Can trailing arms hang loose

[88911coupe]

In process of engine drop and removing axles. I removed the passenger shock bolt to move it out of the way and removed the axle. Problem is I'm having a hard time lining up the bolt through the shock mount at the bottom to line it up with the hole in the trailing arm. I have the trailing arm supported on a small jack and can move it up and down but it's not lining up where it goes in easily and I DO NOT want to cross thread that. Will it damage the trailing arm to just hang without the shock to limit its travel? seems like it's not a good idea. Thanks

[john walker's workshop]

Get it started and bonk it in further with a plastic hammer. The threads start farther down the hole.

[88911coupe]

Thanks John, I can get it in far enough for the the threads to reach but there is so much resistance it’s hard to tell if threads are crossed or not. I guess I could just drop the car back down and line up the shock mount hole batter with the trailing arm hole to be sure.

[H-viken]

I’d think You should be able to lift it the same height w the jack, as when sitting on the wheels on the ground