The "clunk" & "bang" is back..

[diesel4me]

Noise my truck made a few weeks ago happened again today--going over some very rough frost heaved road areas on my street with the plow on made it bottom out and almost "getting air"..25 mph was too fast I guess..

It's too dark and cold to investigate it when I got home today,but I am pretty sure its the front driveshaft either hitting something,or has no more "slip" in the splined yoke because the plow sags the front springs down a lot,and collapses it all the way--plus I think one of the springs rubber bump stops came off a while ago (maybe both sides?)..

Definately going to have to do something about this before I end up putting the shaft thru the front of the T-case or worse,hitting the starter and busting the nose or the engine block up...have to either add some kind of helper springs or make some new bump stops up,to limit the travel ...

I've thought about replacing the swinging shackles up front ,I'm not really liking 7/16" bolts holding up all that weight,and chances are good they are well worn being 33 years old...was wondering how hard it would be to get 1/2" bolts in them--probably need new bushings with the larger holes...also thought maybe making some shackles about 1" longer would help gain some clearance,but might also goof up the caster too much?..

 

[mwood1985]

my spare front shaft is cut too long an bottoms out. same thing your hearing. and id slap some 2 inch lift springs or some stiffer stock ones

 

[tRustyK5]

ORD and DIY both sell upgraded shackles and bolts. Really hard to just up the bolt size, as there is a steel sleeve inside the bushing. At any rate, it's an ugly job...almost guaranteed the upper bolts are rusted solid, or if like mine just sheared off flush. Considering where you live I'd check that first, look to see if one or both springs are resting against the underside of the frame. Happened to my Blazer, had a similar clunk and bang on bumps. I ended up getting new upper mounts from DIY4X4. Was easier than trying to bring the rust blobs on my truck back from the dead.

 

[diesel4me]

I'm going to put the bump stops back on it ,I might have to buy an aftermarket
"Universal" one unless I find some useable used ones..I think I had a good pair in my garage somewhere I saved off another truck years ago..if I can find them..

I have the old one that came off,I found it lying in my driveway--the metal bracket that the stud on it goes too came off the rubber part..was thinking maybe I could drill right thru the rubber and use a longer bolt and some sheet metal as a washer,to cob it back on,if I cant find my good used ones..

I suppose anything put where the bump stops went is better than letting it bottom out elsewhere and destroy something expensive....I'd rather not have to buy anything ,being close to broke and no money to spare to fix it "right" with new parts really..

I do have a pair of those "Superior" brand leaf helper springs that look like an archer's bow that I could put on the front--but that will require new u-bolts and a day of hard labor,because these need to go between the axle pads and the leaf spring...its too dam cold to be dorking around with the truck much here now,and my back wont allow me to do that job now either,plus I dont want the truck all apart in case we get a snowstorm either..with my luck we'll get a blizzard as soon as it was apart...(no cash for new u-bolts either!)..

--I have thought about putting a pair of those cheesy coil spring type overload springs up front using the stock frame bracket that bump stop bolts too,as an upper mount to hold them in place ,to get by for now till better weather comes..maybe just replacing the bump stops might be enough to get by for now,I hope...I will look at the shackles and see if the bolts are ready to shear off,if they didn't already,also...

 

[diesel4me]

Well,I dug around in my garage and found the two used bump stops I had--put both on the truck today,I was right ,both the originals had dissapeared,only the stud remained..as I suspected..

The truck has a third bump stop on the passenger side that contacts a rib casted into the front diff,and it looks like that had made contact a few times,and the front driveshaft had rub marks on the slip yoke's threaded ring nut thing,so it has hit something under there ,but I dont see anything damaged..that must be the noises I heard..

Had to jack up the truck to get the bump stops on it,and with the plow raised up,the spring plates are bearing right up against the bump stops..

The springs are just the 2 leaf stock ones that are probably fatigued,they probably hate the weight of the diesel and the plow (a Fisher that weighs a good 400+ lbs easy)..the bump stops are my "springs" now,when the blade is on and raised up I guess,and thats why they probably got torn off (plus being 33 years old)...

I see Autozone shows some "Energy Suspension" poly bump stops close to the same as stock size in stock for 13.99,not sure if that is each or a pair...might end up having to buy a pair of those ..not sure if I feel like replacing springs on this heap,I might not be driving it on the road much longer possibly..maybe I'll get some coil overload shocks or something if I see some cheap at a swap meet..its not like I drive it 40 miles a day with the blade on it..(or without it!)..

The rear shackles on the front springs look like the bolts are migrating upwards in the frame bushing,but both springs do not touch the frame yet,there is still at least 3/8" clearance there at the spring eye..for now I'm not messing with them..or anything else--a Nor'easter approaching for thursday means its no time to be taking it apart!......it was only 20 degrees in my garage too,so I was glad the job went quickly...dont take long for fingers to get frostbite on a cold ratchet!..

 

[tRustyK5]

That area of our trucks is usually overlooked and ignored for decades before we ever get em, and it's a real bear to get it all up to snuff again. Certainly a job I didn't enjoy!

Getting some bumpstops back on there to get you through the winter is about all you can do from the sounds of it.

 

[diesel4me]

Yes,I need it to plow with,and its too dam cold to be crawling around under it--its 8 degrees here now!..even if I fire the wood stoves up out there ,the truck barely fits in the garage with all the crap piled around it ,makes doing anything to it a miserable chore--my back is screwed just from doing what I did today,just unscrewing two 3/8" nuts lying on cold cement--it was already wasted from shoveling the last snow we got too..

I'll just be happy if it doesn't bottom out any more and lasts till spring,when I'll feel more like fixing it "right"..my well used old bump stops might not hold up long,if not I'll have to get those Poly ones to get me by till warmer weather comes...truck has so many other "issues" the laundry list is getting too long,I may just decide to make it a "yard" truck and fix my Suburban up instead,its still better underneath despite sitting 4 years since I bought it..but wont be if it sits much longer..