lt1hatesme

i just installed the adjustable torque arm with front driveshaft loop on my 94 z28 and everything went on fine, i double and triple checked the pinoin angle, AND that all the mounting bolts and and jam nuts and everything was tight. well after a little spirited test driving im getting some serious clunking from under the car. i dont have access to a lift until friday so i will not be driving it until then but does anyone have any ideas??

btw, its not the tranny mount, ive broke that many times and i know exactly what it sounds like, this is similar too that clunk, but not as distinct... its more muffled. it happens with acceleration sometimes (during the shift), and during breaking (the down shift). my car is an automatic. stock rearend, and i have upgraded panhard rod, both sway bars, and lca's. any help is greatly appreciated.

LPEdave

My guess is the torque arm is hitting the tranny tunnel, on the left side of the pumpkin. Check to make sure the bolt heads for the angle adjustment are on the outside, and the nuts on the inside. You may also need to adjust the axle to the right a bit to get some clearance, and you may also need to make some clearance with a big hammer...

Dave

lt1hatesme

if it is truly bumping something under the car, how much can i bang away with a hammer before i mess something up? how much play will i have?

LPEdave

You're just under the back seats, there's no real damage to do, unless you accidentally miss the floor and hit your thumb with the hammer. You could probably move the floor pan about 1/2" or so is my guess.

Dave

lt1hatesme

its wierd though, it doesnt clunk or bump anything when i smash the throttle, its only when im cruising at normal speeds... like normal acceleration and braking that it makes any noises. why is that?

Injuneer

Do you have the poly bushing or the rod end?

lt1hatesme

rod end

OBE1 95Z28

Did you add grease to the slider through the grease fitting?

Injuneer

By its nature, the rod end is harsh. If you have excessive backlash in the gears, or any play in the driveshaft, its going to be noisy, and you'll feel it. I think I've reached the point where I can measure the gear backlash by how hard it clunks . For a street car, the poly bushing might be a better choice.

lt1hatesme

im not sure what you mean by slider, but the greasable bushing on the part that mounts to the body IS greased.


so if i have excessive backlash in the gears, i just have to live with it pretty much?? how would i find out if i had any play in the driveshaft??

thanks for the help.

OBE1 95Z28

I recently noticed a clunking in my car; I added grease to the slider grease fitting (where the male and female halves of the torque arm join) and the clunk disappeared. This area actually takes a fair amount of grease; I estimate 10 strokes of my grease gun. Worth a shot. I do have the poly bushing that's quieter than the rod end.

lt1hatesme

are you talking about the part under the rod (in your case poly) bushing that connects the part of the torque arm connected to the rear end, to the part bolted to the frame? cold you possibly post a picture. i only see one place on the torque arm with a grease fitting, and its full of grease.

Injuneer

It sounds like you have on of Spohns "original design" torque arms from about 4-5 years ago. Does the front of it consist of a metal rod on the end of the tubes coming from the rear, that inserts into the hollow front tube, coming from bushing, and covered by a rubber bellows? If so, that design is no longer sold.... not for at least the last 2 or 3 years.

Original design:
http://cjcfo.fbody.com/members/injun...TA_MW_Muf1.jpg

lt1hatesme

oh yea, mine looks nothing like that.... it looks like this:

http://www.spohn.net/productimages/402FLB_big.jpg

Z06Z28

I have the spohn t/a rod end and I know what your talking about. Just make sure everything is alright under there. I double checked mine a couple of times and I'm confident everything is cool.