Noise in Drive Train

Hmmm… Does the bolt holding the other end of the shock link have to come off too before the shock link will wiggle free? If so, do I need to scribe an index mark on it before taking that end loose so the I won’t put it back on later in an incorrect orientation? Is there an incorrect orientation?


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Remove the arm from the shock, nut and bolt, use a fat blade screwdriver to spread the arm where the arm attaches, leave the arm and link on the rear end. Those links can be a PIA
 
I’d rather avoid having to remove the shock arm from the shock. A friend sent a YouTube video that suggested removing the two shock bolts from the inner frame rail, and that “looked” easier to do. However, the shock arm all REALLY does not want to come out of the tube.

Any ideas?

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Does anything inside the tube put pressure on the ball that would prevent it from exiting the hole in the tube?


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My shock looks like it’s missing item 2 in the diagram from Bratton’s.

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I’ll try pressing down on the ball to see if that makes a difference.


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I agree with "Big hammer" and find it easier to just remove the bolt and nut from the shock arm and slide the arm off the shock's shaft, leaving the ball part of the arm still inside the link. It may help to insert a chisel or flat blade screwdriver in the arm's split opening behind the bolt to spread the opening a little bit. Move the rear axle up and down with the floor jack to facilitate an easier arm removal and re-installation. You'll find the "sweet spot" where the arm will be easiest to pull or pry off.
However, if pieces are missing from inside the link as you suspect, now is the perfect time to rebuild the link's guts. This will make the shocks more efficient and also eliminate an irritating knocking noise when the car hits a bump or hole in the road. Missing internal shock link parts will definitely create a rattle that is hard to diagnose with the wheels still in place, especially inside the rear shock links.
By the way, you can't put the shock arm back on incorrectly and still be able to install the bolt. There is a groove in the shock's shaft for that bolt. Any other orientation of the arm over the shaft will not allow the bolt to be inserted through the rear of the shock link arm.
Marshall
 
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I finally got back to this today. I got the shocks off; now, the next problem is getting the universal top clamshell off. There isn’t enough clearance to get a normal 9/16” socket on the bolts, and there are lots of obstructions for two 9/16” wrenches.

Any ideas?


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I did this recently and just used wrenches, lots of flipping of the wrenches but that’s how I did it.
 
Dave in Petaluma said:
I hope you have taken the floorboard out. If so, there should be plenty of room for your wrenches.
Click to expand...


I have a Tremec T170 transmission. So, taking the floorboard out doesn’t help because the universal is in a different position. (I took out the floorboard before I started disconnecting the drive line.) The drive shaft and radius rods have been shortened to accommodate the extra length of the T170 transmission.


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I finally finally got the universal out of the car. This is my first time removing the differential to get to it.

This fell out of the universal area as I pushed back the torque tube.

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Once upon a time, that was probably a bolt. I didn’t see a washer.


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That bolt was probably the noise I’ve been hearing in the drive train.


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The universal feels “notchy” to me, and I’d like to replace it (if I can find one) while I have it apart.


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As long as you have the rear axle out, you might consider replacing all the bearings and races in the rear axle. It’s not difficult if you take your time. Check out Tom Endy’s article - referenced above. Rock Auto carries the bearings and races at a significantly lower price than other vendors. We can give you part numbers if you decide to do this.

And - if you go this far, I’d suggest going ahead and taking the spring apart and cleaning, painting and greasing the leaves.

It may take 2-3 days to do all of this, but you’ll never have a better chance to do this, and you’ll be pleasantly surprised with the results. I’ve done this on both of my cars in the past couple of years……and please use a spring spreader.

Good luck - Jim
 
I wish I had the time, but I’m working long hours at work.

The car has been down for months as it is, I don’t think I have the skill set yet to take this on. I have a restored bell housing that I need to install at some point too, but I’m electing to put that off to a later date as well. I don’t want to change out a bunch of parts and inadvertently create more problems.

Thanks for the suggestion though. It definitely makes sense.


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