I replaced my shocks this week. That was fun, 11 years 122k miles of wear and rust meant a tough job. Anyway, got it all back together, but now the front driver side clunks. I searched and from what I read it was probably the upper shock nut wasn't tightened fully. So I took it all back apart again, but the nut is good and tight.

So now I'm not sure what it is. Upper control arm bushings, perhaps? Would they just suddenly go like that? How to I check them? I have the control arm on the workbench, I can flex it pretty easily. Anything else it could be that I'm missing?

 

spring compressed, then upper nut tightened?

 

Yes sir.

 

Funny you mention this, as the Z28 'vert I picked up last year has a 'clunk' in the front suspension on both sides. It is primarily noticeable if you turn while backing up it will 'clunk', then when you drive forward and turn-in the first time while braking it will clunk again.

I redid the shocks when I got the car and everything is tight. I also put new sway bars/end-links on as well last year and it didn't change anything...

The car does have a LS1 front brake conversion (full spindles) and I also redid those so it isn't any kind of brake hardware moving around either...

I do know the previous owner road raced the car a little as well as autox before I got it... And I should mention I did a LS1 steering shaft upgrade this year and the tire-rod ends are nice and tight with no play as well as the steering rack...

It is just weird it is aparently the same situation on both sides... One will make noise sometimes, the other side at other times, but the same 'clunk'...

 

Well I figured it out. Upper control arm bushing is shot on that side. I got the nut and bolt off one side of the arm, but can't get the bolt to come out on the other side (the side with the bad bushing).

This car hates me.

Anyone know where I can get the old bushings pushed out and new bushings pressed in for cheap? Or perhaps how to do it myself?

 

If you buy a poly set of replacements they usually reuse the stock metal 'sleeve' and you are best off burning out the original bushings if that is the case. It is messy, smelly and a PITA... Cleanup also sucks...

If your replacements are full new bushings including sleeves you need a hydraulic press to press the old ones out and the new ones in...

 

Trying to find replacements is being the issue right now. Nobody seems to stock them

 

Alright, I replaced the upper control arm bushings. IT STILL CLUNKS

Not only does it clunk, but the steering shakes when it does. Upper ball joint, perhaps? The noise is coming from the top half of the suspension. I have the original ball joints on my car (98 with 122k miles).

 

could be a few different things, defective shock, upper ball joint, or it might be your sway bar endlinks. Im having this same problem atm and am going noticed a few days ago that on my sway bar endlink, one of the bushing is popped out of place and it looks like the washer is hitting the top of the sway bar and could possibly be making the clunking noise. Did you torque everything down to spec?

 

Not the ball joint. Not the control arm bushings. Everything is torqued down, and triple checked.

I found that the top of the new shock is tapping the top of the fender well! I think the shock mount on that side is bad, letting the shaft push up too far. Passenger side mount is new (it tore coming apart) and it doesn't do that.

Going to go pick up the new mount

Inner tie rod end is bad on the driver side, I get movement wiggling the wheel at 9-3 and the tie rod visibly moves. How hard is it to replace inner tie rod ends?

 

ill let you now in a couple weeks

 

Well my mount is bad for sure, the hole is opened up.

But I'm never buying Oreilly's house brand stuff again!!

They had a shock mount in stock, unlike Autozone or Advance Auto which had to be ordered, so I got it there. Cheapest pile of crap I've seen. The holes didn't line up, the nuts and bolts were small and light.... Ripped it back off the car as nothing lined up properly, I'm going to order a Moog from Advance Auto and take this pile of crap back to Oreilly's

 

they tell you how much the Moog one is? Im gonna order a couple also for my strano/koni install in a few weeks.

 

The Moogs are $76.99 per side from Advance Auto.

 

same thing is wrong with my 97 camaro it makes a cluck when i take off and when i turn left. Its coming from the driver side but everything is tight i noticed my sway bar end link was loose so i thought that was it and it wasn't, when i press the brake pedal i can feel something threw the pedal like a metal on metal feeling but everytime i check thier is nothing loose or rubbing. It is driving me absoulty crazy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

This could be a loose caliper... caliper bolts pretty much have to be torqued down, they can break really easy if to tight and if to loose then they will slide around.

 

Does it include the isolator? Im assuming it does. Let me know how those fit because I will probably replace both while im doing the install.

 

yeah calipers are tight idk what it is

 

If its not the caliper and its only when turning or stopping then its not the upper strut mount either. The upper strut mount when defective will make a knocking sound on bumps in the road. Ive never heard of a tie rod knocking but that might be it... check the outer tie rod and possibly the ball joints... check both upper and lower.

 

No it doesn't. But your original isolator is probably fine. Even on mine where I had to cut the shock off the mount the isolator was OK.