zupmanZ28

I have a spohn torque arm/ x member setup for a t-56, and i got some nasty clunks coming out from under it. I've been chasing them around for two years now and still haven't found them. At this point i'm so dissatisfied with the whole piece that i'm about to unbolt it from the xmember and put a stock torque arm back on.

First it was hitting the body at the rearend mount. Dented the hell out of the floorboards and got that to stop. Then it was hitting the fuel line brackets... Notched the arm to allow for clearance, got rid of that problem. Then it was hitting the built in driveshaft loop. Took the whole assembly out and "ovalized" the loop as per Steve's instructions in another thread way back a long time ago.

With all that i still have a clunk. I can't see where its or hitting anywhere and its driving me nuts. I'm thinking about removing the pivot point that the torque arm mounts to on the xmember, and mounting it directly to that bottom bushing. I really don't understand the point to having a pivot there anyway, seems like it would throw off the whole geometry of the rear suspension.

Somebody clue me in as to why this is a bad idea....

Eric

Dewey316

the torque arm needs to have some for/aft movement. if you remove the pivot, then there isn't that needed movement. that is why the stocker has a slip style bushing.

have you tried putting new bearings in?

zupmanZ28

which bearings?

Eric

Dewey316

the bearings at the TA/crossmember mount, unless you a have poly bushing up there.

zupmanZ28

yea i got the poly mount at the front. I've only managed to rack up about 3000 miles on this car since the install, so if the bushings are bad already....well yeah that would suck

Eric

IROCZZ3

Yeah it would be a bad idea to eliminate the front pivot point. Same reason why your driveshaft has a slip yoke at the front to allow fore and aft movenment when the rearend goes up and down.

5.0Camaro

its because you dont have all the bolts tighten down hard, expeicaly the one that connects the rod/poly end. Put some lock tight on it and get it real real tight and tight all the other ones down, that should take all the clunking out...did with mine. The problem is that the bolt is just a tad smaller in diameter then the rod/poly end so it will move a little so if you get enough torque on it, it will pin it down. Hope that helps.

Justins86bird

What ever you do, don't remove the pivot. It will cause the rear suspension to bind up bad.

zupmanZ28

I'll try again, but i know i already cranked down pretty hard on that front bolt. I can't remember if i did just one or both of them though. I will check that hopefully tomorrow.

Eric

james_85Z28

Buy new nuts (k-locks ?) for the bolts in the front mount. After I removed them a couple times they didn't lock well anymore and would come loose just enough to hear a clunk sound. I replaced them and all is quiet again.