Guest jimstulga Posted June 10, 2012 Share Posted June 10, 2012 '61 Imperial and there's a loud cracking metal type noise over bumps sometimes. Looked at all the obvious; leaf springs, shocks, muffler, body and I have an idea, but before I go through the work to find out thought I'd ask here. The noise is coming from the rear passenger side. Wondering if one of the 4 brake shoes (Chry has 4 per drum) has somehow broke loose and is the culprit. Car brakes fine, but I can also hear a kind of faint ching ching sound at lower speed. Perhaps part of the shoe? I can't pull a drum, so if my suspicion is possible, I'll have to approach my favorite shop. Thanks. Jim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StillOutThere Posted June 10, 2012 Share Posted June 10, 2012 If you have four brake shoes per drum, you have a very unique problem as that is not the way Chrysler built brakes. Post a picture of that. I would expect you have broken leaf springs that are flexing /creaking at the center bolt and that its all being held in place by the U-bolts to the axle. Disassemble the axle from the spring and have a look at the spring - you should easily see the cracks on the sides of the leafs that have broken. If this is the problem, obviously used springs are available but new built to factory blue print can be ordered (in pairs) from Eaton Detroit Spring. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
c49er Posted June 10, 2012 Share Posted June 10, 2012 Four brake shoes per drum-oh my!You do have a problem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest jimstulga Posted June 10, 2012 Share Posted June 10, 2012 OOOPS!! my face is red on the four shoes per drum thing. I had it mixed up with something my father used to say about Chry shoes being opposed to each other so they stop more efficiently. Hmm?? is it two wheel cylinders per drum then? Obviously, I don't work on brakes. ANYWAY, thanks for the tip about the leaf springs "stilloutthere". I will look there. Jim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rusty_OToole Posted June 10, 2012 Share Posted June 10, 2012 I would be looking at the rubber isolators or bushings in the suspension. If they have not been replaced they are doubtless dried out cracked and useless by now.Chrysler front brakes had 2 leading shoes with 2 wheel cylinders. This gave more powerful braking, better control, and less chance of locking up the brakes. The rears were conventional except no hand brake, they had a separate hand brake on the transmission. Chrysler did not take chances when it came to brakes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Bob Call Posted June 10, 2012 Share Posted June 10, 2012 Cracking metal sound over bumps and faint ching, ching. I would start by checking for loose wheel lug bolts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest jimstulga Posted June 11, 2012 Share Posted June 11, 2012 I ran out and checked the wheel lug nuts. Wouldn't have thought of that, but not the problem. Took it for a ride over bumps and heard it a few times. I can bounce the back end up and down with all my might and not hear it. Even over bumps, doesn't happen all the time. I now noticed some loose side trim and the stainless trim piece under the doors is loose toward the back end too. Although, the sound isn't a flimsy metal sound. More like a crack, not a squeak. I'll find it eventually. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NTX5467 Posted June 13, 2012 Share Posted June 13, 2012 I somewhat doubt "brakes" will have the "ching ching" noise in them. I somewhat doubt the issue is a broken leaf in the rear springs . . . no "ching ching" there either. I've heard of leaves breaking, but have not ever seen one that has.My question would be "How severe is the bump when the noise is heard?" Is the noise during normal driving or during driving through "dips"? Specific to one side only, or both? Are there any other "WHAM" type noises, as might happen if the rear pinion snubber or other rear suspension bumpers might have deteriorated and are now "gone", leaving the brackets they bolted to now making underbody contact?At what speed(s) do the noises happen? Turning?Things I'd check on . . . - the dust shield on the rear shock absorbers not being anchored to the top of the shock any more, but now descended around the lower half of the shock, moving up and down with the wheel action.- As I believe this is a two-piece driveshaft car, you might check the center carrier bearing AND mount for deterioration and integrity.- As this is a "body on frame" car, you might check the body mounts. If the rubber in the mounts has deteriorated, it could now allow the frame to contact the vehicle's body, when flexed by bumps, plus allow the metal washers and tubes to now rattle on the body mount bolts.- Check the exhaust system mounts and their integrity. In many cases, they are strips of rubber and can become deteriorated and fail from age, letting the exhaust system "sag" greatly and contact things it might normally be that close to. Rear shocks is one place that could be contacted.You might also head over to Online Imperial Club (OIC) for Imperial, Chrysler Imperial, and Chrysler New Yorker Brougham Enthusiasts. Click on "Mail List" and sign up for the Imperial Mail List, where you can also pose your question. There's LOTS of information on that website, including all of Chrysler's "Tech Books" in the back of the website.Please update us on your findings.Enjoy!NTX5467 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest jimstulga Posted June 16, 2012 Share Posted June 16, 2012 FOUND IT!!! and now I need some guidance. The noise is coming from a broken bracket that holds a single strap leaf spring attached to the rear axle and located just in front of the shock absorber area. When I'd hit a bump that spring would bounce up and down hitting a metal surface. I know how to mig weld with flux core wire, but don't know if that would be a strong enough weld, or should I find a replacement part? I have sprayed all the bolts with PB Blaster in anticipation of the job ahead. If not too expensive, should probably try to find replacement rubbers and do both sides. One thing leads to another. BTW, the ching ching sound, I'm guessing is unrelated and isn't very loud. Jim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NTX5467 Posted June 16, 2012 Share Posted June 16, 2012 (edited) Thanks for the additional information! That "single strap leaf spring" would be something that was unique to Imperials, IF it's what I'm thinking of . . . a means to decrease "axle wind-up reaction" under heavy acceleration, kind of like a "traction bar", but only on the rh side. It simply had a mounting bracket welded to the top side of the axle tube, in parallel with the normal leaf spring and also had a similar bracket on the vehicle frame. Normal thru-bolt-rubber bushing mount/insulation, from what I recall seeing in the Chrysler service manuals. Again, IF this is what you've got under there, there is no load-carrying function of this leaf spring, just "torque reaction", as I understand it. Check www.jholst.net/62-parts-manual/springs.pdf Scroll to the second rear spring picture . . . you'll see the additional "strut" mechanism in a small box on the rh corner of that illustration. This particular picture is for '62, but should be the same as what's on your 1961, I suspect, or at least something very similar. The bolt-in bracket on the frame side is shown, but the weld-on bracket on the top of the rear axle housing is no.The www.jholst.net website is generally concerned with Chrysler 300 Letter Cars, BUT the parts books covered all Chrysler products rather than just Chryslers or Imperials specifically. The "Strut" is pictured in Group 17 with the springs, but the parts are listed in Group 3 with the rear axle mechanism. The link above should go to the particular illustration page for the rear leaf spring, but jholst.net has lots of information in it! On the Home Page, which mentioned 1964 Chrysler 300K, click on the "Resources" icon to get to the very long list of links which includes the Chrysler parts books. There might be some other information in there that would apply to your Imperial, also!Hope this might help some . . .NTX5467 Edited June 16, 2012 by NTX5467 (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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