The inner metal tube in the spring bushing is supposed to be clamped
tightly to the vertical link by the bolt.
To remove the bolt, I would do whatever would cause the least damage to the
other parts. If you try to cut between the
vertical link and the spring, you will certainly wreck the spring bushing,
so make sure you have a replacement.
So make sure you have a replacement. (The bushing might already be shot,
and causing the noise.)
Cutting the nut off with a Dremel might be tedious.
Try spraying some WD-40, etc. on the joint, then drive around and see if
the noise goes away.
Also try bouncing the rear bumper up and down and see if you can reproduce
the noise when the car is at rest.
I once had a funny bumping noise from the rear end, and it turned out that
the mounting eye had broken off one of the (original) rear shocks.
It was a bummer since the rear shocks still worked fine, the aftermarket
replacements were not as good.
Doug
On Sun, Jun 21, 2015 at 2:43 PM, Jim Cullen <ccullen16@cogeco.ca> wrote:
> Happy Fatherb s Day to all the Dadb s out there...
>
> Given that it is Fatherb s day I thought it was finally time to diagnose
> and
> hopefully fix a tapping/rattling/metalic sound that seemed to be coming
> from
> the passenger rear wheel area. Now I am half way through it I am at a bit
> of a
> crossroads and thought before I plow ahead it might make sense to get some
> informed advice beyond my own limited experience (which is limited to trial
> and error as things have failed over the last 20 years).
>
> First the history - The sound started last year and Jade (74 Spitfire) has
> been in the garage on the DL since. I have learned over the years of owning
> this car the hard way to not ignore these types of sounds from the rear end
> (5-6 years ago the right rear axle sheared off mid flight leaving me with
> three wheels instead of the required 4, but that is another story).
> Anyhow, I
> had an inkling the offending noise might be coming from the rear leaf
> spring
> (as I noted it seems to be a tapping type sound). So, I got the read end
> jacked up and the rear leaf spring seems ok, except there seemed to be a
> bit
> of an extra gap/space where the rear leaf spring connects to the vertical
> link. I decided to try and tighten up the nyloc nut and bolt that attaches
> the
> vertical link to the leaf spring.... after 3-4 minutes I realized I am not
> making any headway in tightening it despite using a 5/8 spanner @ one end
> and
> a 11/16 ratchet on the other. I then decided to remove the nut and bolt
> with
> the aim of replacing the bolt/nyloc nut. Unfortunately after another 2-3
> minutes I realize that despite the nut seeming to turn I am not making any
> progress. After some deductive reasoning I am thinking that the nyloc nut
> is
> stripped on the bolt. Now to R and R I am thinking that I will need to cut
> out
> the bolt/nut.
>
> Questions:
>
> 1) What is the easiest way to cut out this bolt/nut b i) using a hacksaw
> and
> cutting between the link and the end of the leaf spring? ii) use a dremel
> to
> cut off the bolt/nut @ the nut end?
> 2) If this bolt/nut is not snug, is there a reasonable chance that this
> (and
> the corresponding gap/looseness) was the source of the
> tapping/rattling/metalic sound from the rear end?
>
> Opinions appreciated.
>
> Thanks,
>
> Jim
> _____
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