Suspension scare story time!
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Suspension scare story time!
So something like a month ago, I had the unfortunate experience of running over something at a high rate of speed while driving Awesome down a freeway.
Long story short, one ruined tire... but that was all that was apparently messed up. Wheel didn't get bent, suspension seemed ok, just had to run on the donut (and stay off 50+ MPH roads for a lil' bit) until replacement tire showed up and throw it on.
Yay, scare over right?
Well, no, not so much... A clunk appeared. On that side. Right front. Great. Now what... Poor baby...![Frown](https://themustangsource.com/forums/images/smilies/frown.gif)
The clunk didn't really appear until this last weekend, faint, just an oddity, but it got worse and worse and finally I got it up on a rack today. I had visions of a destroyed ball joint, which really kind of would (siphon with a large amount of negative pressure) as I have the GT500 front control arms, so replacing them is 'get a *pair*'. Not just one. That makes it less than cheap for the one ball joint... or I *could* get some random ball joint and press out/in... Not exactly filling me with confidence on options...
Then I thought maybe somehow the upgraded Eibach sway bar bushing on the chassis side had somehow gotten bad on the right side, somehow destroyed by the impact...
Strut's an option... strut mount is an option... just horror filled visions dancin' around in this here loco cabeza of mine...
Well, turns out I was just workin' myself up for nuthin' much. 'Cause somehow... and don't know how, except maybe the impact somehow jarred it *just so*... The upper right sway bar link nut had backed off *just* a lil bit. The thing moved up and down and you could see the stud pokin' out of the mount of the strut moving up and down too. Huh. So we tightened it up.
Quick look, and a little shoving, beating, prying around, and all the rest of the suspension up front looks/feels like it ought to. Got the car back on the ground, quick test over a speed bump...
Yay. Problem solved!![Thumb](https://themustangsource.com/forums/images/smilies/thumb.gif)
So just lil' informational passage to y'all. In case this latest rambling helps anyone out there with similar clunkin's.
Long story short, one ruined tire... but that was all that was apparently messed up. Wheel didn't get bent, suspension seemed ok, just had to run on the donut (and stay off 50+ MPH roads for a lil' bit) until replacement tire showed up and throw it on.
Yay, scare over right?
Well, no, not so much... A clunk appeared. On that side. Right front. Great. Now what... Poor baby...
![Frown](https://themustangsource.com/forums/images/smilies/frown.gif)
The clunk didn't really appear until this last weekend, faint, just an oddity, but it got worse and worse and finally I got it up on a rack today. I had visions of a destroyed ball joint, which really kind of would (siphon with a large amount of negative pressure) as I have the GT500 front control arms, so replacing them is 'get a *pair*'. Not just one. That makes it less than cheap for the one ball joint... or I *could* get some random ball joint and press out/in... Not exactly filling me with confidence on options...
Then I thought maybe somehow the upgraded Eibach sway bar bushing on the chassis side had somehow gotten bad on the right side, somehow destroyed by the impact...
Strut's an option... strut mount is an option... just horror filled visions dancin' around in this here loco cabeza of mine...
Well, turns out I was just workin' myself up for nuthin' much. 'Cause somehow... and don't know how, except maybe the impact somehow jarred it *just so*... The upper right sway bar link nut had backed off *just* a lil bit. The thing moved up and down and you could see the stud pokin' out of the mount of the strut moving up and down too. Huh. So we tightened it up.
Quick look, and a little shoving, beating, prying around, and all the rest of the suspension up front looks/feels like it ought to. Got the car back on the ground, quick test over a speed bump...
Yay. Problem solved!
![Thumb](https://themustangsource.com/forums/images/smilies/thumb.gif)
So just lil' informational passage to y'all. In case this latest rambling helps anyone out there with similar clunkin's.
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Buckshot Barry (9/21/18)
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it's great when you can find a clunk and make it go away . . . . too bad that doesn't happen very often, usually they are very good at hiding!
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Something to watch out for. Thanks for sharing the info. I would have gone through all the stewing and worry that you did. I tend to over think things and spend nights awake stewing over little things when the pressure is on. Kinda like... "Oh no, it is going to cost a fortune to fix this, my baby is ruined, now I will have to send her to the junk yard." Glad it did not come to that and was something that was easily fixed....
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