Top tips for quieting a ride suspension wise..

[Challenger_Chuck]

I have a 71 Challenger and am curious if they all ride really really loudly. It sounds literally like I have a box full of tools in the truck that rattles whenever I go over a bump. I'm replacing the rear shocks even though I would rate them at 75% good, and the fronts were replaced the last time it was aligned(2 years ago).  All bushings appear in good shape and what isn't new has been rebuilt/gone over.  Am I down to obscure things like replacing the weatherstripping on the doors?

[70chall440]

very "big" question; some of this will be suspension, some will be other things like the trunk lid bouncing. You say the suspension was "rebuilt"? If it was done with poly bushings that can result in squeaking (they need to be lubricated with the right lube). Other noises can be leaf springs, shackles, shocks (especially if they are loose), any number of things.

you need to do 2 things

1. drive it with the stereo off, try window up and down (can give you different prospectives). Try and ID where the most egregious sounds are coming from in terms of front, back etc.
2. get under the car and under the hood and began checking the tightness of everything. Do it methodically.

Another "culprit" of the "bolts, nuts, tools rattling" sound is commonly rear end issues; bad gears, bad bearings, etc.

[blown motor]

Good thread. I'm interested in the responses because my car also sounds clunky from bumps in the road. Early on it didn't bother me but I've had the car four summers now and lately I've been thinking that a nice quiet ride would be sweet. I'll be checking things over thoroughly this winter.

[js29no]

does the car have air shocks?

[dfrazz]

does the car have air shocks?

That's a good point as those things will cause rattles.  Worn rear springs bushings will be a bunch of noise.  Does your car have any sound deadener?

[1 Wild R/T]

Are the upper shock mounting bolts tight?  Are the rubber damping sleeves in place on the trunk torsion springs? I've had a number of people comment on how quiet my Challenger is, with all the stories about E bodies being rattle traps people expect them to be just that.... I've owned allot of Challengers since the mid 70's, a few have had rattles but none that were hard to find & fix....

[anlauto]

Are the upper shock mounting bolts tight? 

Ahhh you beat me to it.....Several cars I've had, the upper bolts were loose after a period of time. They should have lock nuts.

[soundcontrol]

I'm on Challenger No 5, and all of mine has been rattlling, convertibles (I had 3) rattles more. I put subframe connectors in the convertible I have now, and that took care of a lot of it. Still clunky in doors, trunk etc, and I never rebuild the suspension on one until now, so I'm excited to see how it drives next summer. Later on I will try to get the doors tight, take apart and fix, its not exactly a Mercedes click when I close my door now... The e-bodies rattles way more than Mustangs for example (I had 4 Mustangs also).


Btw, I also think the way the interior is made, big plastic covers over steel construction, is actually acousticly amplifying sound rather than damping it, so a good sound deadener, Dynamat or something,  is on my list also.

[dutch]

there was not a single rattle in my cuda after resto, so it is possible to get them silent.  Sound deadener sure helps getting drone out of the panels, but rattling is coused by parts not put together correctly or worn, or bolts not tight etc...

[dodj]

One of the last rattles I located and eliminated from my car was from the trunk lid torsion bars. They would rattle over bumps where they crossed over each other. I put a small piece if pipe insulation on one of the bars to quiet it.

I had a squeak from my hood pins. My hood was a little mis-aligned, and the sheet metal edge of the hood was rubbing on the pin, creating a squeak when you went over a bump. Had to slightly adjust the hood.

Crap in the console - easy fix obviously.

Window hardware tight and in good condition? Fuzzies adjusted correctly? Down stop rubber bumper still in place - or maybe bouncing around inside the door? Lock rods have their covering on them? Without the covering they will rattle.
Driver's side mirror adjusting cable. I put a few pieces of foam pipe insulation here too. Prevents rattling against parts of the door.

Rear seat bottom cushion. In my car I found the attachment close to the front of the cushion can squeak. I put a very small amount of silicone spray (not RTV) on the attachment point and it is quiet now.

All I can think of at the moment.

[js29no]

last four post's were spot on, this summer when I went through my gran coup, I saved A nice foam wrapper that came on A new plastic bumper and used it for my weather barriers on the interior trim panels and rear pacage shelf. big difference!  if I ever pull the rug out I will deffinitle use dynamat, it made A big difference in A friend's car.  

[rUNCHARGER]

My Challenger is quiet as well (other than the exhaust). I dynomatted the doors and floors and that helps but there is no need for rattles and squeeks either. When you assemble them from scratch it is pretty easy to make sure everything is tight and right.

Sheldon

[Cudakiller70]

I replaced my shocks as 1 wild R/T had suggested on another thread. I just did some partial sound deadening. Did as much of the firewall as I could, complete floor, under rear seat and behind rear interior side panels and insulated a divider behind rear seat. Have yet to do doors, trunk and roof. Did it with home made lizard skin, then sound deadener material. After that I put 1 layer of cool mat. My wife just took a ride and remarked at how much quieter the car is. Before it sounded like a tin can inside.

[TelisSE440]

Another "culprit" of the "bolts, nuts, tools rattling" sound is commonly rear end issues; bad gears, bad bearings, etc.

Should I be hearing something specific, or just a droning sound? I'm afraid my Challenger may have a rear issue problem but how can I isolate the sound?

[BFM_Cuda]

Should I be hearing something specific, or just a droning sound? I'm afraid my Challenger may have a rear issue problem but how can I isolate the sound?

Find a nice smooth road and run the car at different speeds, in different gears. A rearend noise should change with speed only. You could also try putting it up on jackstands and put the car in gear. If you're brave you could listen around the rearend as the tires are turning. Have someone in the car to run things if you do this. Safety first...

Something not mentioned yet would be the exhaust system. Make sure the hangers are in good shape and nothings rubbing.
Someone had removed the resonators on my 2010 challenger; it was terribly noisy and would rattle the trunk panels at highway speeds.