nhall80 10 Report post Posted February 16, 2013 (edited) New to the forum, but I've searched and haven't seen a thread that answers my question. I have a terrible popping/grinding sound coming from my front passenger side fender/wheel well. It occurs during left turns or on rough roads. It varies in intensity and doesn't always do it (happens about 75% of the left turns I make). I've checked wheel bearings, bushings, upper and lower arms, wheel and tire scrubbing, and rocks jammed into places they shouldn't be, and all looks good. I'm wondering now if my shock tower is flexing. Has anyone else had this issue? Any clues to what it might be? It's a '69 Sportroof. Thanks for the help! Edited February 16, 2013 by nhall80 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
fvike 173 Report post Posted February 16, 2013 Welcome to the forum! Looks like a nice car you got there. Could the brake on that side be dragging? Does the brake disc rotate smoothly? Do you have a export brace and/or monte carlo bar? I would think a flexing shock tower would leave cracks or something that you could see. Noises in cars can be hard to locate. Perhaps you need to try to remove the hood and look if the shock tower moves around whele driving? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dsc2 10 Report post Posted February 16, 2013 How did you check those items? I assume stock suspension, when was it last rebuilt? What has been replaced? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ramair351 10 Report post Posted February 17, 2013 check out the strut rod where is connects to the radiator support. i have seen bushings bad and cracked holes there. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
nhall80 10 Report post Posted February 18, 2013 It is stock suspension. I basically did a visual inspection and felt for play in places it shouldn't be. Things seem good. I did notice that the strut rod housing (the peice of frame that it runs through) is bent slightly. Looks like it hit something on the road at some point. Could that be a flex point? Brakes are good. I have the original 2-peice export bar and no Monte Carlo bar. I measure 39.5 inches across from each fender apron (I read in another thread here that it should be 40 inches. Not sure if that indicated tower flex. I drove it tonight and the sound is nearly unbearable. Sounds like something wants to break. I just hate to start taking things apart without some clue. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
fvike 173 Report post Posted February 18, 2013 Remove the hood, go for a drive. See if the shock tower moves. If you have acces to a GoPro cam, mount it under the car and look at the film for unnatural movement. One other question; did you use polyutherane bushings at the strut rod mounts? That can break a strut rod. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dsc2 10 Report post Posted February 18, 2013 If the strut rod support is slightly damaged probally not a big deal, the can hit high curbs causing light damage. But if the strut bushings are 45 yrs old that is a different story. The strut control the caster alignment, so play under load will move the wheel fore and aft. Ball joints cause camber issues which will be seen in tread wear. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
gsxrken 21 Report post Posted February 18, 2013 Most of the time, obnoxious noises from vintage mustangs are the upper control arm pivot assembly. You can get a clicking from cracked shock towers, but that should be readily visible. Actually what often happened was that the upper shaft began to seize and then too much load is put into the shock tower sheet metal, cracking it. So you might have both. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
nhall80 10 Report post Posted February 18, 2013 All of this is helpful. The front bushings were replaced with poly bushings several years ago, but based on what I see I think the strut rod bushings are rubber (and fairly old). I may go ahead and replace them and do a more thorough inspection of control arm bushings. I don't see any shock tower cracks, but the comment about the "upper shaft" seizing worries me. While greasing the upper control arm, I noticed one of the end caps/nuts was extremely loose. One more bit of info that may or may not be important: I recently replaced the flywheel and had to wait several weeks for it to be shipped. This means that the car stayed on jack stands for 6 weeks. It did not make this sound before I began this work. Is it possible that being on the stands for so long caused the towers or suspension to relax in a way that has caused problems? Thanks for all the suggestions! Definitely some things I haven't thought of. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
nhall80 10 Report post Posted February 20, 2013 completely disassembled the suspension today and found that the lower control arm bushing is complete dilapidated. I also found the main source of the grinding/tapping sound: the strut rod was hitting the sway bar during left turns and even moderate suspension flex. Also, the strut rod bushings are OE and well worn. I also noticed that the wheel was obviously too far forward (there was about 1/8 of an inch between the tire and the front fender). Here's my next question: should I replace the upper control arm if the threads for the shaft end caps are gone? I don't understand their purpose. The end shaft threads are fine. Also, where can I find instruction on how to align the strut rod and the lower control arm? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ramair351 10 Report post Posted February 20, 2013 check out the strut rod where is connects to the radiator support. i have seen bushings bad and cracked holes there. bingo Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dsc2 10 Report post Posted February 20, 2013 Here's my next question: should I replace the upper control arm if the threads for the shaft end caps are gone? I don't understand their purpose. The end shaft threads are fine. Also, where can I find instruction on how to align the strut rod and the lower control arm? I would replace the upper and lower arms. Readily available and not that costly. As for alignment of the strut rod to LCA, you need a front end alignment shop to do that. Unless you have the proper equipment like a caster camber gauge. But basically the upper and lower ball joints need to align up and down / in and out. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
nhall80 10 Report post Posted February 20, 2013 Thanks guys. I'm ordering all control arms with ball joints and strut rod bushings from CJ Pony. I found a local shop that is known for alignments on classic cars. The advice was helpful...thanks again. -Nick Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
nhall80 10 Report post Posted February 20, 2013 One more question: when I take the car to the alignment shop, do I need to tell them that I've done the Shelby Drop? Does this change the camber from original specs? Will they even notice the difference? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
buening 63 Report post Posted February 20, 2013 I'd give them these specs: http://www.opentrackerracingproducts.com/tech/ Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
RPM 1,190 Report post Posted February 20, 2013 Yep, those are the specs which provide good results for many folks. Bob Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MikeStang 247 Report post Posted February 22, 2013 gO AHEAD AND ORDER SOME ROLLER SPRING PERCHES AND LOWER ROLLER CONTROL ARMS FROM OPENTRACKER ....Great investment Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
