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Post by Nathan on Sept 2, 2004 11:21:12 GMT -5
Well, on to the next issue- while I am out on deliveries, I often hear a lot of clunking coming from under neath the front of the sides of the truck when I hit a bump while turning, OR turn any direction really fast. Is this just going to be a ball joint issue somewhere, or do these trucks have torsion bars that need adjusting? I know junky a$$ f@#ds have a similar noise a lot, but never did discover how to fix that issue. Any place where to start? I am thinking about getting a grease gun and filling the ball joints up. Is there anything I can push/pull to see if something has come loose? Where should I begin on this journey?
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Post by BowtieGuy on Sept 2, 2004 22:34:56 GMT -5
The best place to start would be the front tires, jack up the front end or one side at a time and try to wiggle the tire at top and bottom the side to side. The top and bottom will check the upper and lower ball joints, the side to side will check tie rod ends, and if its both and all joints are good then its the wheel bearings. I have replaced the ball joints and tie rod ends on my truck and still get the similar sound your talking about. It could be a loose crossmember, engine mount, or something like that causing the noise during chassis flex. I know I have a bad engine mount and suspect that the noise is coming from there, but not 100% sure yet on my truck. If you do happen to find it please let me know. :hbanging:
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Post by 19_Chevelle_69 on Sept 7, 2004 16:40:38 GMT -5
Any update for us Nathan? Have you found the source of your noise?
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Post by Nathan on Sept 8, 2004 11:44:14 GMT -5
Well, havent really had the chance to jack anything up yet, really. I've been spending all the little free time I do have from work and college to get my AMC going again. What a pain. I cannot find a double-action mechanical fuel pump for that thing, so I'm installing a universal electronic one in the engine compartment. Lots, of tons of modifying needed. Anyhow, I did get under the truck to look at where the noise actually sounds like it's coming from (tranny mount area), and noticed - nothing on the right side is bolted! When they installed the TH350 (which appears to be because they smashed the crap out of the 700R4 due to the bent member), that member that the tranny bolts to is only being held in by 5 bolts - 4 on the left, 1 on the right. There's some kind of support brace in there also that is being held in by one bolt, and is clanking around when I go over hills. Always wondered what that was. I cannot go under and just bolt them in, however, because the holes do not line up to anything on the frame. I bought a 2900 RPM drill yesterday for both my AMC and this. I am going to do a bit of custom drilling, and fit my own bolts 'n washers in there. Hopefully I can drill through that thick of metal. Everything looks straight like it should be, but I think since that member is bent, it might have stretched itself out when they did whatever they did to it. Any other options?
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Post by BowtieGuy on Sept 8, 2004 21:31:40 GMT -5
The frame on your truck should have bolt holes for either the turbo 350 or the 700r4, so if the bolt holes aren't lining up your crossmember is bent bad. You can save the trouble of drilling new holes and make things right by getting another crossmember from salvage yard. They should be fairly cheap too.
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Post by Nathan on Sept 9, 2004 17:13:59 GMT -5
Yeah, it is bent miserably. It does have a ton of holes, but they dont line up. I have been sending requests to AZ to get one from there in good condition, but that's not all I'm going to need. I drilled 1 hole into my bent member for the time being to hold it in. While down there, I noticed - they also had to move the carrier bearing forward. However, now the rubber support material that holds in the carrier bearing is bendning to the shape of the new angle formed by the driveshaft being moved. Also noticed that the yoke coming out of the tranny is WAY too far back, and has a bit too much play, and the same with the rear drive shaft where it goes onto the splines coming from the front shaft through the carrier bearing. All in all - I need a longer front drive shaft. It only has to be about 1.5 inches longer. So I also sent out a request for one of those. This thing has a miserable vibration from 30-45, so I'm glad I found the cause. It's also probably doing a lot of wear on the joints and bearings. In other news, I did get a new dust/inspection cover for my torque converter. $45 from the dealer isnt too shabby. Also got the AMC done yesterday. Next problem there - need a more powerful alternator now! I already took out the Motorola 35A alt. and installed a Delco 55A int. reg., but now it's time to up to a 78A Delco, or a CS130 94A. Also want to do that to my truck sometime. Anyone know where to get some good brackets for CS130 alt. conversions on these 350s?? And does anyone have a suggestion as to where to get a good front shaft? I'm rather skeptical on ordering a used shaft. Should I be?
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