Front end "Clunk"

[thachee]

Hi everyone,

I am not new to the threads but haven't posted much. I would like to start by thanking everyone for sharing their knowledge on this forum, it has helped me out numerous times in the past.

I have a 72' C10 and have noticed a clunk coming from the front end lately. It only makes the noise when the brakes are applied or sometimes when turning left at slow speeds. It clunks over small bumps under those two conditions. I have checked out all of the front suspension parts and nothing seems to be loose or out of alignment. The only thing I can think of is the ball joints going bad, but wouldn't this be noticeable when the brakes aren't applied?

Any help would be much appreciated. Thanks

[steelhorse]

Using a floor jack jack it up as close to the wheel as possible and check for play.You may have the bushings going out in the upper/lower a arm.Or you could have someone drive it real slow and hit the brakes and see if something is moving that shouldnt.

[powell72]

Originally Posted by steelhorse

Using a floor jack jack it up as close to the wheel as possible and check for play.

This is key, the suspension must be weighted to properly check for play in ball joints.

[dave2953]

I had an issue almost identical to this and it turned out to be the upper control arm. The nuts that hold the shims in place became loose and allowed the arm to move when I hit the brakes/went over bumps.

[Southpa]

Basically check...everything. Years ago I had some funny noises, ie. "clunk" sounds when turning and going over bumps. It turned out to be a loose frame X-member. Those noises can scare the bejeezuz out of you when you start imagining the worst case scenarios.

[eseaton]

watch the u bolts that hold the lower control arm I had mine work loose and it was doing the same thing.

[michael bustamante]

check your control arm bushings for sure, also the shock hardware and tie rod ends, but im thinkin the control arm bushings

[68gmsee]

I definitely would check the supension parts already mentioned but don't overlook the wheel bearings, and/or loose rotor or brake components.

forgot to mention: I once found a loose ball joint on another vehicle by having a 240 pound football playing nephew grab the wheel and shake the h*ll out of it.

[thachee]

Thanks everyone for the advice. I will definetly check the front over again.

[cdowns]

also check to see that everything that holds the caliper in place is still present and holding the caliper in place

[PanelDeland]

I had a Dodge with the clunk.I had a shop check the front suspension.They found no problem.I checked.I couldn;t find a problem.It started shimmy(ing) when I would hit some bumps but always did when I crossed the RR tracks on the way home from work.Probably 3 shops and at least 4-5 amatuer mechanics checked the front suspension.I changed tires and wheels.It progressively got worse over a period of about 3 months.Finally one day while I was changing the oil I noticed the problem.The bolts in the steering box had come loose but not out(thank god).Tightened them up and the truck never had another problem suspension wise.I did check the bolts on the steering box at every oil change.