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Front end squeak/groan, 70 Charger

Triplegreen500

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So, I've checked the service manual and don't see any grease points called out...but my front end is squeaking/groaning with suspension travel. I can climb in the car and it will make noise. Go over a bump...noise. No tactile "clunk" through the column, floors, or anything else...just noisy. Steering is straight, no wander, no bump-steer, braking is straight so I don't think anything is "loose". Car is an unrestored, bone-stock '70 Charger, showing 8k miles so I'm guessing 108? Front shocks look newer, I'm guessing 2018 when it was purchased from the original owner's estate and put back on the road. I also saw receipts for ball joints and alignment at that time. Wheel bearings are tight. The noise *could* be ball joints, but it sounds further back - like the rear end of the torsion bars, in the crossmember area.

Any tips on lubing these up? Is there a fitting that isn't called out, or should I just bathe them in spray lube? The noise isn't all the way through the suspension travel, rather, it's an initial sound when the component shifts state...then, it stops.

It's not a huge deal at the moment, the damned flowmasters drown it out when the engine is running...but soon, I'll be losing those things and putting on super turbos or similar, and all these other noises will come front and center!
 
I began to groan at 51 years of age as well...
Now I've taken to Pre-emptive groaning.
 
So, I've checked the service manual and don't see any grease points called out...but my front end is squeaking/groaning with suspension travel. I can climb in the car and it will make noise. Go over a bump...noise. No tactile "clunk" through the column, floors, or anything else...just noisy. Steering is straight, no wander, no bump-steer, braking is straight so I don't think anything is "loose". Car is an unrestored, bone-stock '70 Charger, showing 8k miles so I'm guessing 108? Front shocks look newer, I'm guessing 2018 when it was purchased from the original owner's estate and put back on the road. I also saw receipts for ball joints and alignment at that time. Wheel bearings are tight. The noise *could* be ball joints, but it sounds further back - like the rear end of the torsion bars, in the crossmember area.

Any tips on lubing these up? Is there a fitting that isn't called out, or should I just bathe them in spray lube? The noise isn't all the way through the suspension travel, rather, it's an initial sound when the component shifts state...then, it stops.

It's not a huge deal at the moment, the damned flowmasters drown it out when the engine is running...but soon, I'll be losing those things and putting on super turbos or similar, and all these other noises will come front and center!
You might want to look into the control arm bushings at where they attach to the frame. Also sway bar end link bushings. Those would be 2 places where getting into the car and going over bumps you would have the up and down travel.
 
sound like poly urathane bushings , when they did ball joints they might of changed the worn rubber out with poly urathane , my 4x4 truck has them , squeaks when I get in and every bump
 
Ball joints, upper and lower. Mine did that shortly after getting it on the road, took a few times greasing it to get the grease worked around the ball. Everything else up there (it being all OE) is rubber bushings so unless they've failed where it's metal on metal they should be quite.

Funny your manual doesn't show grease points, 4 ball joints, 4 tie rod ends, pitman arm and an idler arm, all take grease?
 
The old Jewish garage owner I worked for way back in college days taught me to hose down all pivoting
points in car suspensions when doing a "LOF" service, especially anything with rubber bushings that
didn't otherwise have a grease fitting.
His "brand" was CRC 5-56. We went through cases of the stuff...

When I'd make some protestation about such efforts being pretty much washed off after a run in
the rain or some such, he'd smile that wise old smile of his and say "Tiger - number one, you do it because
you do what the boss tells you to do....and two, you'd be surprised how much goodwill it spreads among
customers when their car squeaks less leaving our shop than when it came in."

The man had a point. I learned a lot working in that shop...
 
you might try loosening the control arm bushings and tightening them with the weight of the car on them, if they were tightened while on the lift they are twisted when the car is on the ground
 
Don, How long has this groaning been going on? Alcohol is a natural remedy for pain/groaning!
Mike
It's the worst first thing in the morning, especially on a work day.
And they kinda frown on drinking before you drive to work.
 
I should have been more clear. The manual shows the usual ball joint / steering linkage grease points. I was curious about any for the torsion bars.

Helping a friend prep a house for sale (paint, drywall, carpet, tree removal, deck repairs) so no car time this week...I'll have to dig into it sometime though.

Now, off to get paint custom made for the ceilings. You'd think they'd be plain ol' ceiling white....nope. More yellow than that. And, I don't wanna paint 2,900 SF of ceiling...I just wanna spot-paint...
 
I would be looking very carefully at the lower control arms bushings. More times then not I have had cars come in and all the ball joints and tie had been replaced over the years in part that they are fairly easy to do but so many times the lower control arm bushings are ignore because the effort and time needed to do them. Many times you will find the bushing material between the inner and out shell is either ripped or torn.

James From
PST
 
Auto Transport Service
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