Hey guys, well my 94 GMC S15 Jimmy makes a nasty clunking noise on heavy turns and bumps that can be heard from a mile away. I took a look underneath and here's what I found:

This thing is cracked:



I marked it with the yellow dots to see it a little better.

So as a result, this bar hits the frame where the dots are and makes that noise:



And here's another view from a little farther away:



So what can I do? I dunno what's going on in there so I'm not sure if that something that needs to get welded or if that's a bracket that just bolts in. Anybody got a diagram/exploded view of that area? I'd like to sell this truck soon so I gotta fix this! And if it makes a difference, this truck is a 4-door.

Thanks guys!

 

its definatly a cross member, i would try and unbolt it from the frame. see if it comes off in one peice. if not have it welded...unfortunatly you might have to take the torsion bars off. by looking at the picture it looks like its welded.....where you have the yellow dots....hope this helps.

 

I'm not the expert but to me it looks like the cross member is where the torsion bars attach. Don't un bolt it until you know for sure it could be dangerous it there is still tension on the bars-even deadly.

Wait til more experts chime in before you un hook anything!

 

The part that broke is the "torsion bar mount". It is very similar to the transmission mount as far as build. I just purchased mine off of Autozone's website for $12.99 for each side. Search "torsion" and it will find it for you. You do not need to buy the kit.

You will have to unload the torsion bars.
1 - Jack up the vehicle from the front cross member (NOT from the wheels) until both wheels are COMPLETELY off the ground.
2 - Place two jack stands under the chassis. I put mine into the holes on the bottom side of the chassis behind the wheels (that was the most secure location that I could find).
3 - Leave the jack under the front cross member with about 1/4 inch of gap from the cross member.
4 - Get yourself a 6 inch C-clamp (around $10 at Autozone), take a hammer and beat the head off of the shaft. You will end up with a ball shape at the end of the clamp's bolt. DO NOT BUY THE POS QUICK RELEASE C-CLAMP, trust me, I broke one doing this. If you want the real tool for the job, find a vendor who sells a torsion bar clamp. Napa might sell them.
5 - Back the torsion bar adjustment bolt out until the T-bar key is about 1/2 inch from the bolt block.
6 - Using your modified C-clamp or torsion bar clamp, place the rounded head into the T-Bar key dimple, and tighten down. You may need to use a large wrench to put a little torque into it. DO NOT TIGHTEN THE C-CLAMP MORE THAN A QUARTER TURN.
7 - Finish removing the T-Bar adjustment bolt.
8 - Slide the T-Bar adjustment bolt block out towards the rear of the vehicle.
9 - Loosen the C-Clamp SLOWLY until it comes off.
10 - Repeat for the other torsion bar.
11 - Unbolt both torsion bar mounts. (three bolts each side, two through the chassis, one through the cross member)
12 - Pull out the T-Bar mounts.
13 - Follow these steps in reverse order.

Other notes:
Watch out for anything that looks like it is about to give (i.e. failing c-clamp under load).
Wear safety glasses. Trust me, nothing suck more than having to stop working on your truck to make an emergency run to the nearest optometrist to have metal shavings removed from your cornea, paying a few hundred dollars for it, and then not being able to do a damn thing for a few days. I speak from experience here
Do BOTH sides. If one failed, the other is not far behind.

 

does your clunking noise sound like its coming from the pass. front of the truck? if so, this is probably my problem too I was thinking it was just a shock wore out since both of my front shocks hve oil film and dirt around the middle joints on them, thanks, cody a