Squeaking suspension

Are those ball joints found in other makes?

@tomkuester posted:

Are those ball joints found in other makes?

https://pantera.infopop.cc/top...hose-parts-come-from

I have installed Wilkinson's teflon lined factory type bushings into four Panteras and not a single squeak.  I usually replace the ball joints and service the rear carriers  when replacing a-arm bushings.  I also replace the sway bar bushings and have gotten a squeak from them but a little grease fixed that and they settled in and became quiet.  None of the above is polyurethane.

@tomkuester posted:

I gave up and bought and installed a new set of rubber bushings. I was a bushing installation pro by now, so I thought, but those rubber bushings are also beginning to squeak after about a year. What can be the problem here.

Tom, I wonder if the a-arm bolts need re-torquing.  It is possible that the metal housing of the bushing is turning in the chassis' a-arm mounts.  The outer housing is supposed to be clamped and static while the inner bushing pivots with the rubber core.   

Thank you, I will look at that.

I go with Steve… I also think that’s the way to fix it… There shouldn’t be any other reason to squeak

Tom, I had a mysterious squeek that turned out to be a worn-out lower rubber  bushing on a rear Koni shock. The rear of a Pantera is the heaviest part of the car, and a compressed Koni rubber bushing allowed the bottom of the right shock tube to touch its shock mounting bracket. As with most of the car, the mounting holes are drilled oversize at the factory and allows things to move even with tight bolts. The clue was, the paint on the shock tube was worn off from the contact. I went with poly bushings AND cut 0.060" off the top of the shock-mounting bracket.

Thank you for your thoughts, I will check it out. In the meantime, I rechecked tightness of bolts at bushings and greased the you know what out of everything that moves.  When I push down on a front corner its quiet until I push down very hard and semi bounce the car up and down by hand. Then I get this harmonic squeak. Its driving me wild, but I may have to wait until it gets worse or something falls off.

Suspension noises can be difficult to isolate.  I had a clunk coming from the driver front wheel when going over dips in the road or speed bumps.  I looked things over and tightened stuff many times.  I eventually wiggled the wheel with the car off the ground and felt something click.  It turned out to be the wheel bearing.  The bearing and race looked fine and well greased but I replaced both sides anyway and the clunk went away.