[motley1987]

I was taking my 69 to the shop for a different problem and noticed after awhile that it was taking bumps pretty hard. My wife was following me to the shop and said it looked like water was coming from the front driver's side when I pulled away which I figured was just standing water since it had rained the day before so I thought nothing of it. Well I picked it up today and on my way home, it felt like the front end was going to drop out it sounded and felt so bad mostly on the driver's side. Within the last 6 months I've replaced the front shocks, springs, wheels and tires, and sway bar and didn't have any issues until now. Could I have possibly blown one of the shocks? I've never done that before so I don't know what it feels like. I'm hoping to take it in Friday since I feel like it's going to shatter if I hit a bump too hard. Thanks for any tips you guys might have!

Ben

 

[Local Hero]

Look underneath and see if the shock looks all wet. That would be the oil leaking out of it. Also if the shock is bad, bounce that corner of the car up and down hard a few times by hand and see if it settles right away. If not, then most likely it went south.

 

[motley1987]

I'll give the bounce test today. Since it's pouring all day into tomorrow, I probably won't get a good look underneath until the weekend. I can't believe how bad it sounds. On my way home I thought the front axle was going to fall off. Thanks for the tip.

Ben

 

[Local Hero]

Usually a blown shock won't make an audible noise though. But it will leak fluid. Also check to see if you have a broken sway bar end link. That is also a pretty common thing that WILL make noise.

 

[motley1987]

Would adding a bigger sway bar possibly cause the end link to go? I got a kit from MU and had someone install it so I'm guessing a new end link would have been included in the kit?

 

[motley1987]

And I'm not sure if I described the noise right, but it almost feels like I'm riding on tires made out of stone when I hit a bump. It's that jarring. I've had tires installed before that were way overinflated and it didn't feel like this. I'm going to check the tire pressure too though just in case.

 

[Local Hero]

Would adding a bigger sway bar possibly cause the end link to go? I got a kit from MU and had someone install it so I'm guessing a new end link would have been included in the kit?

Yes, you would assume that new links would be included with the bar. As for over-inflated tires, I don't know. I've never had that problem.

 

[clanceman427]

you said you had springs replaced- did they remember the isolator pads up top?

 

[67rynorod]

If your shock has gone, then yes it will feel like your tires are more "solid". Shocks dampen the sharp response produced by the springs so if the shock went bad all you are going to feel is the sharp reaction of bumps by the springs. Too quick a motion will make it feel solid.

As far as the end links are concerned, were they rubber bushings or polyurethane in the kit? A poly kit doesn't not have as much give and therefore, might take out an already failing portion of the suspension. If no bushings were included all you did was upgrade the sway bar (and the original end link hardware was reused), then yes the additional rigidity you were hoping to accomplish from a larger sway bar is being transferred to the original end links designed for a different sway bar and therefore a lighter load, putting more load on them could make them fail prematurely.

If an end link failed I would assume it would be the bolt, and it would have dropped out and you would be able to easily notice the lack of an end link being there. I want to note though, that I really doubt this is causing the aforementioned issue with the "solid" wheel feel. I have never had one fail, but the end link is not what controls vertical travel, it controls (as part of the sway bar assembly) the lateral "roll" of the body/suspension. Someone with experience with failed ones please correct me if it could cause that drastic a change in vertical travel of the drivers suspension.

 

[motley1987]

you said you had springs replaced- did they remember the isolator pads up top?

Not sure, but my mechanic is pretty thorough, so for now I'm assuming he did. I'm getting it checked out tomorrow so I'll give an update then. I hope it's a shock since those are cheaper than anything else.

 

[Local Hero]

I had an end link fail and it made the car "dip" on a weird angle when going over uneven sections of pavement. It just didn't "feel" right until I noticed the bushings failed on the one side.

 

[motley1987]

If your shock has gone, then yes it will feel like your tires are more "solid". Shocks dampen the sharp response produced by the springs so if the shock went bad all you are going to feel is the sharp reaction of bumps by the springs. Too quick a motion will make it feel solid.

As far as the end links are concerned, were they rubber bushings or polyurethane in the kit? A poly kit doesn't not have as much give and therefore, might take out an already failing portion of the suspension. If no bushings were included all you did was upgrade the sway bar (and the original end link hardware was reused), then yes the additional rigidity you were hoping to accomplish from a larger sway bar is being transferred to the original end links designed for a different sway bar and therefore a lighter load, putting more load on them could make them fail prematurely.

If an end link failed I would assume it would be the bolt, and it would have dropped out and you would be able to easily notice the lack of an end link being there. I want to note though, that I really doubt this is causing the aforementioned issue with the "solid" wheel feel. I have never had one fail, but the end link is not what controls vertical travel, it controls (as part of the sway bar assembly) the lateral "roll" of the body/suspension. Someone with experience with failed ones please correct me if it could cause that drastic a change in vertical travel of the drivers suspension.

The kit was from MU and there were a bunch of parts in addition to the bar, so I'm pretty sure the end links were included. (can you tell I'm not a mechanic ) I do know they were polyurethane bushings though. Nothing has fallen from underneath so I don't think it's the end link. The tire pressure looks good and I couldn't tell too much from pushing on the front so I'll see tomorrow what they say. Thanks for the help!

Ben

 

[67rynorod]

From Local Hero's confirmation of what a failed end link feels like, it sounds like you can rule that out, because you didn't mention it dipped.

Also if the shock is bad, bounce that corner of the car up and down hard a few times by hand and see if it settles right away. If not, then most likely it went south.

I'd bet my bottom dollar it's your shocks. Like Local Hero said, the bounce test should verify this. Since this is probably the first time you have checked this, do it to the good passenger side to see how it is "supposed" to be so when you do the Driver's side you'll know what it should be doing.

 

[motley1987]

I'm hoping that's it. The ones that were on there were replaced with oem shocks maybe 8 months ago. I think they were only like $20 or $25 a piece. Not that that means they should've been shot so soon or anything. I don't notice any dip on either side of the front end at all. I'm already planning my least bumpy route to work tomorrow so I can avoid making it worse before I drop it off.

Ben

 

[67rynorod]

They are very easy to replace, don't know if you wanted to do it yourself, but on a 67 it's just the 4 nuts (2 at the top of the shock tower and 2 under the spring perch at the top of the upper control arm), pull it out (you have to twist it a little to get the end out), put the new one in and retighten the nuts. Think the nuts are 1/2", but if you have a set of open ended wrenches or sockets and a means to get to a parts store you could do it in less than 10 minutes.

 

[67rynorod]

These are the four bolts you need to remove (excuse my using these pictures I am not at home to take my own):

Top side:


Bottom Side (2 is pointing to the one on the backside):



Of coarse, I left out the fact you'll have to remove the wheel, but hopefully you have the ability to change your tire (please take no offense).

 

[motley1987]

No offense taken. Sensitive is one thing I'm not. I actually have most of the tools I need to do stuff like this (except like gear pullers and the once in a decade use stuff), my biggest problem is that I don't have a garage so if I start something and can't finish it, I might be stuck depending on what I'm working on since I don't want to leave it in the open unfinished. I pulled the dash out last winter and took a portable heater in the car with me so I had some heat when I was replacing the radio and heater controls so if I can find a way to do it regardless of the weather, I'll take a stab at it. I'm usually willing to try stuff myself, if I could only get patience to think before I dive in I'd be better off. I dropped it off this morning since I still am having trouble with it stalling so I'll know soon if it's the shock or not. Thanks for the info!

Ben