Rattle from rear driver side?

[dukeminor1971]

Hi
First time on here...I have a 1971 4 door saloon.
There is a quite loud rattling noise coming from the rear driver's side of the car. I've checked the leaf spring and bounced the suspension around and can't hear any noise when the car is stationary. The noise seems to occur when the car is driving 'under load' ie I have my foot on the accelator and is worse when I go over bumps or a rough patch of road.
Any suggestions or ideas of where to start looking would be much appreciated.

[bmcecosse]

Welcome to the forum..... Either it's loose parts rattling about in the spare wheel cavity, or under the rear seat - or worn out bushes in the spring or damper mounts.

[mike.perry]

Check the rear damper arm drop link, the rubber in the knuckle decomposes and the joint bangs, which reminds me its about time I changed mine

[beero]

If the rear spring bushes are soft it could be the spring bashing on the chassis where the shackle is.

[dukeminor1971]

Thanks for this. I've ordered a complete set of rubber bushes (the ones on there look like 1971 vintage) and will set about getting the springs off to get them fitted; hopefully everything will come off without too much trouble.

[mike.perry]

hopefully everything will come off without too much trouble.

No Chance, The rear rubbers will have welded themselves to the chassis and the pins and the front hanger pin will need to be cut off with a hacksaw.
And you will still need to change the drop links.

[bmcecosse]

Change that order to POLYURETHANE bushes rather than rubber..........

[mike.perry]

I can see the point in poly bushes for the front suspension as there is more play in the linkage but I would not have thought that they would make much difference in the rear shackles where everything is bolted up tight, besides I have a tin of rubbers to use up.

[bmcecosse]

Aye - but the rubbers supplied these days seem to made of chocolate ........

[aupickup]

repro rubbers are not worth the effort

certainly polys if you can not get original rubbers