clunking noise at front end only entering turns

[willard]

What can that be? Visual inspection revealed nothing. No clunking while accelerating or braking, none when ging thru bumps or road holes. Dull clunk when initiating the turn. Only on passenger side. Car is 70 challenger 383 auto SE.

[Finoke]

Is your steering linkages clearing your torsion bars when the car is on the ground? I had a B body once that wore a notch in the passenger side torsion bar because of it rubbing when making turns.

[Haddixj]

usually an upper ball joint in my expierence. Jack the car up and jiggle the tire and see if it moves at the joint that will tell you right there. Or you can always take it to a alignment shop and they will put the car on the rack and if they can't align it they will tell you what is wrong

[dodj]

Hmmmm.  Steering box bolts tight? Pitman arm tight?

[willard]

Something must have worn out as car was driving fine since resto (3 years). I'll jack up the front end try to find where is the play.

[willard]

No clunk when turning the steering wheel with car parked. No clunk when turning the steering wheel side to side, only when the car shifts the weight/direction ther's one clunk nosie.
Jacked up the front wheel and tried to pull/push it in different directions. The sound is there when I pull/push the top or bottom of the wheel. However... I see that the wheel moves (has play) but the UCL and LCA don't move. Also the part that holds the lower ball joint looks rock solid.  Of course wheel nuts where tight. The play is somewhere on the brake rotor+wheel vs. spindle. Is it normal that there is some play there? I can move the whole wheel and see thet in relation to the brake rotor shield.

[CudamanTom]

Sounds like the spindle nut is too loose.

[brads70]

Sounds like the spindle nut is too loose.

  pull the wheels off and have a good look at the rotor. Pull the rotor off and inspect the bearings too.
Lots of offshore crap out there.

[Chryco Psycho]

Strut rod bushing is possible also

[willard]

Tightened the spindle nut and the noise and the play are gone. It's raining so I cant test drive. Comparing to the driver's - the other wheel had no play at all so the pass one was definitely too loose. I tightened just enough to have the clunk gone. Interesting - the cotter pin was there and not broken.