.
I started by trying to lift it up with a jack in the middle of the crossmember, but there was no way to balance it properly, so I switched to plan B, which was a tip from the Classic Tiger website that was posted here a few years ago:
http://classictiger.com/techtips/xmember.html This is a good tip and recommended, but I think it only works properly if you are just installing the crossmember and haven't yet re-attached the A-arms and stub axles. (Which, by the way, is the way I will do it the next time. I think it would be a lot easier that way and balance out the advantages of doing it the assembly at workbench height.)
The rope trick was good for getting it roughly in place, but it didn't balance properly and I had to use a combination of jacks and jackstands to keep it roughly level. (I think having two small jacks at each end might have made it much easier, but one of my small jacks is currently in NY and the other is currently holding the engine in place.) I just made small adjustments at a time, pulling one rope and tying it off, then adjusting the jack/jackstand and going to the other side. I did make one change from the Tiger tech tip. I tried to do it by tying knots in the rope near the wood blocks, but that was too difficult to do alone. So, I wrapped the rope around the corner braces and tied them off that way, which worked well. I eventually got it close enough on each side that I could then put a rear bolt in. (I used Mike Phillips' hint of tying a piece of dental floss around the bolt, which was unnecessary in this case, but certainly could have been a lifesaver if needed.) I put in both rear bolts, leaving about a 1/4 inch gap, then removed the rope and put in the fronts. Piece of cake! This seems to me like it would be a simple three man job, or a difficult two man job. It was a pain in the ass one man job, but the rope trick made it possible.
So, so far so good. But, before I move on, I want to be sure the suspension was correctly assembled. I don't remember exactly how it looked installed before I started, but the upper A-arm sits at quite an angle relative to the inner fender. The rear end is almost touching and the front is an inch and away. It was hard to show in a photo, but here are a couple:
This last photo shows the wood block (1" thick) I used with the rope lift resting comfortably behind the front side of the A-arm.
I looked at my S3 and it looks roughly the same, although the suspension is a different design and I don't know if it is correct either, since I didn't install it.
Is this right? Is it possible I have the A-arms on the wrong sides?
Thanks.