Aluminum on aluminum-sounding clank after SRT-8 suspension swap.

[TheFleshRocket]

I just finished swapping the following parts into my 300C:

--EBC Redstuff pads (big improvement in braking power even under light braking)
--used SRT-8 shocks, struts and springs
--new upper control arms (buggered ball joints during removal)
--used SRT-8 wheels with OEM Eagle F1s
--3mm front spacers

I have what sounds like an aluminum-on-aluminum clanking noise that definitely wasn't there before. It is only noticeable when hitting bumps and is definitely coming from the front end. After my initial test drive, I brought the car back into the garage, raised the front end and checked the tightness on all of the bolts. On both sides, I checked the strut tower mount bolts, the upper control arm bolts, the strut lower bolt and the sway bar bolt. Everything is snug.

I do have a torque wrench but not the proper attachments to be able to get to everything (such as the upper control arm rear mounting bolts) so some of the bolts were tightened using my "best guess" method. When I jacked up the car, I put the jack under the center of the K-member to raise the whole front end evenly and put jack stands under the suspension mount points just inside of the lower control arms. (I doubt how I jacked it could have hurt anything but figured I might as well mention that.)

When installing the upper control arms, I followed the shop manual instructions that said to just loosely tighten them while the vehicle is in the air, and then snug them down once the wheels have been installed and the vehicle is lowered onto the ground. (Before reading that in the manual, I snugged the bolts down while the car was jacked up and noticed that the control arms were very hard to move up and down. So I loosened them and did it like the manual suggests. That said, I don't remember the old control arms being very hard to move, and I'm pretty sure I have gotten the control arm mounting bolts to at or just a bit over 55 ft-lbs.)

After the test drive, I noticed that I can hear the noise slightly if I sit next to one of the front wheels and yank it in and out of the wheel well. I have to pull on the wheel pretty hard to be able to make the noise, but it is definitely present. The thing is, I can't tell where it's coming from. It sounds like the engine bay, to be honest, but I didn't touch anything in there except for the upper control arm mount bolts and the three nuts on the top of each strut tower. I did have the hangar mounting bolts on the exhaust resonators removed while swapping out the shocks/springs in the rear, but those have been properly reinstalled.

So at this point I'm lost. Everything is definitely snug. Does anyone have any suggestions based on my information? I could even jack up the car and take a video of it making the noise, or taking a video of it in the garage with me yanking on the wheel. (I won't be able to do that until tonight.)

Thanks everyone!

[batwood]

Did you check the ball joints?

these are imperative that they are tightenend properly. If not do that and post if that fixed it.

[JusticePete]

As Brandon advised check every single front end joint, tie rod end and connection. You should also pay very close attention to your exhaust system. We has chased a couple of noises we swore were in the front only to find them in the rear from the exhaust.

[TheFleshRocket]

Hi guys, thanks for the responses. I was actually able to get the car in to the dealer on Friday. Turns out it was the sway bar end link. A new one is on order.

[4life]

So how would you say your ride is now that you have the SRT8 suspension on there? Which SRT8 suspension dod you get, Charger or 300c?

Im in the middle of my suspension swap right now, just got the fronts on and doing the rears tomorrow. I dont see much if any height difference in the front so I hope the ride is a bit sportier at least.

Cheers.

[TheFleshRocket]

You're right, the ride height doesn't seem to be significantly changed with the SRT-8 parts. (The guy I bought mine from said they were from a 300C.) It's maybe 3/4" lower in front, and about 1 1/4" lower in the rear.

The ride is a bit firmer and definitely more controlled. Going over humps in the highway at speed no longer causes the car to float like it's on a cloud. However, the ride is not uncomfortable or harsh. My fiance is the primary driver of the 300C and was adamant that "these parts better not mess up the ride". She says that the car rides "fine" now.

I did the "get up to 40mph and do quick transitions from left to right and back" several times and the car responded crisply--a noticeable improvement over stock.

In short, if you are looking for an evolutionary improvement (ie nothing too radical), I think you'll be happy with the SRT-8 suspension swap.

[JusticePete]

Did the endlink resolve your clank?

[TheFleshRocket]

Originally Posted by JusticePete

Did the endlink resolve your clank?

Sure did.

[JusticePete]

cool.