Before you read and post the almighty search link, i've done it hundreds of times and feel confident im correct, just want verification from someone who has physically done it and not read about it.

I am swapping gsr brakes all the way around, si MC and prop valve, rebuilt the calipers and got new brembo rotors, si ebrake cables, teg braided lines, extended lugs, 2 new bearings, have the sway bar forks, trailing arm, knuckle hub blah blah. question is, i have some older JIC's that i had rebuilt and when i sent them in they were disassemled and came back the same way pretty much. I have called JIC and searched and read their info on reassembly and preload setting. What is the correct way to set preload with these?
Since the bottom can unscrew all the way off of the damper, what is a good way to measure how far to position the bottom, where to place the perches and how far down to tighten the top bolt near the valve? i can't seem to get a straight answer? My reasoning is if the springs are set for a certain weight and you tighten the top down too much it starts compressing the spring, which would not be good. right? just want to have everything done before swapping it all and then do fine tuning, not hours of trial and error. TIA

 

The search function works. I just used it once for "preload", and turned up a full page of topics in the suspension archives that all had "preload" in the topic, and all of which will tell you that preload is nothing more tightening the spring perch upwards until the spring has no up-down play when the suspension is at full droop and that the nut has no effect on preload.